Dog law Romania

Read the detailed update on the current situation in Romania by Carmen Arsene, President of FNPA: Situation of street dogs in Romania

In an open letter to the Federal Council, numerous animal welfare organisations (including NetAP) and the Animal Party have called on the Council to speak out against the killing of dogs in Romania and to exert corresponding influence on the Romanian Prime Minister.

NetAP began initial talks with Swiss and Romanian politicians last year and is eagerly awaiting the Federal Council’s response.

You can find the letter to the Federal Council here

You can find more information on the Animal Party website

The well-known Romanian animal rights activist Carmen Arsene has asked us for help. We have decided to print the official letter here 1:1 and ask everyone to respond to the call to protest:

Dear animal lovers,

Implementation decree of Law 258/2013 The implementation decree of Law 258 has not yet been approved by the government. However, since many of you have asked me for an update, also in the context that on December 5, 2013 at the Romanian Embassy in Vienna(I know that some of you are joining us) the presentation of the implementation regulation is to take place, I would like to highlight the most important issues, namely:

1. No animal welfare organizations were consulted when the rules, the so-called ‘norms’, were defined. There was only one hearing, but without the proposed changes being incorporated into the implementing regulation.
2. The rules will NOT change the 14-day period before euthanasia!
3. Although these rules would make it possible to exclude neutered, gentle, calm dogs that are in private ownership, this will not happen and all dogs without exception will be captured. The only exceptions are those in closed enclosures, which do not actually exist as it is forbidden to build them next to blocks of flats!
4. The law requires the sterilisation of dogs with owners – which is of course laudable in and of itself – but in the absence of other regulations this will lead to the following scenario:

• There are at least 5 million privately owned dogs in Romania! It is impossible to sterilize all dogs within 12 months – there are not enough veterinarians with the necessary space and experience to sterilize these dogs. Many doctors who have no experience will nevertheless undertake to perform this sterilization with the result that many female animals will die in agony. For example in Curtea de Arges: All the female dogs (about 500) that were “sterilized” by a doctor who was commissioned by the mayor, died in agony on the streets after a few days as a result of the improper sterilization. I pressed charges and complained to the ethics committee of the veterinary college. But as it turned out, despite all the explanations and medical certificates from other vets, samples, pictures or videos, it seems that this “doctor” is innocent and he will continue to kill dogs by sterilization.
• The rules do not provide financial support from the government for the sterilization of dogs. At least 4 million dogs live in rural areas where people do not have the financial means and where the dog in the yard is not considered important. To avoid fines and taxes, most dogs are then put in plastic bags, tied to trees in the forest, thrown into abandoned wells or streams, according to the old practice to dispose of the useless dogs.

The authorities manipulate the population with their propaganda to make them believe that Law 258/2013 is the “law of adoption” and not a “slaughter law”. In reality, however:

Dozens of people are already lining up outside animal shelters to adopt dogs, but they are not allowed to do so. The law states that if you want to adopt more than two dogs, you must have permission from your landlord and neighbors. Animal lovers’ homes are already full of dogs rescued from the streets and cannot take in hundreds of thousands more. Some mayors harass and harass people who keep animals in their homes, harassing them with fines in the name of abusive local public decisions under the pretext that you can’t own your pet without the consent of your neighbors and also that you can’t keep more than two pets.

Anyone who does not have their dog sterilised within 12 months will have to pay a fine of up to 2,500 euros (the average net wage in Romania is 350 euros!).

The authorities deliberately blame the animal lovers for the mass killing of the dogs because they did not adopt the dogs within the required 14 days!

In this way, the conclusion is planted in everyone’s mind that animal lovers are the real villains.

Please send your personal protest mail against the killing of dogs to:

office@ansvsa.ro, petitii@mai.gov.ro, info@mdrap.ro, dae@just.ro, relatiipublice@just.ro, drp@gov.ro

or by fax to:

1) Rumänische Regierung z.Hd von Herrn Ministerpräsident Victor Ponta Fax: +4021 313 98 46

2) Das Nationale Veterinärwesen und die Lebensmittelsicherheitsbehörde Präsident Mr. Wladimir Manastireanu Fax +40213124967

3) Ministerium für Inneres Minister Mr. Radu Stroe Fax: 4 021 264.86.77

4) Ministerium für regionale Entwicklung und öffentliche Verwaltung, Minister Mr. Liviu Dragnea Nicolae Fax: +4 021 3101554

5) Justiz Ministerium Minister Mr. Robert – Marius Cazanciuc Fax: +4 037 2041099

Thank you!

Carmen ARSENE

—

The well-known Romanian Animal Rights Activist Carmen Arsene asked us to help. We decided to publish her official letter to all animal friends. Please send letters to the mentioned addresses to protest!

Dear all,

Implementation of the Norms of the Law 258 have not yet been approved by the Government.

But since many of you asked me for an update including the context in which on December 5 at the Romanian Embassy in Vienna will be the presentation of the Norms, and some of you will be there, I think the most important issues highlighted at the moment are:

1. In developing Norms, animal protection organizations were not consulted. There was only a “hearing” for their opinions but without the inclusion of the proposed amendments.
2. The Norms do not change the 14 day period before euthanasia !
3. Although despite these Norms there would not be a possibility of capturing neutered, gentle, peaceful dogs, cared for by citizens, this will not happen and all dogs will be captured. The only exception are those who are in enclosed spaces, which otherwise do not exist since it is forbidden to build pens in addition to blocks !
4. The law requires the sterilization of dogs with owners, a good thing to provide but the absence of other provisions will lead to a disaster because:

§ In Romania there are at least 5 million dogs’ owned’ dogs ! It is impossible to sterilize all dogs within 12 months – there are not enough doctors who have offices and who knows how to sterilize

§ Many doctors who can not sterilize, will commit to do so, and the result is often ther death of females. For example, Curtea de Arges, all females (about 500 ) ” sterilized ” by a doctor hired by the mayor, died after days of agony in the streets. We filed a criminal complaint and I complained to the Ethics Committee of the College of Veterinarians but as it unfolds, despite all declarations, medical certificates from other veterinarians, samples, pictures, videos, it seems that the doctor is “not guilty ” and will continue to kill dogs by sterilization

§ The Norms do not provide any financial support from the government for the sterilization of dogs. There are minimum of 4 million owned’ dogs in rural areas where people do not have the financial possibilities and where the dog in the yard is not regarded as important, for which to prevent fine, most dogs will be abandoned in bags tied to trees in forests, thrown into disused wells, into streams, as is the ancient practice of those who become useless.

Authorities initiate propaganda to try to manipulate the population into believing that the law 258 is the “Law of Adoption ” and NOT a ” Killing Law “. In reality :

§ Dozens of people stand at the gates of shelters to adopt dogs captured from the street but they are not allowed to adopt

§ The law provides that if you adopt more than two dogs, you must have the permission of a tenants association and neighbors

§ Houses of animal lovers are already full of dogs rescued from the streets, and cannot absorb hundreds of thousands of dogs from the street

§ Some mayors harass people who have animals in the house, going over them and giving them fines on behalf of local decisions and you can not keep your pet without the consent of neighbors and anyway you can not have more than two pets

Who does not sterilize their dog within 12 months will pay a fine of up to 2,500 euros (net average salary in Romania is 350 Euro! ).

Authorities deliberately suggest that the animal lovers have responsibility for the euthanasia of dogs which have not been adopted in the requisite 14 days ! This will seek to place responsibility for the euthanization onto animal lovers because the dogs were not adopted !

You can still send a protest against the killing of dogs to: office@ansvsa.ro, petitii@mai.gov.ro, info@mdrap.ro, dae@just.ro ; relatiipublice@just.ro, drp@gov.ro

and fax to:

1. Romanian Government, Attention: Mr. Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Fax : +4021 313 98 46

2. The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, President Mr. Vladimir Manastireanu, fax +40213124967

3. Ministry of Internal Affairs, Minister Mr. Radu Stroe, Fax : +4 021 264.86.77

4. Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Minister Mr. Liviu Nicolae DRAGNEA, Fax : +4 021 3101554

5. Ministry of Justice, Minister Mr. Robert – Marius Cazanciuc, Fax : +4 037 2041099

Thank you!

Carmen ARSENE

Romania: On 10 September 2013, the Romanian parliament passed a law (with 266 votes in favour, 23 against and 20 abstentions) that provides for the killing of all stray dogs.

Our President Esther Geisser had followed the parliament’s decision live. For a week, she did everything she could, day and night, to help prevent this decision. Shortly afterwards, she published her thoughts on the decision on her personal Facebook account. Within a few hours, this text was shared countless times and eventually published on many websites. We received numerous calls and emails from people thanking us for these lines. For this reason, we have decided to publish the text here afterwards and would like to thank all the people who have helped us through their interest, support and sympathy to stand by the dogs at this difficult time.

Years of failure by a government

How it all began: From the end of the 1970s, the dictator Ceausescu had more and more small houses with gardens demolished to make way for prefabricated buildings. The relocated residents were not allowed to take their dogs with them. They abandoned them on the street, where they multiplied. The government looks the other way.

Although the state budgets money for the dogs, it never reaches the animals. NGOs come to the country and try to help. They don’t manage to neuter as many animals as necessary to stop the population from increasing. The government continues to look the other way.

And at some point, there are around 65,000 dogs living on the streets of the capital Bucharest alone. Dogs that want the same thing as people: To live. They fight for their survival every day, joining together in basically peaceful packs, as is their nature. A few of them actually become a danger. After the dogs have been constantly pelted with stones and kicked, and some of them have even been beaten to death or poisoned in front of other dogs, they have learned one thing: humans are a danger to them!

But the government continues to look the other way. It still does not want a sensible solution to the problem, after all, many politicians and members of the authorities live quite comfortably with the money that is actually intended for the dogs. Why build and maintain species-appropriate animal shelters or promote castration programs? You can simply have numerous dogs killed from time to time so that there are a few less of them. But it is illegal to kill healthy and peaceful dogs. But surely a government can do something about that.

Animal welfare organisations warn against such considerations and point out that (mass) killing has never led to success, as proven by years of studies.

The government still wanted to enforce the killings and decided to do so in 2011, but failed before the Romanian Constitutional Court in early 2012. After this defeat, the government withdrew to consult again on how it could get rid of the dogs without losing its multi-million-euro business with them.

And then her stroke of luck happens: a little boy dies. He is said to have been mauled to death by dogs. But no one knows exactly how he actually died. A thorough investigation into the cause of death is not considered necessary, because for the government the child’s death is a godsend. So they simply blame the dogs, shed a few tears in public and talk about the great danger the children are in. This moves people’s hearts and distracts them from the main problem. And one of the alleged perpetrators is quickly found. Of course it’s a dog that firstly was neutered and secondly belongs to an animal welfare organization. In this way, the objections of the animal welfare organizations can be dismissed. After all, they have failed. Because despite neutering, this dog killed a child, thus proving that neutering programs are not a solution. The animals must therefore all be killed, regardless of whether they are healthy and pose no danger. An incident, even if it were presented correctly, therefore leads to the clan liability of all living beings belonging to this species. Should we now also release all sharks, lions, bears, lynxes, snakes etc. for mass killing just because they once killed a human being – regardless of the circumstances? And if there are also criminal humans, shouldn’t the same consequences be drawn based on this logic?

However, humanity has turned its back on such brutal measures. The thirteenth additional protocol to the ECHR of May 3, 2002 abolishes the death penalty both in times of peace and war as well as in cases of imminent danger of war. This declaration has been in force not only in Switzerland but also in Romania (!) since 2003 and the countries have committed themselves to this requirement. Although Romania is now a member of the EU, today one has the feeling that this state has learned nothing from its own cruel history and is still in the Middle Ages, when lynchings and witch burnings were still the order of the day. A country that is committed to Europe should live by its values at all times and in all aspects, including towards animals. Mass killings are not an option, they never have been and never will be.

As Mahatma Gandhi said: “The standard of a country and its moral values can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” This does not bode well for Romania.

Romania’s parliament decided today. The dogs are to be killed. How they will ultimately be killed is still written in the stars. There is talk of euthanasia, but anyone who has been able to look behind the facades of state animal shelters knows that all too often the dogs are beaten to death or given a T61 injection without anesthesia and die in agony.

I have experienced a lot in my 25+ years in animal welfare, but I am still shocked by so much cruelty from the government of a European country. But I promise: NetAP will step up its commitment in Romania. We will not abandon the dogs in this dark hour!

Esther Geisser, 10.9.2013

Debates are starting today in the Romanian parliament on a law that could result in the killing of all stray dogs. Under the current law, only aggressive and/or sick animals may be killed; other killings are illegal. However, it is well known in animal welfare circles that the responsible authorities have continuously classified numerous animals as “aggressive” or “sick” and killed them without these animals ever having shown any of these alleged behavioral problems.

It doesn’t look very good. Tomorrow, the Romanian parliament will decide whether the law on the mass killing of dogs will be passed. We have just been informed that the majority in parliament is against the dogs.

BUT: If the law is passed by parliament tomorrow, there is still the option of taking it to the Constitutional Court.

AND: The enforcement of the laws is the responsibility of the cities and municipalities. Many mayors are not in favor of mass culling and support the work of NGOs. This means that even if the law is passed, we must not bury our heads in the sand and despair, but must step up our commitment to the dogs! Giving up is not an option! Not in animal welfare anyway!

A law dedicated to stray dogs has been pending in the Romanian parliament for some time. Now they want a solution as quickly as possible. Discussions on the law on stray dogs will begin again on Monday in the Legal Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. Representatives of all parties involved are to be invited, including animal welfare organizations and local authorities.

The law had already been passed by parliament in 2011, but the Constitutional Court declared some of its provisions unconstitutional in 2012 and returned the draft to parliament.

If you have not yet written to the embassy, the consulate and the Romanian parliament in favour of the dogs, please do so immediately.

It is of no use to the dogs if we are shocked by their suffering. We must raise our voices for those who cannot speak for themselves!

On Monday, a four-year-old boy was killed by dogs on an unused piece of land in Bucharest. He should have been supervised by his grandmother together with his brother, but had sneaked away from a park. There was apparently an incident between the children and one or more dogs on a private property, the exact circumstances of which are not known. One of the children escaped with a bite wound, the other died at the scene.

Romanian politicians and the media are now taking this tragic incident as an opportunity to discuss the killing of street dogs once again, with the aim of taking consistent and merciless action. On Tuesday, Romanian President Taian Basesu called on the government in Bucharest to pass a law legalizing the killing of street dogs. The media immediately followed suit! In an unprecedented smear campaign against the animals, the mood has become even more heated.

In recent years, the press and politicians have repeatedly called for the legal killing of dogs. At the beginning of 2012, the Romanian Constitutional Court rejected an amendment to the law that would have allowed the killing of stray dogs. Article 6 of this draft law from November 22, 2011 stipulated that dogs could be killed after three days in an animal shelter if no buyer could be found for them. A further article would have regulated the conditions under which an animal could be adopted: The interested party would have had to prove that he had enough space and money available for the dog before placing it. He would also have had to obtain permission from his neighbors. This would have effectively ruled out adoption.

Despite the decision of the Constitutional Court, the illegal killings continued in Romania. Instead of investing money in neutering programs, a multi-million dollar dog killing business is being maintained in this country. Although it has been scientifically proven that only consistent neutering is a sustainable and animal-friendly solution, the country’s government is hardly doing anything to implement this. If this were the case, Romania would have had its street dog problem under control long ago. In addition, the supply of dogs on the streets is largely caused by private individuals. Their unneutered animals multiply and a large proportion of the puppies are either killed or end up on the streets. A legal obligation to castrate dogs would also help here.

The death of the child is a tragedy. But the culprits are not the dogs, but the politicians, who have been preventing the necessary castrations for years through corruption and boycotting the programs carried out by animal welfare organizations. And now the death of the child is being misused to organize another hunt against the animals in order to divert attention from their own responsibility and guilt. Romanian animal rights activists accuse politicians of instrumentalizing the death of the child: Politicians were neither interested in the deficiencies in the health care system that cost the lives of many children, nor the numerous other deaths that outnumber the individual bite incidents many times over.

At last, the incompetent politicians have found a scapegoat for their inability to solve the misery they have created in their own country: The dogs. As Mahatma Ghandi once said: “The greatness and moral progress of a nation can be measured by the way it treats its animals.” Poor Romania!

NetAP and the local animal welfare organization Free Amely will nevertheless continue to expand the existing neutering program in and around the city of Lugoj. The mayor of the medium-sized town is (still) on the side of the animal rights activists. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Important note at the end: The people actually affected, namely the relatives of the boy who was killed, defend the dogs and also blame the government for the tragedy!