Rumors about Belarusians abandoning pets due to new tax unconfirmed
Information that Minsk's "Fauna gorada" (City Fauna) was allegedly overcrowded due to the introduction of a pet tax turned out to be just rumors. The director of the enterprise, Anastasia Vorobyova, informed the "Minsk-Novosti" agency that the kennels are currently only 61 percent full. Of 240 spaces, 147 are occupied, with roughly an equal number of cats and dogs. According to her, not a single pet has been brought in specifically because of the tax.
The most common reasons why animals end up at the reception point remain allergies in family members or the death of the owner, if relatives cannot take the pet. Also, some animals are simply caught on the city streets.
The living conditions here are good: enclosures are cleaned every day by noon, and animals are fed then. Dogs accustomed to it are walked twice a day in the inner courtyard.
Upon admission, each tailed animal is examined by a veterinarian and is обязательно vaccinated against rabies. Then, information about them is posted on the website and social media to find new owners. If a dog is clearly domestic, efforts are made through the police to find the old owner, but they do not always want to take the animal back.
Before giving a pet to a new family, employees conduct a serious interview. They check living conditions and explain that keeping a pet requires financial expenses, responsibility, and time for walking. For example, living in a dormitory or a rented apartment often becomes a reason why animals are later returned.
"Fauna gorada" is actively assisted by volunteers who look for homes for animals and help with treatment. The center does not currently accept financial assistance from citizens but plans to open a charitable account in the future.
For now, the best support is to spread information online or decide to take a cat or dog home. Indeed, during the journalists' visit, one Minsk family chose and took a black puppy to their country house.