Stray dogs have been part of daily life in Georgia since the 1990s. Gradual normalization poses health risks, while public frustration grows, as does animal-welfare concerns.
But is this a new crisis, born from Georgia’s current political turmoil?
A recent Foreign Policy article brought international attention to disappearing neighborhood dogs, angry activists and troubling questions about the government’s current animal-control program. The article raises legitimate concerns. Dogs are reportedly being removed from neighborhoods. Activists say records do not add up, and there are questions about a crematorium in Gori.
But the stray dog story did not begin with Georgian Dream. It did not begin with the 2024 election. It did not begin with the foreign influence law.
The problem dates back to the chaos of the 1990s, weak municipalities, poor animal control, lack of sterilization, abandoned pets, underfunded shelters and a public split between fear of stray dogs and sympathy for them.
DFWatch has reported on this issue before. In 2012, we reported that Georgia did not have enough capacity to care for stray dogs, and that activists were protesting violent methods used against homeless animals. Tbilisi had opened a municipal shelter, but it had room for only 350 animals. Some dogs were sterilized, marked and returned to where they were found.
In 2014, the issue exploded in Tbilisi City Council over Tamaz Elizbarashvili’s private shelter, which held more than 400 dogs. Neighbors wanted it shut down because of smell and noise. Animal supporters rallied to save it. The argument ended in shouting and fighting. The same article noted that Brigitte Bardot had supported a spay program in Georgia.
In 2015, that same shelter was hit by flooding in the June disaster. At least 13 dogs drowned.
None of this means the current program is fine. It may be badly run. It may lack transparency. If dogs are not returned properly, if records are wrong, if shelters are in poor condition, or if activists are denied answers, that is a serious public issue.
But old problems should not be made to look new just because the mood around the world is that time’s up for Georgia’s ruling party.
Some writers seem to want to spin events, in order to build a narrative. We prefer to stick to the facts, and record history.
