The current Law of Responsible Treatment of Animals (№498-FZ) allows euthanasia of incurably ill or severely injured dogs that can’t be treated.
“This measure applies to animals that exhibit unmotivated aggression towards other animals or humans,” states the explanatory note of the project.
Under current legislation aggressive dogs must be permanently kept in shelters. However, one of the arguments brought forward by the authors of the project, is that such animals are a menace to the personnel of the shelter.
The members of Astrakhan State Duma call to prioritize human safety and to define criteria for identification of unmotivated aggression in animals.
The stray animals issue was widely discussed by the public at the end of January, when a seven-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Transbaikal region. Alexander Bastrykin, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, ordered to prepare amendments to the current legislation.
Regional authorities are trying to solve the problem at the local level. In Buryatia, for instance, it is now forbidden to return large and dangerous dogs to their habitat after capture.
