This is a heartbreaking story we read on the Huffington Post just yesterday. But we're not passing it on to break your heart - rather, we'd love it if you'd take the time to read it and share your thoughts and ideas about how we pet lovers and pet bloggers can help.
The story centers on what is thought to be an effort by Ukrainian authorities in and around Kiev, to rid the area of its massive stray dog population in advance of the Euro 2012 soccer championship next summer. The article attempts to do journalistic justice to all sides: the Ukrainian government and Euro 2012 organizers who deny involvement in any stray dog "eradication campaign", and representatives from animal protection organizations like the Ukrainian Association of Animal Protection, Naturewatch, a British-based animal welfare group and Humane Society International, a Washington-based animal advocacy organization, who have documented through first-hand accounts, including filming at least one dog's agonizing death and comprehensive statistic gathering, that at least 9,000 stray dogs have been killed in the last year alone. "It's a slaughterhouse," said the head of the Ukrainian Association of Animal Protection, who is convinced that there's an "unofficial order to purge Euro cities of stray animals" ahead of the soccer championship.
AP Photo of dog in privately run animal shelter
In fact, many family pets also have accidentally died by eating food laced with poison remaining on the ground in parks and other public areas. Just this January a Golden Retriever owned by James Wolf, the press attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev died immediately after eating something in a public park. Although he complained to authorities, and five other family pets were supposedly poisoned in the same park that evening, Wolf says city officials did not investigate.
Although there is a huge stray dog population in the Ukraine, tens of thousands in some cities, activists contend that since "Shelters are virtually non-existent, pet adoption unpopular and sterilization costly, most dogs are simply put down."
What should or can we do...?
The story centers on what is thought to be an effort by Ukrainian authorities in and around Kiev, to rid the area of its massive stray dog population in advance of the Euro 2012 soccer championship next summer. The article attempts to do journalistic justice to all sides: the Ukrainian government and Euro 2012 organizers who deny involvement in any stray dog "eradication campaign", and representatives from animal protection organizations like the Ukrainian Association of Animal Protection, Naturewatch, a British-based animal welfare group and Humane Society International, a Washington-based animal advocacy organization, who have documented through first-hand accounts, including filming at least one dog's agonizing death and comprehensive statistic gathering, that at least 9,000 stray dogs have been killed in the last year alone. "It's a slaughterhouse," said the head of the Ukrainian Association of Animal Protection, who is convinced that there's an "unofficial order to purge Euro cities of stray animals" ahead of the soccer championship.
AP Photo of dog in privately run animal shelter
Although there is a huge stray dog population in the Ukraine, tens of thousands in some cities, activists contend that since "Shelters are virtually non-existent, pet adoption unpopular and sterilization costly, most dogs are simply put down."
What should or can we do...?
3 comments:
Hi friends,
The story centers on what is thought to be an effort by Ukrainian authorities in and around Kiev, to rid the area of its massive stray dog population in advance. Thanks
We need to take care of our dogs at home getting killed & thrown away sometimes like yesterdays newspaper. That said, this is horrible & there should be a way to show our disapproval. Unnecessary death is never a good thing.
There is nothing that can be done...there are few if any shelters, dogs are not spayed or neutered. There is generally no compassion or empathy for
animals overall by most of the population. This is true in so many countries, Ukraine being just one. Rescue groups can go in and try to save as many young or adoptable dogs as they can. Maybe some compassionate
wealthy person/s could set up free spay and neuter clinics. Until people
around the world quit viewing animals as food, commodities, or generally unworthy beings, none of this will change. And yes of course they are eradicating them because of the upcoming soccer whatever. and with poison no less, which affects other animals as well. They are truly barbaric.
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