Bonn, 7 May 2025. Redeker Sellner Dahs has successfully tried an appeal for the city of Solingen in a landmark case concerning the keeping of dangerous dogs on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the Land of North Rhine‑Westphalia. The Superior Administrative Court of North Rhine‑Westphalia ruled yesterday that the plaintiff was rightly prohibited from keeping an American pit bull‑terrier crossbreed.
The proceedings revolved around the legal classification of so‑called listed dogs and crossbreeds of these. The court established that even crossbreeds with clearly pronounced breed traits of a pit bull terrier are deemed to be dangerous dogs under NRW law governing dogs. The breed standards of private breeding associations, according to the Court, can be consulted in performing an assessment. With this decision, the Superior Administrative Court has expressly departed from its previous case law, accentuating the legislative intention of the Land Dogs Act.
The plaintiff was unable to credibly demonstrate that there was either a special private or public interest in keeping the dog. The court underscored that special permits are only possible in justified cases of exception. The Superior Administrative Court denied any appeal.
Redeker lawyers Prof Dr Alexander Schink and Julian Ley acted as counsel for the city of Solingen in the proceedings, which commenced in 2022.
