Almost every week the news present cases of people attacked by a pack of dogs. People hear about the dangers, go out on the street and see such homeless dogs. The sight of these dogs scares them. According to the same survey, more than 50% of the adults in the country think that dogs are "too many" or "many" in the neighborhood (51,4%) as well as in the settlement (57,3%). The ways of dealing with street dogs are many -some ignore them, others beat them, still others only complain and put the blame on the authorities and the legislation. Unfortunately, some of the laws are quite "liberal" when it comes to solving such problems. Bulgarian law , for example, legalizes killing dogs. Under article 71 paragraph 2, euthanasia of dogs is allowed in several cases: if they are ill, dangerous, or suffering terrible pain. But there is one more case and the story goes like this: If a homeless dog is found on the street, it should be picked up and put in an isolator. If nobody asks for that dog for the next two weeks, it should be put to euthanasia.

Recently, the Major of Sofia Boyko Borisov recognized the problem to be very important and probably crucial for the future EU membership of the country. As Mr. Borisov said : "There is only one right and European way of dealing with homeless dogs ─ castration centers and dogs' shelters." He envisioned that in the new law the article talking about killing dogs will be omitted. Now, although the law has been amended, the articles of the dog's euthanasia still hold. According to the Federation for the Welfare of Street Dogs , the so called "spay/neutering return programme" is the best way to deal with the problem. Thus, the already sterilized dogs would not allow for aliens to appear and spread diseases or attack citizens. But the idea has not been adopted yet by the local government. They still endorse the euthanasia methods.

Anyway, the idea of Borisov for castration, if put into use, is in consistence with the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals which considers castration to be indeed the best way to decrease the number of homeless animals. This is also the most humane way for handling the existing problem. Several international organizations are dealing with the issue in the region. The German organization "Artzte fur Tiere" ("Doctors for Animal Welfare") is especially focused on Bulgaria as a prospective member of the EU. The organization insists that a prerequisite for the admission of the country to the EU should be solving that specific problem.

So, I was wondering...what if they achieve their goal? Will Bulgaria manage that problem in such a short period of time? And, how is that issue solved in other, better-developed countries? How can we, animal lovers, help in that process?