My son recently visited with us. He arrived on a late and pleasant May evening. Sofia was looking its best and we were looking forward to a pleasant and enjoyable stay.
It was about 11.00 pm when I pulled up outside our apartment. we live in a nice leafy Sofia street. As I opened my car door my eyes were diverted by the rush of at least 20, very large street dogs. They were focusing their attention on something and were ruthlessly trying to tear it apart. They were in a frenzy and it was a savage attack.
I reached inside my car and grabbed the first thing that came to hand (a bottle of window washer) and threw it at them. Surprisingly they ran. Afterwards I thought how stupid I had been. Adults and children have been attacked here, some fatally and it was a stupid thing to do.
As the dogs ran it became clear what it was they were attacking. A small cat was left on the road. It looked as if its back was broken and it lay there helplessly. I called my local vet but he wasn't in town. The miserable, terrified cat died a few minutes later. My son and my daughter looked on and were obviously upset at what had happened. This was my son's first introduction to Sofia, a pack of wild dogs tearing a cat from limb to limb. Needless to say he gave dogs a wide berth during his stay. Nevertheless he had a great time here and has good memories of his stay.
I am a dog owner and I love dogs. But nothing gets to me more when the loony animal welfarists start to whine. Street dogs are a huge problem and a huge cost. They have killed and maimed humans and other animals (rather famously they attacked and killed a number of deer in Sofia Zoo). Millions of euro are being spent on useless sterilisation programs. Recently the Director in charge was fired for being ineffective and other irregularities. All this in a city which is incapable of providing even a half decent health system for the old and homeless.
The solution is clear. Sofia needs to rid itself of its wild street dogs through a humane scheme of animal euthanasia. Pets are pets but pests are pests.
