Introduction

Stray dogs can be found in almost any country in the world. Thousands of pets are "stray," including in Romania, because owners abandon them without caring about their fate or impact of this gesture on the community. The SAC projects have run from 2000 in several cities that have shown interest in animal management.

Objectives

The main objective of this project is to demonstrate that a catch-neuter-release strategy is an efficient way of managing the stray dog population, to reduce the number of stray animals in a humane way; to prevent authorities from killing them; to raise public awareness; to push for proper national legislation and national management plans for strays.

Methods

Negotiations with the authorities and carrying out legal forms for the implementation of the project. The SAC team begins the process of catching and neutering the animals. FOUR PAWS team can neuter and vaccinate hundreds of strays within a week, costing less than it would to kill and dispose of the animals.

Results

From 2000 till now, more than 150,000 animals without an owner were neutered.

Conclusions

In the absence of truly effective measures in this regard, the situation quickly leads to overcrowding. Stray Animal Care program carried by FOUR PAWS in Romania has shown that an effective solution is beneficial to public health too, not only for dogs, because it includes vaccination and treatment of diseases potentially transmitted to humans.