Our Romanian friend Flavia Mindrut writes her heart out on the painful life (and death) of stray dogs in her country.
Following the tragic death of a 4 year old boy attacked by dogs in a park in Bucharest, the stray dogs’ problem in Romania has become again the first order of business and the main topic on every radio or television news. People’s anger has been skillfully directed against the stray dogs living on the streets of our cities, everybody wants them dead, gone, no matter how it’s done, or if this is the right way of solving the problem. The mass media is only offering once side of the story, and is portraying stray dogs as deadly animals that need to be put to death. The authorities need to be seen as doing something, taking quick action, satisfy the angry masses. As a consequence, it has been voted by the decision makers, that mass euthanasia will, once again clean the streets of Romania of stray dogs. By the same logic, humans should have exterminated all Germans because of Hitler or Afghanistan because of Osama bin Laden. Dog bites or dog related illnesses don’t feature in the top 50 causes of death. According to the WHO, Romania has one of the highest rates of road traffic deaths in Europe, but the President has not banned every vehicle from the roads.
Romanian stray dogs: Not the feral beast that media is projecting them to be.
Tens of thousands of dogs will be put to death because this is the only way our authorities know how to deal with this. It’s easier; it’s cheaper so it must be better? But then humans see numbers over emotions. Here are the facts: Bucharest in the period 2001-2007 has been spent almost 9 million to kill 144,000 dogs (62 Euros per head). Sterilization instead only costs 20-25 Euros per dog.
No country for me?
Failing to assume the blame for creating the situation in the first place, by abandoning pups on the streets, not caring they might die of thirst and hunger, or grow up into aggressive animals, allowing them to multiply year after year, we, humans, are now condemning them to death. It is not only irrational and ineffective, it is brutal, inhumane and will impact us greatly as a nation, and on the way we are seen across the borders. The acts of violence against the dogs of the streets have already started. Euthanasia is code for being beaten to death, poisoned, injected will illegal substances, anything that would make the process cheaper and quicker. The Romanian authorities might not care of what we, the Romanian people think, but they might care of what animal lovers from all over the world do.
Adopt from a shelter, don’t buy pets
Instead of bombing Syria, Obama should get hold of Romanian ministers for they have embezzled millions of Euros directed towards animal welfare by EU.
If only dogs could vote, the Mayor would have though different. Until then, Romania still has her Dracula(s).
Dog with the blog! 
#1 by dietdelights on September 11, 2013 - 9:01 am
I wish there were more people like Flavia in Bucharest. The poor dogs have no say on their fate…:(
#2 by Madhubanti Mukherjee on September 11, 2013 - 11:28 am
Very very Sad!!! God help us
#3 by shetall on September 11, 2013 - 11:35 am
Whatever is happening is not good. Heartless people 😦
#4 by Alex on September 12, 2013 - 12:13 am
Pretty stupid post. You make some comparation that are very lame.
Come to Romania to Bucharest try to walk on the streets by foot and comment after.
Sometimes you find yourself between 20 dogs that are starting to bark and attack you. What you do in those situations ?
I got biten like 3 times in past 6 years and never saw the dogs, just after they bite me.
And i remember the years of childhood i had to detour alot the trip from school to home because of the dogs… Few streets i never walked because of that. Even now at 28 years, when i get on those streets i remember and i have a fear the dogs are still there.
So the city is not the woods! The dogs dont belong here !
And with so many dogs on Bucharest if you sterilize them will take like 10 years for the dogs to dissapear.
Save the chikens, cows and pigs too…. what is the difference ? A pig for example is more smart then a dog, but few ppl know this, and you still eat it…
#5 by calvy on September 12, 2013 - 8:16 am
“Come to Romania to Bucharest try to walk on the streets by foot and comment after.”
Dear Mr. Alex, this blog post was written by Ms. Flavia, a girl from Bucharest, Romania. So I guess this does present fairy true picture of the situation.
And as for city not being the woods, kindly get your lessons in the wild, wolves belong to the woods, not dogs.
Killing street dogs is not effective, because it does not address the root of the problem. Indeed, historically, culling dogs has proven completely ineffective. And who let these stray dogs out in the streets in masses – it’s careless owners like you who don’t sterilize their dogs, who abandon the pets…
As a Huffpost article reads, For more than 20 years, Romanian dogs’ lives have been ended in the most painful ways – shot, poisoned, hung, burnt or placed into small kennels to die of thirst and hunger – but the problem of stray dogs remains. Perhaps you need to rethink the kill strategy. How about using a fraction of EU funds for animal welfare?
If this is the picture you wish to paint for your country, it’s your call. But believe you me, in the end life comes full circle. Be wary of the woof!
#6 by Ruth on September 12, 2013 - 4:37 am
The methods of killing are cheaper and uicker for humans but often lead to slow painful deth for the ogs. My heart breaks or Romania and her good and caring citizens. I can only hope sanity takes control again soon and someone ours a stop to these horrendous actions.
#7 by Virve on September 12, 2013 - 8:16 pm
Well said, Flavia! ❤ Thank you for spreading information about Romania's inhumane stand against animals, the ruthless killing of strays, and the total misuse of finances that could've been spent on necessary things! Shame on the Romanian authorities!
#8 by planētēs astēr on September 23, 2013 - 10:18 am
its so sad, how inhuman can we be. This nature belongs to all animals, not just us humans.
So we have no right to terminate a life, why don’t they think of shelter, vaccinations & castration to control population? They are more human at least 😦
#9 by Sophia Chalk on September 30, 2013 - 1:50 am
I readily accept that the situation in Romania is less than ideal but I do feel that funds have been misused which were designated for humanely resolving the stay dog crisis. Therefore the blame lies solely with politicians as they could have addressed and solved this issue ten times over. It’s criminal that the animal who is not responsible must be the one to suffer the consequences. When all is said and done what all of this will ultimately demonstrate is a measure of a country’s humanity. There are cruel people committing cruel deeds in all societies but when it occurs on a mass scale there must be something fundamentally wrong. Also it is somewhat impossible to compare dogs with other animals as they only exist because of humans for the purpose of working and companionship. Dogs are the the only creatures that choose to be with humans despite their own needs. We have created them, therefore we are responsible for them. We must ask ourselves what kind of human am I? Do I care for and protect those that are vulnerable or can I inflict pain and cruelty on another. If Romania believes this is the right course of action then be proud and promote your methods of animal welfare. If you choose to hide what you are doing from the rest of the civilised world it speaks volumes about how a nation feels about what it has chosen to engage in, therefore no excused as ignorance.
#10 by mandy thomson on September 30, 2013 - 3:44 am
I am disgusted at the barbaric methods Romania is using to KILL these dogs it is HORRIFIC to see dogs brutally beaten , poisoned, run over, stabbed, tortured and recently i have heard of many DOGS BEING RAPED !!?? FOR GODS SAKE WHAT IS GOING ON IN THAT COUNTRY ??? i so glad that the WORLD IS WATCHING YOU ROMANIA AND THERE WILL BE LONG TERM REPCUSSIONS FOR THESE ATROCITIES !! what they are doing and the corruption involved ..there have been thousands of people signing petitions and demonstrating all over the world about this ….If as Ghandi said “the greatness of a country is measured in the way it treats its animals” then god help you Romania you are in the gutter as a nation !!!
#11 by Laura on October 25, 2013 - 12:13 pm
Here is a video tribute to stray dogs all over the world including Romania. This problem sickens my heart continually and has for a long time. We really have to stop the breeding, get at the root, stop the insanity, it is too horrible for words: