Stray dogs continue to dominate playgrounds despite efforts made by City Hall

Ombudswoman for the protection of children's rights Tamara Plamadeala said she has waited for five months to have a meeting with Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca to inform him about the complaints concerning the stray dogs wandering on playgrounds. “If measures had been taken at the right time, when the number of stray dogs started to grow significantly, the authorities wouldn't have had to kill them now. The initiative concerning euthanasia is supported by some of the people and criticized by others. If I had to choose between the life of a dog and the security of my child, I would chose the second option,” Tamara Plamadeala told Info-Prim Neo. In the reports, the children who form part of the Initiative Group for Monitoring Children's Rights in Moldova warn that the playgrounds are no more safe for children as the stray dogs walking there can be aggressive. After the Chisinau administration approved a decision to sterilize the stray dogs and euthanize the unclaimed dogs, a new decision was taken on February 26 to built a shelter. The land on which it will be constructed is located on Balcani St. The shelter will have a capacity of 1,000 places and will be built by the end of this year, with support from animal protection organizations. A number of 347 cases of stray dogs attacking children were reported in Chisinau in 2009. Last summer, en employee of the Green Spaces Association suffered a heart attack and died after he was attacked by a dog.