In a letter to the Minister of Agriculture and Foods and the Mayor of Sofia, sent on April 04, the world renown Dog population management expert Nathalie Klinge shared her disappointment with the poorly handled stray dog problem. Mrs.Klinge is Dutch and has been consulting both the Ministry and Municipalities on two occasions – in 2010 and 2011.

In her letter she states that Bulgarian authorities have taken no consideration with the knowledge they have received. Mrs.Klinge  quotes Minister Naydenov’s commitment to the Spay/Neuter program, his assurances to Brussels that he will be working with the non-governmental organizations and etc. – statements that are alien to the Minister these days.

Mrs.Klinge also asks the authorities how exactly it is that the NGO’s are blamed for the government’s failure.  As an expert, she finds the Ministry and Municipalities have done nothing reasonable to solve the stray dog problem, but instead spent huge amounts of taxpayers’ money.

Nathalie Klinge is an advisor for FPCC – a foundation operating in North-West Romania, famous for it’s huge success in reducing stray dog numbers through CNVR  – Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate & Return.

Her strongest recommendation is that Bulgaria needs a Nation-wide Spay&Neuter program, a coordinated plan for a mass and total neutering of free roaming dogs.  She believes educating the public is an inseparable part of the solution and suggests neutering of yard dogs as a number one priority.

We remind you that on Monday 50 NGO’s from Bulgaria and Europe have come together to demand the resignation of Miroslav Naydenov as Minister of Agriculture and Foods.  In response D-r Naydenov replied that they should apologize to the people who were bitten by dogs. His demand for apology was met by the NGO’s with a: “Blaming us for the stray dogs is absolutely ridiculous and insolent!”

Meanwhile Sofia Deputy-Mayor for Ecology Maria Boyajiiska resigned. Her resignation was not accepted by Sofia Mayor Fandukova, but it was on account of the many dog-bite incidents in the city. We respect her worthy decision,  but we don’t think Mrs.Boiajiiska  can be held responsible for the chaos and idleness on the stray dog problem that can be seen in any corner of the country. Minister Naydenov alone is the person who holds the political responsibility for this outrage and we continue to demand his resignation.

Stella Raycheva, Stanislava Stancheva, Robert Smith, Nadia Stancheva and Nathalie Klinge at the training seminar in October 2010

Dear Dr. Miroslav Naydenov and Mrs. Yordanka Fandukova,
I would like to share my concerns about the current development in Sofia with the stray dog situation.

To refresh your memory a short introduction:
In 2010 I wrote a report on the stray dog situation in Sofia and the ineffective and corrupt policies of Ecobalance. Therefore I was invited in October 2010 by the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food for a seminar/training in Sofia. Me and my colleagues gave several lectures on how to solve Sofia’s stray dog problem. In September 2011 we were invited again to meet Mrs. Yordanka Fandukova to inform her how to solve Sofia’s and Bulgaria’s stray dog problem.
So far nothing concrete was done with the information we gave and now it came to an explosive situation in Bulgaria in which the NGO’s are blamed for the decades of mismanagement of Sofia Municipality and its Ecobalance.

I wrote in my report in 2010:

• The existing stray dog problem in Sofia is caused by the lack of proper Governmental support to contribute to an effective strategy in tackling the problem.
• The Ecoravnovesie Sofia Municipal Animal Control neutering activities fail because it doesn’t return the dogs to its original community.
• Ecoravnovesie doesn’t show any activities in educating children, promoting responsible dog owner ship, offering low cost neutering and publicity campaigns.
• Ecoravnovesie Sofia Municipal Animal Control has no accurate figures of the number of stray dogs, owned dogs or community dogs. The conclusion of Naidenov that the streets of Sofia should be “cleaned up” by the end of 2011 will by far not be achieved. By cleaned up, we assume he means free of roaming dogs with or without owners.

Many Bulgarian politicians have described the problems in Bulgaria and even proposed proper solutions, but so far nothing has been done. The only parties actually working on the issue are the few NGO’s.

 We estimated the total dog population of Bulgaria is less than 1,000,000, but that needs to be surveyed properly. In 10 years’ time (1998-2008) Sofia Municipality wasted over 4 million Euro’s on dog population management, so money must be available.

What is taking Bulgarian local and national government so long to allocate budget for dealing with the stray dog issues? And how come NGO’s became the scapegoat for governmental failure? The NGO’s in Bulgaria will make the change. Most of them consist of highly educated and intelligent people working together with foreign advisors and with foreign veterinary teams. They visit conferences on Dog Population Management. They initiate education programs and PR campaigns to raise awareness among Bulgarians, but too often being obstructed by local authorities.

Nowadays thanks to modern media it has become so easy to reach your inhabitants. It is the Bulgarian government’s duty to protect its inhabitants from a surplus over free roaming dogs. Since these inhabitants are the source of the problem a national campaign to encourage dog owners to spay/neuter their dogs is priority number one. The people are the source of the problem, the dogs is just the symptom. Therefore the Bulgarian Government has to raise awareness among its inhabitants. Violence against dogs, killing dogs, encouraged by the mass hysteria created by local governments and mass media has a negative effect on a society. It raises violent children who will become violent adults once. Killing dogs is endless, ineffective and extremely costly.

I strongly suggest to study our power point presentations on http://www.slideshare.net/NathalieLouise once more and if we can be of any help, we are at your service.

Kind regards, Nathalie Klinge

International Consultant Dog Population Management

The Netherlands

SEE ALSO: Former statements Bulgarian Politicians and officials

1. Mrs. Evdokia Maneva

In October 2008 Mrs. Evdokia Maneva, member of the Bulgarian Parliament at that time, gave a lecture on the Animal Welfare Conference in Brussels in which she stated:

Long-term  Solutions of the Animal Protection Act

• Popularizing and educating the professional and the social sector in the field of animal protection;
• Control and regulation of some activities connected to animals – exhibitions, competitions, circuses, pet shops etc.;
• Regulation and limitation of breeding wild animals by private  individuals, in places of public resort or points of sale;
• Controlling mechanisms as regards the administration of law;
• Regulation of the population of stray animals;
• Of utmost importance – the regulation regarding breeding pets.
• The weak points are connected primarily with the enforcement of the Animal Protection Act (the typical difficulties for the enforcement of many Bulgarian laws);
• In spite of the weaknesses, the Bulgarian Animal Protection Act has been given a high appraisal as one of Europe’s bests legislations in its field.

2. Dr. Miroslav Naydenov

On that same conference Dr. Miroslav Naydenov, current Minister of Agriculture and Food and at that time director of Ecobalance, stated in his lecture:

“The joint efforts of NGO, governmental institutions and the municipality would result in permanent and human solution of the problem.”

Years ago Dr. Miroslav Naydenov referred in another presentation to the following paragraphs of the Guidelines for Dog Population Management by the W.H.O.:

• “Removal and killing of dogs should never be considered as the most effective way of dealing with a problem of surplus dogs in the community: it has no effect whatsoever on the root cause of the problem.”
  Guidelines for Dog Population Management, W.H.O. Geneva 1990 (page 74).
• “Any reduction in population density through mortality is rapidly compensated by better reproduction and survival.  In other words when dogs are removed, the survivors’ life expectancy increases because they have better access to the resources, and there is less competition for resources.”.
  Guidelines for Dog Population Management, W.H.O. Geneva 1990 (page 9).
• “In the long term, control of reproduction is by far the most effective strategy of dog population management.”
  Guidelines for Dog Population Management, W.H.O. Geneva 1990 (page 72).

3. Dr. Madlen Vasileva

On the 17th and 18th of October 2011 Dr. Madlen Vasileva, chief of department Animal Health, Animal Health and Food Safety Directorate of the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food stated:

Stray dogs – Problem background:

1. SOCIAL:

• after the change of political system– years of ignoring the problem
• increase of the inhabitants in the towns
• bad waste management

2. ECONOMICAL:

• impoverishing
• increasing inflation

3. MUNICIPAL POLICY 1998 2006

• policy to handle the problem with dogs – mass killing.
• Sofia – more than 70 000 dogs are killed. Funds over 2 500 000 Euro are spent. No results.

4. RESULTS OF THE MUNICIPAL POLICY IN 1998 2006

• poor reputation of the country in the EP and EC;
• impossibility to work with NGOs;
• commitment of the country to adopt Animal Protection Act.

 Conclusions

• Public-private partnership is necessary
• The joint efforts of NGO, governmental institutions and the municipality would result in permanent and human solution of the problem.

April 4 is the day for compassion, care, and action for stray animals worldwide.

Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, was named ambassador for World Stray Animals Day.

We have provided translated these two wonderful article by him on the problem of stray animals.

“World Stray Animals Day: Why This Cause is So Important to Me”

“Solving the Stray and Unwanted Dog Problem”

I remember a remarkable story from last year – we made patheric effort to sneak in one of our shelter pups to be the doggie star of pupular TV Show Lords of the broadcast. We were hoping to make one more step into making breedless dogs more popular as pets in opposition to the common idea that only a pedigree dog can be a good pet. It took a long time to find someone we know in the TV show team, we talked much, made many arrangements and finally – the moment came! 2 people from the staff were sent to chose an appropriate puppy. It took them only one tour round the 120 puppies we offered to come back with a whiney grin: “But they are all mutts!?” And they were gone. Gone, to buy a little husky from a pet shop. A little pedigree baby born only to make money, whose mother lives somewhere in horrible condition and will be bred restlessly until she dies of exhaustion. But, pet shop dogs are a whole different story… I wanted to say something different.

Many Bulgarians make a very specific distinction between dogs that have a breed – suitable to live in a home; and dogs with no breed – OK in the yard or on the street. We do not judge them – it has been too many years of pedigree pets and mongrel chained dogs.

Bogrov offers shelter to 500 dogs that don’t have a home. People who haven’t been here often imagine a wild zoo of black and brown wolves in cages. “Mutts” – they are quickly labeled to no srprise. Whilst people have met many good cockers or labradors few have had a close communication with a stray animal to notice how good it is. The strays remain on their invisible sidewalk patrol, being noticed only if they bark too much or turn a garbage can over.

Dexter

This here rediculous guy was left at the shelter by his onwers – they said he was impossible to control and will be euthanized if we don’t take him. Being such an amazingly cute one it took only days for someone to like him and take him home. Unfortunately his new onwers underestimated our warnings about him and recently he was returned to us.

No need to say that he quickly found new fans – the family of kind Mariana Stoichkova decided to give him a chance. Only this time we included a special term in their adoption contract. Tey are obliged to work with a dog behaviourist – a proffecional appointed by us – Mr Orlin Milanov, a true dog friend that has voluntarely helped with quite a few of our complicated cases.

And the news are great! Dexter is being very reasonable and behaving perfectly for now. Orlin reports that his new family is doing an excellent job and should have no trouble keeping him in line in the future. Our thanks to him and to Mariana for their serious and responsible work!

Johnny

And here we introduce you to the Middle-asian Shepherd Johnny. As it often happens in our line of work – Johnny’s owner died and his cruel and irresponcible relatives threw his odg out on the street. A giant dog with chopped off years on the street? It was a matter of days before someone shoots or poisons him in fear.

Since even at the moment we have 3 Bulgarian shepherd dogs at the shelter – we were quite worried. WHo would eant this huge guy? Would he linger in the cages for years because of his size, just like our poor old Baloo?? We were sooo happy when Dimitar Georgiev said he would have him instead of the dog he originally came for!

Today Johnny has his own yard and a family to guard. He will never be chained as it often happened to him in the past. We are so pleased!

Gabriel

And this one here is Gabriel. The husky that got at least 30 e-mails, calls and notes, but only 2 serious inquiries on the spot. Young, healthy and beautiful Gabriel is also too enegretic, easy to excite, full of life and noise – a dog that can’t be rehomed with just anybody.

For this reason we beleive he is an exceptionally lucky tog to have found Kalina and George Tashevi! People who proved they are serious and responcible, people who would work hard and do their best to help him become a pet. It is not his fault after all, that his original owners only chose him for his looks, ignoring the strong will and abundance of energy that is typical to the northern breeds. Good luck to you, dear George and Kalina!!!

Yes, it really is more than great that more and more people are adopting breedless dogs. Dogs who were born homeless instead of dogs who were bred for proffit. But in the same time it is very difficult for us to understand some comments like: “You wouldn’t adopt if it had no breed!” or “Got a husky for free and is now even bragging!”

Do we really need this racism, people!? Just as we don’t want people to judge a dog because it has no breed, we don’t want the dogs to be judged because they do have it! A dog is a dog. And it has no clue what color it is, what shape his body has, or wether his grandma has beauty medals. It just knows that it wants to love and be loved back – that is all, nothing more and nothing less.

Gabriel, Dexter and Johnny were simly lucky to be born in a body that is easier to notice. This doesn’t mean that they were less miserable, unhappy, lonely, abandoned or suffering without their wonderful adoptive parents. This doesn’t mean that they don’t have any problems and everything about them is in pink roses. Having a breed is not enough.

And this certainly does NOT mean that the people who adopted them are “snobs” or “pretentious” or whatever else comes into the minds of people who think they can make such judgements. Wether they had a dog like this in the past or had seen and liked one who belonged to someone else – does it really matter??? A life is saved! Happines has come round!

Be proud and happy dearest people who adopt! No matter if you have opened your heart to a dog or a cat, to a breedless or a pedigree animal in need. Life is life and it has as much value no matter what the body that carries it looks like. And you have saved it, you you have leant a hart to an unwanted, lonely creature. Be blessed!

When they finally decide to adopt, most people want babies. They are sweet and playful, and we are used to shops and breeders selling only puppies. The idea of take an adult is somehow unnatural.

With age, the chances for adoption decrease, not to say that void. Truth is people just do not know the number of advantages of adopting an old dog. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) offers 10 reasons to do so.

Truth is  with each day reduces adoption chances for the old dogs reduce. So if you want to adopt, consider the above.

The cold weather combined with so much snow and ice is not only unpleasant for the birds, but also dangerous for their lives.  A large part of their food supplies is covered with a thick layer of ice and snow.  The unfortunate ones, who remain around us during the winter, have adapted to the bad conditions – you can see them everywhere, bristled up and looking like feather balls.  Some birds can slow down their metabolism by lowering the amount of food they require. Despite that however, the severe winter takes its own from birds by killing many with hunger and bitter frost.

A home-made feeder, by Ina Guencheva

Bird’s feeding racks are easy to assemble – you can make a rack from any empty plastic bottle, or buy one from big pet and flower shops. The seeds and the couple of lumps of fat are probably the only thing in your backyard that the birds can find during the hard times of cold winter. Make the racks a few – you won’t believe how many birds may gather only at your place. The source of food would be like abundance from heaven for the tiny creatures – titmice, sparrows, finches, and even the bigger visitors like blackbirds, magpies and jays. Especially the finches and blackbirds, which move in nocks, may populate the surrounding trees starving, and empty the racks one by one.

Don’t forget the water! Although there’s plenty of snow around, all sources of water are frozen, you should pour warm (but not hot) water in shallow bowls at least twice a day so the tiny creatures can drink before it has frozen.

It is a good strategy to fill up the feeding racks a couple of hours before sunset, so that the energy that birds would gather from food would help them during the night. Still, if a whole company of titmice lines up on your window sill and look at you with a questioning sight – don’t make them wait.

A day with no food can kill small birds since their rapid metabolism makes them choose between food and death. When such a small creature should produce warmth in an environment whose temperature is altogether 30 degrees lower than its own, calories are being burnt without being able to save any.