Obama, Bulgaria's Boyko Borisov and Dog Shelters

Letters to the Editor | August 8, 2008, Friday // 00:00

When we talk about dog shelters, we accept that they are dedicated to help every pet animal in disaster, including the lost and leaved ones. Recently American community heard in the news that Senator Obama has promised his family they'll get a new dog after the November election. Best Friends Animal Society proposed to the senator and his family: "Don't buy from a pet store or breeder. Please adopt your dog from a shelter or rescue group." Probably one dog from an USA shelter will have the chance to be "the first dog of America".

Furthermore, the meaningful and clear dog population management becomes possible because of the shelter activity. For an example, in Camden County, New Jersey the result of that activity today is being measured with the saving live of almost 80 percent of all roaming dogs. The 2006 shelter data from Camden shown that 3822 roaming dogs were impounded. Of them, 576 were returned to their owners, 2165 were adopted and 694 were euthanized.

Bulgaria and particularly the capital Sofia remain without truth dog sheltering. The Sofia Municipality's official position before 2006 was that the unwanted dogs are being shelttered and euthtanized. But in 2005 an ARD-TV hidden camera documentary from Sofia shown that roaming dogs were catched and immediately taken in a fur mill. In spite of all, since 1999 Tierhilfe Sueden Bulgaria, a branch of the Germany-based SPCA, started sterilization and release of unwanted dogs in Sofia; and there were complaints that the most of the dogs also were disappear in the Municipal dog pound.

Since 2005 year, after becoming Mayor of Sofia, Boyko Borisov has demonstrated full agreement with Tierhilfe Sueden, and even enforces their practice as official. At the present the fundamental activity is sterilization of unwanted dogs of unknown origin, which every year are appearing over the streets. Here are the 2007 data from the Sofia Municipal Dog Shelter (*): 4748 dogs were impounded; 749 were euthanized; 3649 were sterilized and released to the street; and just 275 were adopted. No lost dogs were reported to have been found and returned to the owner.

The lack of adequate dog sheltering in Sofia is also a scandal, but remains away from the attention of the public opinion. Even the popular animal advocates don't make a difference between the terms as "shelter", "sterilization clinic", and "hospital". Their representatives did not recommend to the institutions any activity resembling the humane population management.

On June 25 2008 Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov opened a new dog facility. The project is being cooperated between the Municipality and Tierhilfe Sueden Bulgaria, as the Municipality was provided the construction plot. Some announces noted that the primary attention is focused on taking carre of old, sick and injured homeless dogs. The capacity is for one hundred animals. In that case obviously we are talking about some kind of hospital and orphanage. But according to the Sofia Animal Control Agency Director Miroslav Naydenov, "this is the third officially working dog shelter in the Capital." By the way, the news media reported about two private dog shelters working illegally nearby Sofia, in the villages of Lukovo and Rosoman.

The whole situation today remains the same as in 90th. Most of the roaming dogs - lost, abandoned and homeless - are left outside alone until they become victims of the organized illegal activity or inner possible human iniquity. In accordance of this, they are disappearing in large number. So already is being violated the Animal Protection Act, which requires the unowned dogs from the living areas to be registered in the Municipality; also the NGOs or physical persons are responsible for their care and supervision.

by Emil D. Kuzmanov
Animal Programs Foundation
18 Yanko Sofiiski Voivoda str
1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
+35928655623
E-mail: animalprograms@abv.bg

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