Stray Dogs Inflict Injuries on Children: Residents of Sherami Street Report

Can you imagine the mental state of this 6-year-old girl, who was dragged by four dogs right at the entrance of her building? This was reported by Facebook user Marine Ohanyan.

Residents of Sherami Street in the Malatia-Sebastia administrative district of Yerevan are raising alarms that stray dogs are attacking children and causing varying degrees of bodily harm.

“Due to the complaints from me and many parents, the issue has not been taken seriously enough, or they do not fully comprehend the horrific incidents we are talking about. I decided to write again and raise this issue once more. True, the number of dogs in our yard has decreased somewhat, but specifically in the field opposite schools 174 and 176, many dogs still greet children in the mornings. Dear employees of the municipality and district administration, can you imagine the mental state of this 6-year-old girl, who was dragged right at the entrance of her building (photo 2, incident on January 24), or this 9-year-old boy who has not yet recovered after over a month (photo 1, incident on January 14)? These are the same dogs that attacked my daughter (fortunately, they only grabbed and tugged at her coat). Please resolve this issue, clear the area of stray dogs (referring to the yards of 99, 101, 108 Sherami, the area next to the Swachyan Church, and also the vicinity of nearby schools), and protect our children from unnecessary attacks and stress. Approach this issue seriously; do not let innocent children suffer any longer. I hope you can imagine the diseases and problems these children might face later,” wrote Ohanyan.

Auroranews contacted Marine Ohanyan, who told us that the issue has not been resolved for a long time. “On February 12, I sent my child to school. The school is not far from our home, and from the window of our house, you can see when the child arrives at school. I heard my child scream and saw that five dogs were attacking a boy and tugging at him. The next morning, the dogs attacked my daughter; fortunately, at the moment of the attack, they caught my daughter’s coat and did not get to bite her. I assure you that none of the children gave any reason for the dogs to attack. They are just aggressive stray dogs,” said Ohanyan.

Marine mentioned that they have already alerted the municipality several times, but the problem remains unsolved. “They came, took the dogs away, vaccinated them, and brought them back. I understand that the law requires this, but nothing has changed around the school and residential areas; the same situation continues, and even grown adults are afraid to walk around the area,” added Ohanyan.

When asked if the child in the accompanying photo of her post is her child, Marine responded, “No.”

Auroranews also spoke with the mother of the child who sustained severe injuries, Ms. Asya, who confirmed that the incident occurred on January 24 and that stray dogs attacked her 6-year-old daughter. “The wounds on the child are healing; she feels fine. Immediately after the dog attack, they vaccinated her at the hospital and we started treatment. There is a football field in the residential area where dogs are constantly present. I am sure this is not the first or the last attack; this has already been the fifth incident in the last month. How long will this continue?” noted Asya.

According to Ms. Asya, a municipal employee informed residents that the dogs in the area have an owner who feeds them every day. And when citizens complained that one of the children suffered severe injuries, the employee asked them to send pictures and stated that they would address the issue; however, nothing has yet been done.

Gemma Sardaryan