The association „Milioane de prieteni”, World Animal Protection , Sanitary Veterinary Department and the City Hall of Brasov were the organizers of the first International Conference: Dog Population Management.
The conference took place in Brasov, on October 19 and had as guests representatives of the sanitary veterinary authorities from Novi Sad in Serbia, and also from Dubai.
During a full day, local and county authorities, veterinarians and representatives of municipalities from 10 counties, discussed solutions for reducing the number of stray dogs.
Romania is the country with the largest population of stray dogs in Europe. Large amounts of money have been spent, many dogs were killed, laws have been changed, but the problem remained. However, the two cities, Brasov and Cernavoda found a way to keep the canine population under control.
Sara Turetta, the representative of „Save the dogs” association, presented the solutions applied in Cernavoda. These are similar with the measures taken in the city of Brasov.
The number of adoptions has increased significantly and there have been many dog sterilization campaigns during the year. It has also worked hard for the education and awareness of the citizens.
From the discussions of World Animal Protection, Dubai and Novi Sad representatives it was concluded that we need a bigger involvement from the authorities. If they cooperate more, the situation of stray dogs might change. This can be done even without the sacrifice of thousands of innocent lives. For this the authorities need to enforce the law which requires all dog owners to identify and to sterilize the pets.
