The number of stray dogs in Kherson has increased: 90 percent were once pets

The situation with stray animals in the Kherson community has significantly worsened due to the war and the expansion of dangerous areas. People are fleeing areas that are constantly under Russian shelling, and not everyone is able to take their pets with them.

This was reported bythe publication “Vgoru,” citing Anastasia Ukolova, head of the municipal utility “Garantia.”

According to her, about 90% of the unsterilized dogs currently seen on the streets of Kherson are former pets.

Once the dogs end up on the streets, they begin to breed, and the number of animals grows rapidly. Before the full-scale invasion and at the start of the war, the problem was partially contained by sterilization programs, as well as the work of volunteers and civic organizations. However, access to some areas is now virtually impossible due to constant shelling.

“Garantia” emphasizes that the facility is not a shelter capable of taking in all stray animals. The municipal enterprise’s primary mission is to regulate the dog population using humane methods.

The animals are captured, sterilized, vaccinated, and tagged, and after recovery, they are returned to the area where they were found. At the same time, due to the war, situations arise where there is effectively nowhere to return a dog—its former owners have left, and the area remains dangerous.

The enterprise urges owners to treat their pets responsibly and have them spayed or neutered. This helps prevent unwanted litters that might later end up on the streets.

According to experts, the problem of stray animals in Kherson has become even more complex amid the war: the usual issue of uncontrolled breeding has been compounded by population evacuations, abandoned pets, and the inaccessibility of certain areas due to constant Russian attacks.

Андрій Колісніченко