New Romanian Law Takes Aim at Bucharest's 65,000 Stray Dogs

A deadly dog attack on a four-year-old boy last month has brought new attention to an old problem in the Bucharest area in Romania. A pack of dogs attacked the boy near a park and the boy passed away from the injuries.

The city reportedly has about 65,000 stray dogs, and animal welfare officials say about 1,100 people were bitten by stray dogs in Bucharest in the first four months of 2013. Romanian law was changed on September 9, 2013, legalizing euthanasia after stray animals spend 14 days in public shelter. The Romanian Parliament has ruled that all stray dogs will be killed if, after these 14 days, they remain unadopted.

As Romanian Insider reported:

The Chamber of Deputies approved the law which sets a two week day deadline for stray dogs in shelters to be adopted, following which they will be put down. City Hall, however, retains the power to delay the lethal injection.

The law passed by a majority of votes, with MPs from the Democrat Liberal Party (PDL), the Social Democrat party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL) all in favour of euthanizing stray dogs.[…]

During the debates, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea, said none of the NGOs protecting stray dogs had filed a request to attend the vote.

On that day, hundreds of Romanians rallied in support of a plan to kill stray dogs in the capital after a tragic accident.

Aurica Anghel, the grandmother of the little boy who was mauled to death, also attended Sunday's demonstrations. Ms. Anghel told the BBC:

I hope for a change for the better – I don't want to see dogs on the street anymore.

Another citizen present at the rally said that in her neighborhood packs of dogs roamed the streets after dark, adding:

I'm afraid to go out.

The mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, first announced a referendum would be held on the matter sometime in October. The actual question that would have been asked through the local referendum would have been: “Do you agree with euthanasia for stray dogs captured on Bucharest’s public domain, who will not be adopted within the legal deadline?” In the meantime, Romanian Parliament passed the law and President Traian Basescu said he would issue a Presidential decree backing the law already passed by Parliament, which would be the last step in the bureaucratic process of making the new legislature final.

The case has fired up a fresh debate about the packs of stray dogs, a problem that has plagued Romania for years, some calling it the biggest stray dog problem any country in Europe has had since World War II. Romanians seem divided over the two main options available: euthanasia or sterilization. While many people say the authorities should be able to take radical measures, including putting down dogs, animal rights groups advocate neutering and spaying the dogs.

However, efforts in recent years to sterilize the dogs and return them to the streets have proven inefficient. More than 6,500 stray dogs were sterilized in Bucharest last year, at the cost of some 200,000 euros (about 270,000 US dollars). Meanwhile, local authorities face severe overcrowding at city dog pounds and lack the funding needed to build and run more shelters.

The blog Romanian Journalist reported that new polls show that Romanian citizens would also most likely back the new euthanasia law:

New poll shows over one third of the Romanians (34,7%) believe stray dogs have to be sterilized and placed in shelters, 31,8% say they should be adopted or euthanized, while 25% say the solution for stray dogs is euthanasia.

But social networks are covered with thousands of messages describing peoples’ distress at the Romanian government's decision. In protest, thousands have changed their Facebook profile page to show a bright red dog paw under the name “Red Card For Romania”.

In protest, thousands netizens have changed their Facebook profile page to show the bright red dog paw "Red Card For Romania".

In protest of Romania's plan to euthanize stray dogs, thousands of netizens have changed their Facebook profile page to show this bright red dog paw.

Founder and President of Save the Dogs and Other Animals, Sara Turetta, tweeted:

A personal trainer from Italy, Angel Fernandez, reported a cruel incident on Twitter:

#ROMANIA #DOGS DECAPITATED, MASSACRED…stop the genocide of stray dogs in Romania #romaniastopanimalabuse

Twitter user and journalist Isabella P.P, along with many others, shared a link to a petition to stop the new law and what many are calling an open “massacre” of stray animals:

Mina*Bad Yoga Kitty* reported about the involvement of celebrities regarding this case:

7 comments

  • […] life friends sent me an invitation to an even on Facebook. As many know or may not know, in Romania, a law that the stray dogs must be euthanatized if they won’t be adopted in 14 days was given the green light. So my friend sent me an invitation to join a protest against that law. […]

  • […] [Romania] 1,100 people were bitten by stray dogs in the first quarter of 2013 in the Romanian capital of Bucharest. A law is passed to euthanize stray dogs if no one adopts them after 14 days at a shelter. People from the greater EU region gather in protest by posting a “Red Card for Romania” image on their profile pictures. […]

  • Talvald Farseer

    14 WORKING days. civilized countries keep stray dogs for 3 to 7 days, while here 20 days is a heaven on taxpayers money.

    that was NOT a deadly dog atack. a pack of dogs ATE a little 4 year boy ALIVE. the dogs ate and dismembered the little boy while he was still ALIVE.

    there was a WITNESS, the brother, 6 year old, he ran away (got bitten but kept running)

    get your sources to tell you the reality.

    sterilisation was tried for the last 23 years.
    it obviously did not work, because everyone involved was gaining loads of money, so they stalled and faked surgery on many dogs = not only the number of dogs did NOT go down, it went UP, now it is estimated that 65.000 stray dogs are in the capital alone

    it is so bad, that last year the official reports say that 11.000 people were treated for various injures made directly by dog bites (not counting accidents caused by dogs on the street) in year 2012 in capital alone

    you presented the case of the people protesting against the euthanasia. they live in countries where there are NO STRAY DOGS, or VERY FEW, they have NO IDEA what it means to live daily with so many dogs on the streets

    • Allison Maria Doyle

      I agree with you. People just hear “euthanize 65,000 stray dogs” and they go crazy. There have been three murders in the past year: a man, and elderly woman, and a child. All were eaten alive. Is this acceptable? No, no it is not.

      My friend, Kat, is resident of Romania. She lives in constant fear, as well. The dog sprays and high-pitched whistles no longer ward the dogs off. Many people refuse to leave their homes for fear of death or injury. Is this a way to live? No, it is not.

      It should be illegal for any dog owner to release their dogs in the wild once they’ve tired of them. Anyone found guilty will be heavily fined. There should be shelters for unwanted dogs. They should not be roaming the streets.

      Is euthanasia the answer? I’m not sure. But can this chaos continue? No, certainly not.

      • psen1975 .

        but then causing a dog holocaust is the answer? they are starved to death in shelters. people i know have visited these shelters from uk. it is traumatic. what is the difference between human and beasts???? allowing the dogs to get out of control is peoples fault not dogs. how is it that so many countries dont have strays??? how is it? because they killed them? no, it was systematic sterilization process. dont forget romania was in the news for killing and ill treating orphans in an orphanage. romania has always been in the news for bad reasons. this is another.

  • Peter N. Mungai

    Good people of Bucharest 65,000 Dogs are not many given opportunity and financial support we can get homes and families in Kenya that can adopt those dogs. we have millions of homes here in Kenya that have no dogs and would really appreciate to have one. lets work together, solutions are within our grasp. Hope to hear something positive from you all.

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