A friend, not a killer
Kyiv registers 11-percent increase in the number of people bitten by stray dogs
In many countries fighting dogs are considered the equivalent of deadly weapons, so owners of such breeds must have a special license. In Ukraine it is common to see the owner of a Pit Bull walking with his pet off the leash, even without a muzzle. Recently, a two-year-old Pit Bull attacked a child in Donetsk oblast. The young boy’s life was saved by the ambulance’s timely arrival: a few minutes more and he would have died from loss of blood. An even more recent incident occurred in Kyiv, where an American Staffordshire terrier attacked a woman leaving her apartment building to run some errands. The dog knocked the woman down and bit her in many places, causing serious bodily injuries. The female owner of the dog calmly called the dog to her, leashed it, and left.
10,000 FIGHTING DOGS IN KYIV
“Every day we see between three and four people with dog bites,” says Mykola Kovalchuk, the head physician at an emergency hospital in the Obolon district of Kyiv. “A few days ago a dog almost bit off a girl’s thumb. Fortunately, she was brought here in time, so we were able to sew it back on. We also have grave cases of 20-30-cm scalp wounds. In every case the wound itself is not as dangerous as the possibility of rabies (although dog bites take a long time to heal). So, if you have any doubts about the physical condition of your pet, you must undergo a course of preventive treatment. It is very important to locate the dog that bit you and monitor its behavior for some time. There have been no cases of rabies recorded in Kyiv, but several deadly cases have been registered elsewhere in Ukraine.
Compared to 2006, this year’s medical statistics point to an 11-percent increase in animal bite cases in Kyiv: 2,836, including 2,191 dog bites (of these 1,026 cases involved people who were attacked by stray dogs). Experts say that the exact number of victims can be established by multiplying official statistics by five; this would be roughly the number of people who were bitten by dogs but never sought medical help.
“If you are bitten by a stray dog, the problem is to trace it, to make sure it is not rabid,” says Dr. Maksym Hychka, adding that if you are bitten by a dog, you must first clean the wound with soap and water for 15 to 20 minutes, then apply some ethyl green or iodine solution, and then consult a physician. To avoid being attacked by stray dogs, you should never tease them, make any abrupt movements, or show fear.
Dr. Kovalchuk says that all pets must be registered, and their owners should muzzle them and walk them on a leash. Unfortunately, few dog owners observe these rules. Nor has the problem of catching stray dogs been resolved.
The situation with fighting dogs is the most complicated one because these dogs pose a lethal danger to people. According to the statistics of the City Pet Identification Center, over 60,000 dogs are registered in Kyiv, including 10,000 dogs of aggressive breeds. This data is far from complete, since many owners never register their pets.
THE LAW IS ON THE SIDE OF PETS
The Kyiv municipal authorities adopted regulations about walking pet dogs in 1998. Dogs can be taken to specially designated areas (leashed and muzzled). However, after making inquiries at City Hall or talking to some dog owners, I was unable to locate any of these dog runs. All that I could ascertain was the fact that most of these regulations exist only on paper.
The Kyiv City Council has drafted new regulations for owners of cats and dogs, which will be discussed and adopted in October. The package of regulations includes clauses specifying where dogs can be walked and trained. The Dog Companion Program addresses the question of potentially aggressive breeds. Experts at City Hall have also prepared a draft resolution “On the Regulation of Matters Relating to the Upkeep and Treatment of Dogs and Cats in Kyiv,” which is aimed at guaranteeing humane treatment of animals.
The Kyiv authorities have promised that, starting in September, stray animals will be caught, not to be put to sleep but sterilized, the way it is done in the civilized world.
WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING
The Kyiv animal shelter is located in the district of Borodianka. It can accommodate 500 dogs, but the personnel capture dogs only when they are ordered by law. For example, a local ZHEK housing administration can apply, and the kennel will send a team to rid your courtyard of stray dogs. Otherwise, these animals will continue to attack people.
The Borodianka staff members insist that they do not kill the animals. They give them shots to immobilize them during capture and then place them in cages where they are kept for 10 days. If no one claims a dog during this period (sometimes pets are captured along with strays), their fate is determined by the staff veterinarian. Often dog owners bring their dogs to the shelter, especially owners of aggressive breeds. As a rule, they have to pay when they want their pets to be looked after for the duration of their vacations. The Borodianka people say these dogs are looked after properly, and that they always try to place abandoned animals in good homes. One can only guess what happens to unclaimed animals.
The municipal authorities have promised to build another shelter. Tentative estimates point to some 30,000 homeless dogs in Kyiv, each of which poses a potential danger to the residents and guests of Ukraine’s capital city.
All these laws and regulations are good, provided of course that they are observed. The Administrative Code of Ukraine states that pet owners who walk their dogs unmuzzled and off leash, or in areas not designated as dog runs, can be fined “between one and three minimum incomes before tax.” But my research indicates that not a single person has ever received such a fine. If a law is not observed, what is it worth?
