BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) – They say that a dog is a man’s best friend. Alexandrina, an elderly resident in a home in the Romanian capital found not only a new friend, but a new outlook on life after one of the city’s infamous street dogs walked into her life.
At an elderly people’s home in west Bucharest, four specially trained street dogs make weekly visits offering residents love and company and changing perceptions about strays.
Bucharest’s thousands of strays have had a bad rap. They have fatally mauled three people in recent years and the latest death of a 4-year-old boy in 2013 led to a law that orders strays euthanized unless they find a home.
Authorities have been putting down thousands of dogs since the law took effect, while thousands of others have been adopted or put in shelters, but there are still estimated to be tens of thousands of street dogs in Bucharest.
The dogs have found support from celebrities, including actors Hilary Swank, Brigitte Bardot and Steven Seagal, who adopted or visited them. But that has done little to win over city residents who are wary or even downright hostile toward the dogs.