Living with pets
Life is sweet for pets in Austria. In Vienna alone, there are 1 million square meters of designated dog zones, and many animal-friendly businesses. It is common for waiter staff in restaurants to bring your dog a bowl of water before even taking your drink order. Domestic animals are plentiful, cats alone outnumber children in Austria.
Keeping pets at home
Landlords are not allowed to explicitly forbid common small pets, such as cats or hamsters, but they can place a clause to that end in your rental contract. Legally speaking, this is invalid — except for dogs, which the landlord can explicitly forbid. Make sure to check your contract as well as your household insurance to see if it covers damages.
Registration
Your vet will also issue a pet passport (Heimtierausweis), which has your contact details, microchip number, vaccination history, and due dates. With certain breeds, both owner and dog must pass a test to ensure you can handle your dog in public places. In addition, you may need a dog license (Hundeführerschein).
All dogs, cats, and ferrets are required to have a subcutaneous microchips, and can be registered here.
Infrastructure
Most municipalities have plenty of parks and green spaces, but many forbid dogs. To make up for that, there are special dog parks. In Vienna, dispensers of poop bags enable you to easily clean up after your dog and avoid a fine of € 50. Plenty of cafés and restaurants welcome your dog as well, but inquire in advance. If you need to bring your dog along on public transport, it will need a ticket, must be on a leash and wear a muzzle. With just under 3,000 veterinarians (Tierärzte) in Austria, you will not have difficulty finding medical care. And when the day comes, there are several pet cemeteries throughout the country.
Costs
Austrian pets are pampered. Looking at specific pets, people spend most on their cats. All dog owners are required to pay a dog tax each year (Hundeabgabe). The tax amount depends on where you live in Austria.
Please find more information on the dog tax here
Here you can find the registration link for the dog tax in Vienna and more information on keeping a dog in Vienna.
