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.
Pets in public spaces
Most municipalities have numerous parks and green spaces, but dogs are prohibited in many of them. To compensate for this, there are special dog parks. You can easily clean up your dog's droppings with the help of poo bags and thus avoid a fine of 63 euros on average. Your dog is also welcome in many cafés and restaurants, but ask in advance. If you want to take your dog with you on public transport, it needs a ticket, must be kept on a lead and wear a muzzle. With around 2,550 vets in Austria, you will have no difficulty finding medical care. And when the day comes, there are several pet cemeteries across the country.
Costs and fees
Austria's pets are spoilt. Looking at the individual types of pets, people in Austria spend the most on their cats. All dog owners must pay a dog tax (dog levy) every year. The amount of tax depends on where you live in Austria.
According to statistics, a dog costs an average of around 15,000 euros during its lifetime, including the purchase costs. A cat that lives to be 16 years old on average costs around 11,500 euros. However, when it comes to your pet's health, it's not so easy to save money. According to the Austrian Veterinary Chamber, the cost of a single routine examination of a dog or cat ranges from 80 to 162 euros. However, this does not include any therapies or medication.
Further information on pets
You can find more information about the dog tax here.
