1. The problem of homeless animals: causes and consequences for the population of cities
Stray animals pose a threat to the security of the urban population: they are carriers of various infectious diseases, including rabies; individual packs of dogs regularly attack passers-by, frighten children, destroying rare species of wild animals; impair the video-ecology of the city.
Foreign experts have identified several causes on the streets of homeless animals:
• The overproduction of animals for commercial purposes is causing a mismatch between demand and supply, and the "extra" animals on the street.
• Urbanization, combined with advances in veterinary medicine have created the conditions ensuring longer life of homeless animals and their ability to reproduce.
• Rapid natural reproduction of dogs and cats.
• Irresponsible owners dumping "annoying toy" on the street. The increase in the number of homeless animals is observed especially in the summer when the owners left on vacation and left the animals on the street.
• Failure to comply with the rules of the dog parks (dogs run away from careless owners).
• Year-round abundance of available forage (uncovered rubbish bins and shelters.
• Pet owners do not expose their operations to sterilize.
• Lack of the state required level of education.
• Lack of shelters.
• Lack of accounting system for Pets.
Today, in developed countries in General successfully solved this problem. Good results for the people it is possible to achieve, according to Western experts, by conducting the following activities:
1. Development of the necessary legislation in this field.(1)
2. The implementation of the state control.
3. The interaction of local authorities and charity organizations.
4. Training and education of citizens.
5. Identification of acquired animals.
6. Compliance with the rules of dog walking.
7. The introduction of economic mechanisms that regulate the number of dogs (differentiated fee for obtaining a license for having a pet that depends on sterilized if the owner of your pet).
8. Organization of sterilization of animals.
9. The organization of shelters.
10. Encouraging people to take animals from shelters, found on the street.
11. Introduction methods: "irretrievable catching" and/or OSV ("capture - sterilize-return").(2)
12. The conduct of humane killing (euthanasia) of homeless animals.
Specialists in economically developed countries refused from simple catching and killing stray animals, because this method proved to be ineffective. To solve the problem chosen was more complex but effective way: preventive work to educate the public and legislative regulation of the treatment of animals from birth, living conditions, and to the death.
2. The experience of solving the problem of homeless animals in the United States
In 1976, the American veterinary medicine Association, the Society for the humane treatment of animals of the United States (Humane society of the United States, HSUS), American Humane Association (AHA) and the Institute of pet food has developed a model draft Rules control the number of dogs and cats (Model Dog and Cat Control Ordinance), containing the basic provisions that were adopted by cities throughout the United States.
For example, on Internet website (3) normative legal acts of the city of Chicago published the Rules governing the activities of municipal animal Control (Animal Care and Control), as well as the Rules of keeping animals in the city of Chicago. The basic principle for the homeless animals: "Any stray animals on the street or in public places or within the private premises of a person other than the owner of the animal is subject to immediate capture specialist in control (Animal Control Officer)".(4) the principle in all other States of the country.
Monitor and perform as needed assistance to employees of municipal services, public organizations and shelters in the work animal control workers police.(5) the police Department of the town of Cary has a staff of three civilian experts on urban animal control (animal control officers). Their duties include investigation of cases of cruelty to animals, reported cases of rabies, and bites people animals.
It is unrealistic to expect that families will take "excess" dogs and cats and what pet owners will definitely take them to the vet for sterilization. Therefore, every city has a special Program of oversight of the animals, which includes a number of components:
• Animal control and organization of the shelters.
• Sterilization and obtaining a license for having a pet.
• Education of the public.
• Modern methods of rapid search of the lost animal.
• Rules of dog walking and dog tags.
• Limit the number of animals of one owner.
• Reduced prices for sale of homeless animals from the shelter.
• The introduction of administrative liability for violations.
of the current legislation.
• Statistics.
2.1. The animal control and organization of work of the shelters.
The main focus of surveillance Programs for animals is a non-refundable catching and placing animals in shelters (shelters also act as collection centres for the "extra" animals from the owners and as centers for transfer of animals to new owners). After the mandatory period of overexposure, during which dogs and cats are returned to their owners, animals may be transferred to new owners or public shelters for further detention. Unclaimed animals are euthanized. Euthanasia (euthanasia) is considered as inevitable measure, as the shelters that perform municipal program - the so-called "shelters of unlimited admission open-admission shelters) must provide sufficient capacity and to be always ready to arrival of new animals. The largest animal protection organizations (the World society for the protection of animals (WSPA); HSUS and PETA in the U.S.) believe that to euthanize an animal is more humane than leaving him in the lurch on the street and doomed to an early and violent death.
However, along with shelters "unlimited admission" shelters belonging to organizations which do not consider humane to euthanize healthy animals. These "shelters are limited admission" (limited-admission shelters) stop accepting animals if there are empty seats. Shelters without killing the so-called "no-kill", tend to have long "waiting lists" pet owners wishing to surrender their Pets, and many of these owners are forced to find alternative ways out of the situation. They perform a vital, but secondary role in efforts to control animal numbers.
There is also a typology of shelters in the form of ownership: public, private and private organizations with the state contract.
As a rule, the state (municipal) shelters (the animal) are organizations, often using euthanasia based organizations "unlimited admission"). This is an unavoidable measure, since such shelters are implementing municipal program (i.e., have limited financial means) and are forced to always have a reserve for unexpected revenues. However, among private shelters meet the points of the "unlimited admission".
Private shelters - organization for the humane treatment of animals, to protect them. Most urban and rural areas is served by one or more local organizations. Their usual names: the Society for the humane treatment of animals or Humane society (the Tiny Society, the animal rescue League (Animal Rescue League), the Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Also used other names, who talk about animal welfare the nature of the activities of the organization. As a rule, non-commercial, not taxed, charities, existing funds bequeathed or donations.
Private organization with a government contract - shelters of the third type belong to private non-profit organizations with a contract with the municipality city or County to carry out works to control the number of animals and introduction to the life of the regulations concerning the population. Sometimes the shelter is only for content captured or surrendered animals, while the officers of animal control and control of rules of the maintenance work under the guidance and supervision of the police Department. In other cases, the private organization may hire, train and supervise the work of employees of service of catching of animals, not only to provide space for the detained animals. Private organizations receive money from local authorities for the maintenance service of the number of control animals, although they can also collect private donations to Finance other programs, such as teaching humane treatment of animals and animal rescue. Typically, organizations that provide a municipal program shall include a shelter, allowing euthanasia of unclaimed animals, there is a shelter of unlimited admission.
2.2. Sterilization and obtaining a license for the right to keep a pet.
In times of budget difficulties which are constantly faced by local authorities, it is not easy to find money to Finance oversight of the animals. However, the animal shelter should receive state support. Cost effective local program of oversight of the animals usually are in the United States at least $ 3. per person per year. They may fully or partly covered by the fees for licensing Pets and for animals in shelters. An effective program of oversight of the animals not only provides cities the current cost saving (for example, protect citizens from dangerous dogs allows you to save on treatment costs), but also helps to reduce future costs for oversight of the animals. So, if the city in 2006 will be 4 thousand animals euthanized (cost to kill one animal, be from 50 to 90 dollars.) but at the same time not carried out the sterilization of animals, after five years will have to kill at least as many animals. If the city in addition to killing 4 million animals will be differential licensing, funded a program of sterilization of animals and organized the curriculum in the schools, five years will have to kill far fewer animals, and will also be saving other costs.
One of the main methods of struggle with homeless animals is sterilization. Programme for sterilization of stray dogs and cats to reduce their numbers, usually facing great difficulties, as if sterilised at least 70% of the female homeless and owned dogs and cats, these programs lead instead of reducing the increase of population. The decrease in the number of newborn animals tends to lead to increased survival of the population. Not covered sterilization of pregnant and lactating females are up against less competition, and therefore increase the chances of obtaining prey. Receiving the best quality and quantity of feed puppies and kittens less susceptible to diseases and as they stay longer with the mother, they are less vulnerable to external threats. While 70% of the population of dogs and cats are not sterilized, the sterilization of some, but not all, can in fact lead to reproductive explosion.
Upon reaching the proportion of sterilized animals possessory 70 - 80% of the total number, the number of caged animals begins to significantly decline. This has led some cities to reduce the number of piplani to a minimum, offer almost equal to the demand.
The positive dynamics associated with the mass sterilization of Pets, can be traced in the scale of entire countries. So in the US the number of piplani in shelters decreased 4 times in the last 30 years.
Before the new owners usually put the requirement to produce sterilization/castration is taken from the animal shelter. Private organizations use a variety of subsequent procedures in order to guarantee the requirement of sterilization, or they have a private clinic where the sterilization of animals. In addition, private organizations may implement other programs such as animal rescue services, the development of obedience skills in dogs, consulting on behavior problems and investigation of facts of ill treatment of animals.
In order to organize information according to the number available owned dogs and limit their purchase, economic way to control the number of dogs is an annual fee for a license for the content dog.
In some States, the special officers provide services of registration of license at home. Servants by design licenses are official documents with photo and wearing a bright blue uniform shirts or jackets with the logo of the licensing service. In summer and autumn, hours of work employees is normally 17:00 - 21:00 weekdays, 9:00 - 18:00 Saturday 11:00 - 18:00 on Sunday. Employees can accept payments and issue a registration counters directly on the house.