Dog lovers: Bulgaria

We have taken in 3 dogs in the two years we have been back in Bulgaria. Two were in a poor state when they adopted us and one was left as a puppy under our car. We have also had two litters of cats adopt us, 13 in total of which there were only three males.

We have had to install cameras so people dont dump dogs here , fence the land, build two kennels for the two dogs that were street dogs, build an auto feeder for the cats and build a mini cess pit in a corner of the garden. Every year we have to plan everything in advance to make sure we can book the dog sitter for any trips longer than a day and food costs around 40 leva a week.

My private pension doesnt go very far now but we wouldnt have it any other way, i've lost 2st because of the extra exercise i have got since retiring and in a village where at this time of year we are the only occupants in our street they provide plenty of entertainment.

Think hard before adopting, its not for everyone and dont think you will ever single handedly change the Eastern European attitude to dogs. It is getting better in the cities with tagging and sterilisation programmes.

As for cats people think we are mad paying to have ours all sterilized, when the neighbours just say they just box kittens up and take them somewhere else.

@grahamstark1

Thanks for your wonderful post. Quite a few animals:) Lots of TLC- I love it!

I have only one:(  but this will change.....

Hi Tony

With ref to your article on dogs I do not live permanently in Bulgaria I have an apartment in Yambol region I have been visiting over a period of 15 years however because of new knee replacements in uk have not been able to visit for 18 months however second leg replacement should be soon so I am hoping to visit in the new year.

It seems a lot better ref dog and cat cruelty however the mind set in my view is still of a cruel nature I have been verbally abused by some Bulgarians when I feed the street dogs and cats

They the younger Bulgarians have encouraged a whats called the purchase of designer dogs no doubt from watching to many usa uk films when I speak with these people asking why they purchased a designer dog as opposed to a wonderfull street dog the answe is they look cool and its the now the done thing it does mean thank goodness most are kept on a lead,I am not saying all Bulgarians are cruel but the attitude towards many street dogs and cats is still not good. Keep up the kindness attitude to these poor defenceless animals I look forward to my next visit to bg with bags of food to make their lives a bit better

Regards john.

@TonyFF

Hi Tony, I'm hoping to move to Bulgaria from France, with my 9 rescue dogs. One is from the UK, 2 from Spain and 6 from Romania.

My friend and I are going out to Bulgaria in February, to look at a property which is currently being run as a small, home based rescue. Most of the dogs they take in are adopted out to Germany, through an association there. We're hoping that they will continue to work with us, if we take over. The current owner feeds the street dogs in and around their village and they take in as many as they can, although for some dogs it's not feasible. Most of the dogs are not from the village, but are dumped there, which seems to be common practice in Bulgaria.

Emotionally, I have no idea how I'm going to cope with this. Generally speaking, I prefer animals to people, so to see dogs dumped on the streets and chained up in yards, will be difficult for me to deal with, but I have to try.

One of my Romanian dogs, is an Anatolian Shepherd, who is a gentle giant, intelligent and stubborn as a mule. He's fab!

From what I know of Karakachans, they're probably a similar temperament and whilst they are good family dogs, they can become very protective, which sounds good, but can be problematic. If you're planning to have one, I would suggest looking in the municipal shelters first, or contact rescue centres and bide your time. Socialisation with dogs, cats and people is essential. Theyre a big, powerful breed and can become over protective and difficult to handle, if not socialised properly.

Please don't buy from a breeder. There are hundreds of beautiful dogs in shelters. 🙂

@grumpyoldbird

There are pluses about buying a dog v.s getting one from the pound.I personally would like to go volunteer in a shelter in Bulgaria/or anywhere  else in the world but at this point I am  not comfortable with getting a dog from the street. I can feed a dog in the street when I see it but adopting  it will cost me a lot of money for healthcare. And I will be sad if the dog was abused, shy, has psychological issues. I cannot watch my  animal suffer. 

I bought my gorgeous straight back German shepherd with excellent family history. I never had any medical bills( only meds for fleas, hearguard monthly, food, immunizations, regular checkups. ). The dog has been a robust animal , now approaching 13 - still very active, no problems, just getting a little slow. No hip dysplasia. Very very protective, super sweet to family. He wants to play a lot and to challenge us all the time.  I feel blessed with this animal. Again I am willing to devote some of my time to  an official dog shelter......

@TonyFF

I know we're all eager beavers when it comes to lending a hand, but here's the rub: these dog shelters are up to their eyeballs in volunteers making themselves feel good.

What these shelters are gasping for isn't more hands; it's the green stuff, the moolah, the dosh. Those quids and pennies can do wonders, It’s all about feeding those pooches, keeping the lights on, and making sure they've got a cozy spot to curl up in now its snowing.

I'm not saying don’t visit and lend a hand bit of TLC never hurt but next time you're itching to do your bit, maybe consider smashing that Donate button. That's where you can really make a dog's day.

@TonyFF

I think you're under some misconceptions. Yes, some street dogs have been abused, but they haven't all been born on the streets. Some have lived in families and thrown away, because they become inconvenient.

Some are scared and I've adopted a couple of dogs who've been scared and needed work, but that's only 2 of my 9 dogs. The rest were used to people, cats and other dogs. Some of them have clearly been used to a lead and I've had very few accidents in the house. The males did have a tendency to scent in the beginning, but that's territory marking and soon solved. I can say with my hand on heart, that my dogs are happy, healthy and well adjusted.

Pedigree dogs, on the other are often bred using dogs with issues, joint problems, epilepsy, haemophilia, character defects....the list goes on. Of course no breeder will tell you this, because they want your money. I'm not suggesting that mixed breeds don't have issues, they have a physiology, just the same as humans and they can get illnesses the same as humans.

Whether you take on a rescue, or buy from a breeder, you need to exercise caution. You will be bringing this animal into your home, so a vet check is essential in either case. A recent article in a UK newspaper, reported 2 Spaniel puppies dumped in a cardboard box. They were rescued, but one of them died, because they had Parvovirus. It's a guess, but my belief is that these puppies were bred to sell and were dumped when they became ill. Anyone who bought one, would have certainly had a hefty vet bill and maybe no puppy at the end of it.

I recently got into an online argument with a Pit Bull breeder in Bulgaria. He had people commenting on his page about how beautiful his puppies were etc. He had 2 heavily pregnant bitches, living in his yard, fastened up with very heavy chains and he didn't see anything wrong with that. When I pointed out to him that him not seeing anything wrong in that, was actually the problem, he became quite abusive, telling me I needed to get medical help, because I was obviously mentally ill. 😂

I always find that when people are challenged and are losing the argument, they always try to undermine you. Anyway, sorry for war and peace, but a pedigree dog is not a guarantee of good health and good character and a mixed breed is not a guarantee of bad health and bad character. Good luck.

Thanks for all opinions. Here is  a good kennel for donation: Territorio de Zaguates in Costa Rica.  The most unique one in the world. Maybe someone will create one like that in Bulgaria.

( BTW: In Bulgaria  maybe that it is not the case but in the USA pedigree dogs can  NEVER go to a shelter. You cannot sell the dog or  If you are unable to take care of the dog, it goes back to the breeder. They will buy the dog back no matter how old. )

@TonyFF

That's how it should be! Breeders should always be responsible for every dog they breed. Sadly, very few breeders do that and too many, are just people bought a bitch of a popular and then the poor thing becomes a puppy machine, with selling for thousands. Because they have no idea of the bloodlines, they are perpetuating problems for a fast book and it's often the puppies and the new owners, who pay for that. Its very sad.

i was shocked last trip at only seeing about 5 stray dogs the entire trip

the abuse and feral issue scares me for when we move in the spring.

we have 6 dogs. 3 from romania, 3 found in a bin while on travelling through lincolnshire 3 years ago. we also have 3 cats. i dont know where id put anything else. especially as 1 of the romanian dogs doesnt like change with new animals. and the jack rusell we found in a bin will try and kill anything bigger than she is (shes a short legged teeny tiny scrap).

200 unconscious

https://m.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=222671

Strays kill Bulgarian paramedic

https://m.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=219490

@mickeyhart

So sad about the first story. I hope the dogs were saved and rehomed, and the people responsible for the shelter punished.

Your description for the second heading is inaccurate. I believe the dogs who killed the woman turned out to have a human keeper. They were not strays. The same tragedies sadly happen in the UK and US as well, where guys think it's tough to train powerful dog breeds to be vicious.

Your description for the second heading is inaccurate. I believe the dogs who killed the woman turned out to have a human keeper. They were not strays. The same tragedies sadly happen in the UK and US as well, where guys think it's tough to train powerful dog breeds to be vicious.
   

    -@janemulberry

There is a case every week in the UK

Sadly, yes. Not fair for the people attacked, or for the poor dogs who've usually experienced either mistreatment or deliberate training to make them vicious.

@janemulberry I read two pieces on that paramedic. One was pointing fingers at strays and the other got a dog owner in it.

In the other bit about the shelter that councillor Marta Georgieva is rolling up her sleeves.  We need to back Bulgarians with the clout to make a difference like that councillor. I pinged Marta to ask where to chuck a few quid for the cause.

Anyone here know a solid Bulgarian run dog charity that's doing the business?

@grumpyoldbird is looking at buying a place that's a working dog shelter and I think has charity status. Maybe she can comment on that?

Yes, the first news reports on that sad death from mauling blamed strays, the later report was clear the dogs had a keeper. It's possible that a pack of unowned dogs could attack someone, but the strays I've seen in Bulgaria seem to be very wary of humans and it's hard to imagine they'd attack unless cornered or threatened.

In the majority of dog maulings in the UK and US, the dogs are owned, and the victim is often a relative, friend, or neighbour of the dog or dogs' keeper. Of course, the keeper isn't always at fault and it can be as much a tragedy for them as the person injured.

@mickeyhart

There are a quite a few rescues. There's a small home based one called Rough Diamonds Rescue. Its a retired couple from the UK. Theyve been rescuing and feeding strays since they landed in Bulgaria 18 years ago.They mostly home to Germany, but occasionally the UK. You can find them on Instagram. There's one called Santerpaws, they home to the UK. A bigger operation than Rough Diamonds, but both have a good reputation.

@grumpyoldbird how big is this dog shelter your thinking of buying?

Following, would love to know more about the future shelter

@TonyFF

Hi Tony, I don't know if you remember this conversation, buy I know someone who may be looking for a home for a 1 year old, male Karakachan. If you're interested in more info, please pm me.

Elaine

@grumpyoldbird

Thanks for this offer. I love big juicy dogs (  I have a German shepherd now) but one is enough for now.

Theres got to be plenty of Bulgarians up for taking a karachan

@grahamstark1 lovely care you take. I'm planning on moving over to BG this year, I have always rescued animals where I live, or they find me, but am a bit worried that animals are not well treated in BG ! I have heard that dogs are treated ok, and when visiting before see that town strays are tagged. I won't put my head in the sand about this, but am interested to hear if it is a big problem.