While trends in companion animal management are broadly positive in Europe and North America, Bulgaria is not on track to reach the humane pet population control. The
excessive cat and dog breeding continues to be the core issue in Bulgaria contributing to many
animal welfare, public health and safety, environmental, and fiscal problems. It is very seldom to find an owned female that
has not given birth to an offspring or few. In people’s backyards
domestic and neighbourhood cats are reproducing unrestrictedly. Also
"latch key dogs" living in the construction sites and business
yards are reproducing unrestrictedly.
The immense number of
the animals bred by the pet lovers from their very birth exceeds the
possibility for reliable ownership and have no chance to find
suitable homes. Meantime the already grownups on a large-scale are
quietly disappearing.
The direct consequence of the habitual pet breeding is an
ever-changeable over population. The peculiarity of both populations
is their striking inconstancy. Their makeup shifts very dynamically
and the animal’s average lifespan is relatively low. Most of
Bulgarian pet animals are doomed to a short lifespan, suffering and
death wherever that may be in the unlicensed laboratories, illegal
fur mills or in a newly-opened shelter.
Pet theft
Since 2000, till now our crosscheck reference and findings on numerous occasions are leading to the conclusion about establishment of hurdles-free harvesting of great amount of pet animals, as a well-resource commodity. For instance, outgoing cats frequently disappear.
A big part of the bred animals in a how-d'ye-do state of no registration check and dependable shelter add to an hidden overpopulation through ads for secondary adoption. In spite of the predominance of thoroughbred dogs in Sofia you could hardly find few in the Municipal shelter; and no cats are finding their way in it at all. Becoming bored with soon after they grow many owners pass their unregistered pets to whoever wants them. Parallel with all that the "re-homing" is such an unpopular thing in Bulgaria yet; so we very seldom see "second hands" to find anew a suitable home. Some form of collection and reduction, already exists - while throughout 2000-2004 in Sofia you may ran across many young Rottweilers, Central Asian Shepherds etc., since 2006 they became rarity.
Many unregistered animals let free by the owners add to the noticeable overpopulation roaming the streets. At the present there are very small number functional dog shelters in Bulgaria. Their supposed gross capacity is about 2-3% of total dog population and 5-10% of probable annual dog increase. No cats are finding their way in it at all. Despite of that, the left animals do not stay in the streets and yards for a long time, there is no concentration of different generations of unwanted animals, the old, sick, starving and dead animals are rare in recent years. Instead, so called "animal rescue" existing in Sofia, Plovdiv, Kazanlyk, Shumen, Dobrich, Ruse etc. - collecting grown up dogs with promises for their re-homing in Austria, Switzerland, Germany or Netherlands - has been also well known for years.
Unsupervised cat colony fed near apartment building in Varna. March 2008. Photo: Moreto.net
Pound seizure
General public and true animal welfare community are unaware of the roaming dogs' faith. Unreported pound seizure and pet theft are suspectively the major activities of the local animal control services. For example, between 1 September 2006 and 12 December 2011, a total of 26,390 impounded dogs were reported by officials. Also no lost dogs reported as returned to owners.
At the same time, there are numerous registered cases in the Sofia City’s dog-shelter, that the animals kept in it are also falling as a live-stock to the illicit traffic. In August 2004 BTV reported a scandal: an army officer gave to the shelter thirteen healthy army dogs, hoping to provide their re-homing. On the next day, asking for the situation with these animals, he was informed that they were "put down immediately, because of their pour health". Meanwhile the shelter was officially controlled by an NGO, as a mediator. In 1999-2000 in the same shelter there were disappearing two impounded healthy owned dogs; also there was a video showing tens of sedated live dogs, big and healthy, being boarded in a truck and loaded to an unknown destination.
In last decade Sofia roaming dog population is estimated about 10,000 animals. Since 2007, City Hall spent about 7 million leva to treat the syndrome while the core problem - unplanned pet breeding - remains unaddressed. Authorities do not consider adequate approach, e.g. providing both accessible low-cost neutering services and appointing dog warden services to discourage dog owners who allow their pets to roam outside unmonitored. It results in at least 10,000 animals that join unwanted dog population every year or a total of 50,000 new strays since 2007.
On the other hand, current number of sterilized strays roaming the streets remains
undisclosed. Almost 17,000 were reported as neutered and released outside. All such dogs have no collars and tags, i.e. they are
supposedly unregistered.
Bulgaria country profile
Human population: 7.3 million (2012 est.)
Ranked in the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2011: 86-90 out of 183 countries
Ranked in the Reporters Without
Borders'
2011-2012 Worldwide Press Freedom Index: 80-83
out of 179 countries Ranked in the Freedom House's Freedom of the Press 2012 Rankings: 78-79 out of 197 countries
Fulfilling international treaties on companion animal management [1]: Absolutely disregarded
Major legal approach to animal control: Catch-Neuter-Release (dogs)
Estimated number of owned dogs and cats: 1.8 million min. [2]
Sterilization rate of owned pet population: Slightly above zero
Euthanizing healthy, unwanted pet animals: Banned
Legal Pound Seizure: Banned
Reporting intake and disposition of shelter animals: Not enacted
Lost & Found Shelter Policies: Not accepted
Investigations on commercial movements of stolen and unwanted pets [3]: Not reported [1] Especially measures provided under Articles 8, 12, and 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (Council of Europe, 1987) ratified by Bulgaria in 2004.
[2] Extrapolated from the 2011 USDA Foreign Agricultural Service estimates on owned dog and cat populations in Italy.
[3] Cases involving illegal disposition of shelter animals / pound seizure, organized pet theft, illegal animal use in research, dog & cat fur trade, dog fighting, etc.
