Paw & Order

1 in 3 Californians Believe Daily dog Walks should be law.

• 43% believe dog owners who don't walk their pets should receive a life ban from owning pets.

• Half think tying up dogs for over an hour should be illegal.

• Pandemic has increased the Pet Obesity Epidemic

Paws & Pandemics: As humans, it's easy to get caught up in the way in which the coronavirus pandemic has affected our daily lives, forgetting the impact that lockdown has had on our furry friends.

Being home for months on end has affected our activity levels as humans, but we sometimes forget that our pets need sufficient exercise too.

A proposed law set to pass this year in Germany orders dog owners to walk their pets twice a day for at least one hour in total, based on evidence that many of the country's 9.4 million dogs are not getting enough exercise.

Do Americans feel pet owners need to take more responsibility for their pets' health?

Pet product review & tip site, MyPetNeedsThat.com, conducted a survey of 3,000 respondents and found that over one-third (36%) of Californians think there should be a state law which enforces dog owners to walk them every day, at least once a day, in order to ensure they receive enough exercise (compared to a national average of 28%).

If you're a pet owner, perhaps your pooch was confused about you being home every day during the pandemic, or maybe they started experiencing cabin fever or acting strangely from not being out and about as usual.

Lack of exercise can have severely negative effects on your pet's health, including restlessness, boredom, frustration; increased risk of weight gain and withdrawments from daily activities.

The poll also found that 43% of people believe dog owners who don't walk their pets should receive a life ban from owning pets. Moreover, nearly 1 in 5 (15%) respondents think owners that don't walk their dogs should be subject to criminal law, rather than civil.

More than a third (34%) of California respondents say if they noticed a neighbor who never allowed their dog to exercise, they would report them to authorities. Considering America has a serious pet obesity epidemic, it's perhaps no wonder people feel strongly about caring correctly for animals and ensuring they live happy, healthy lives.