Penza, 13 February 2012. PenzaNews. Deputies of the Penza municipal duma discussed a problem of catching and keeping homeless dogs with volunteers fighting for animal rights.

“Now consideration of regional parliament a number of the changes concerning эвтаназии of neglected animals is brought. Besides, means for premise rent under placing of point of the time maintenance that wasn't earlier are provided. It is expected that amendments will be accepted at Legislative Assembly regular session in February,” informed Alexey Agafilov, the head of city department of housing and communal services.

As he said, now it is declared two competitions on catching homeless animals for the sum of 500 thousand and 1.5 million roubles.

“The situation in the city is extremely difficult and demands operative decision,” Alexey Agafilov underlined.

Answering the question of deputies concerning suitable premise, the head of department of housing and communal services underlined that thanks to changes there is an opportunity to pay for rented premise, instead of ownership.

The vice-chairman of Penza municipal duma Yury Alpatov quoted the analytical report of public organization helping homeless animal where Russian and world experience in solving such problems is summarized.

The report says that after keeping for 7 days, the animal is sent back to the owner or is transferred to new owners or lulled.

As it is underlined in the document, experience of castration and release of animals appears negative as dogs become more aggressive and attack people more often.

Thus Yury Alpatov appreciated the offer to castrate all animals of townsmen, except breeders.

“We won’t wait for protests of people who were bitten by rabid dogs. Even modern vaccines for rabies damaged people’s health,” the vice-chairman of municipal duma underlined.

It has expressed gratitude to public organizations which are engaged in a solution of a problem of neglected animals on own means, having noticed thus that the municipality should incur the responsibility most part, making use of world experience.

According to Natalia Vaskina, the head of homeless animals’ rights activists, for last half a year volunteers have spent their own means to find new owners for homeless animals and, more than 200 of all animals were sterilized.

As she said, it is necessary to accept long-term complex program, develop propagation of sterilization and responsible relation to pets.

“There is no federal law we can’t manage everything at regional level, however rules for keeping pets is the first stage. We ask to allocate ground area, we are ready to co-finance the shelter, to involve private donations but we are not able to do it alone from the ground u,” she said.

Deputies offered members of public organization to meet in the nearest future with the head of department of housing and communal services of Penza Alexey Agafilov to discuss conditions and to make an application on participation in competition.