Global street dogs and the threats they pose to themselves and humans.

There are estimates of 200-250 million stray or street dogs around the world
‘‘Up to 300 million stray dogs roam the planet, with about  30 million in India alone.

These made the management of stray dogs a polarizing subject, with some people killing the animals inhumanely, says  Anindita Bhadra, animal behaviourist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata. Stray dogs, she adds, are never sure whether people want to feed and pet them—or hurt them.’ - National Geographic

This could potentially pose a number of threats to human beings

• They come in contact with people:

‘Free-ranging canines often come into conflict with people, and, particularly in India, pose a public health risk as carriers of rabies,  a fatal virus that kills up t 20000 people a year in India, most of them children, according to the World Health Organization. 

‘Aggressive street dogs are a big problem for Bosnia-Hercegovina - it's thought there are around 12,000 homeless dogs roaming the streets of the capital,  the Independent Balkans News Agency reports around 1,000 people were attacked by stray dogs in Sarajevo last year

- Bites

‘Like wolves, to survive, street dogs need to avoid conflict with humans. However, dog bites and dog attacks can occur when dogs are trying to mate or fighting among themselves, and pedestrians and other humans in the vicinity may be bitten by fighting. Rabies a major problem in some countries. 

India has more than 30 million stray dogs with more than 20,000 people dying of rabies every year.’ Courtesy of www.wikipedia.org
 

- Quality of life

- Aggressive Dogs

First, once dogs become street dogs, they might often become aggressive toward humans.
Dogs can become strays for several reasons. Maybe they were born on the street from a stray litter, or perhaps they were abandoned by their family. In some cases, the dogs run away or wander from their home and are never found or reunited with their owner.
Over time, they can be fearful of humans, thus becoming aggressive. They might bite other pets or humans while on the streets, thus making them sick.

- Rabies

Rabies is a huge issue in some parts of the world. Unfortunately, most countries do not get their dogs vaccinated for rabies. If they get it out in the wild, they can infect other wild animals.
On the other hand, they can infect pets and you if you happen to get too close.

- Unwanted Litters

Finally, unwanted litters is an issue. Like the rabies vaccine, many people can’t afford to spay or neuter their dogs.
When this happens, it only increases the stray dog population. For example, if a mother has a little of five puppies, there are six dogs in need of a home rather than just the mom. 

Street Dogs in Bosnia

There are approx 12000 street dogs in Sarajevo currently, practically and logistically this is untenable.

A conservative estimate is that this figure could rise by 30% every year (See below table) which over a five year period can increase the amount to 28500 dogs in the capital alone within 5 years.

             Table 1 - Figures based on a yearly 30% increase of dog numbers

If however you were to start with a figure of 10000 and assume half are females (5000) and each have 8 puppies a year then the figure could rise to 2.5 million dogs.

                     Table 2 - Figures based on all females having 8 puppies

This is in Sarajevo alone, estimations of worldwide stray or street dogs vary but there could be 300 million!!

The aim of Fetcher Dog is to take as many dogs off the streets of Bosnia, as possible, finding them homes in the UK, whilst relieving their suffering, bringing joy to UK families and mitigating the threat of rabies, unwanted litters and aggressiveness towards other dogs and humans. 

Join our journey today by following us in social media, donating funds or items to the rescue centre, adopting or fostering a dog or spreading our word in your local community or donating your time and skills to support street dogs in Bosnia and around the world.

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