VIDEO: My Dog Under My Care Has Been Euthanized; City Hall Responds to Citizen's Report

As previously reported, the Stray Animal Disinfection Center announced today that the information regarding the mass euthanasia of stray dogs in Yerevan is baseless and does not correspond to reality.

Following this announcement, AuroraNews received a report from citizen Eleonora Araratyan, stating that the information disseminated by the Stray Animal Disinfection Center is false, as her dog under her care had been euthanized. The citizen added that the dog had been vaccinated and sterilized: “We once saw how they tried to take the little dog away. We told them that this dog has a caretaker. We also explained that the dog had fallen under a car and we had operated on it at our own expense.”

Ms. Araratyan mentioned that she has been reporting about the massacre of animals in the city for several days.

User Vigen Sargsyan also shared Ms. Araratyan’s post about the dog on his Facebook page, stating: “There are very, very big doubts that you are carrying out your work in a criminally irresponsible manner. Firstly, the basis for doubt is the cheap, very low-accuracy leishmaniasis tests, as well as the case histories. Secondly, you always take the friendliest dogs; there is no need to look for, catch, spend, and do work – you come and take them from the yards. But for those problematic dogs that really need to be sterilized and tested, which are genuinely aggressive, it’s already a challenge to approach them – you don't even try. Are you trying to reduce headcount? There you go, you collect the easiest option from the yards.

Have a little humanity, at least like abroad, after picking them up give people a few days’ chance to adopt, or if there are real doubts about illness, do a double test to make sure. What are you afraid of? This is beneficial for you! If you are right, then a double test will leave no doubts for you, either.

But if you know well that these tests are rubbish, with 50/50 accuracy, and you are randomly taking every friendly, easiest-to-catch dog and euthanizing them without even giving any opportunity to be saved, then it would be fair for you to randomly euthanize one of your own, like Anush, Mushmush, forever.

I am not angry; I am not inhumane; I simply want justice. Return this dog; we will have double or triple testing done to make sure.”

Eleonora doubts that the dogs are being properly tested and that the results of the tests are accurate.

Upon reviewing the posts on social networks, we noticed that another animal rights advocate reported that the Stray Animal Disinfection Center took the dog away, and later they called to inquire why the dog was taken, to which they replied it was for testing.

“After the testing, it turned out that it supposedly has leishmaniasis. The caretakers arrived at the clinic, were not allowed inside, and were refused any clarification or documentation. The dog has a passport, all documents related to vaccinations and paid sterilization, and surgery. They have crossed the line and are coming to take the most vulnerable animals in the area for the sake of meeting quotas and euthanizing them,” wrote Facebook user Arax Khachatryan.

Another citizen commented on their post that they noticed city hall employees searching for dogs. The footage shows Yerevan City Hall’s “Stray Dog Disinfection” municipal enterprise employee, actor Ashot Meloyan, who started working during Hayk Marutyan's tenure.

Watch the video:

AuroraNews contacted Yerevan City Hall for comments.

The City Hall’s information department told us that professional inspections determine whether a dog has a disease or not. “From a human and moral standpoint, no one – especially our employees – will euthanize a healthy dog that does not pose a danger to society. This is a resource that the municipal enterprise will not waste. I exclude that our municipal enterprise would euthanize a dog that is healthy and not problematic. These are rumors, and the press office will address this issue separately tomorrow,” said the information department.

City Hall also reported that there was a case where a citizen assured that their dog under their care had no disease, but it turned out during the inspection that the dog was sick.

“I exclude that there could be any unsubstantiated professional intervention. There are good specialists working in this municipal enterprise who would never carry out unsubstantiated professional actions,” emphasized the city hall.