A new shelter for stray dogs was recently opened in Bucharest’s Sector 3, according to a statement from City Hall. The shelter has a capacity of 70 places and was built on a plot of 700 sqm. The project is organized and coordinated by the Association for the Development and Quality of Life.

“We decided to contact NGOs that could help us, because the Sector 3 City Hall has no facilities related to stray dogs. The shelter has over 70 places and can be expanded as much as necessary. The aggressive dogs will be the first taken from the streets,” according to Robert Negoita, Mayor of Bucharest’s Sector 3.

The first stray dog census carried out in Romania showed that the number of dogs living on the streets of Bucharest totals was over 64,700, according to a partial count conducted by ASPA in September 2012. The margin of error was of +/- 10 percent.

ASPA captured around 3,500 stray dogs in 2012. From this total number, some 2,000 were returned to the streets, 1,400 were adopted and over 40 were put down. Over 6,500 stray dogs were sterilized in Bucharest last year, with total costs of some EUR 200,000.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)