Street Dogs.

Two years ago it was a lot more common than it is now. Dogs living on the streets of Kiev. While it is sad, it is probably not unexpected that when a family hits hard times, the pet is the first to go. But dogs roaming the streets are always potential problems. They may step out in front of cars, scare children, and carry rabies.

It was made clear to me a few weeks ago that while the Kiev authorities have come a long way with this problem, the problem is still here. A few weeks ago I was Khreshchaty Park, near the Ukraine and Russia Unification Statue, when four large dogs came rushing at me out of nowhere. From their behavior, they very much seemed to be acting as a pack. While even domesticated dogs are pack animals, where their human family comprises their pack, once set out on the streets, their normal behavior is to roam the streets by themselves, avoiding humans as much as possible.

While I am no expert in canine behavior, it seems to me that after an extended period on the streets, dogs may revert to pack behavior with other dogs, more commonly if they mate and have offspring. My guess is that this process would happen over a year or more. So my question is: What are four dogs, clearly showing pack behavior, doing loose in one of the highly populated parks in Kiev, late on a Saturday afternoon, not far from areas where children congregate en masse? I might be able to understand it early in the morning, since there are numerous islands, minimally inhabited, in the Dnepr River, some of them connected to the main parts of the city via footbridges. They could have entered the populated city areas this way. But come on. Someone must have seen these dogs' behavior hours before I witnessed it; someone must have reported it to someone, someone should have been dispatched to look into the problem, but yet, here they were, late on a Saturday afternoon, acting in a very menacing manner, not to all people, but to certain people.

Come on, Kiev authorities. I'm sure by now you've gotten these dogs. The question is, did someone fall asleep on the job this day? Are they still working for you? If so, why?

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