Regulation on the minimum conditions for keeping dogs and cats in an animal shelter (Journal of Laws 2026 Pos. 154).

This Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development establishes detailed minimum conditions for the keeping of dogs and cats in animal shelters across Poland. It specifies requirements for the location of shelters relative to residential buildings, public facilities, farms, food and feed establishments, zoological gardens, wildlife rehabilitation centres, animal asylums and drinking‑water intakes, with certain exemptions for small shelters and for facilities that pre‑existed the shelter. It further prescribes fencing standards, internal layout, and the obligatory separation of functional areas, including treatment rooms, isolation wards, quarantine rooms, pens for healthy animals, areas for aggressive animals, offices and social rooms. The Regulation lays down operational standards for animal care, including requirements for daily feeding, minimum stock of feed, frequency of supervision, provision of exercise yards and walks for dogs, and environmental enrichment. It sets specific technical and sanitary conditions for buildings and equipment, such as materials for walls and floors, cleaning frequency, disinfection, disinsection and deratization routines, as well as the availability of refrigeration equipment for carcass storage and disinfectants. The Regulation also requires shelters to employ or contract a qualified person responsible for compliance with both the shelter standards and animal protection rules, with experience and specific veterinary or animal‑related education.