We Recognize Our Dogs by Face: Those Arriving are Strangers, Says Gyumri Mayor

Today, the first session of the fourth convening of the Gyumri City Council took place. It was unprecedented in duration, starting at 12:00 PM and lasting about 4 to 4.5 hours, reports Aravot.am.

The most intriguing discussion revolved around the issue of stray animals, specifically their sterilization and neutralization. Gyumri Mayor's financial advisor Lena Jilavyan announced that the number of stray dogs has increased in Gyumri, making it one of the city's most urgent topics.

According to preliminary estimates, the Gyumri City Hall plans to sterilize 500 dogs, with each sterilization costing the municipal budget a new market value of 29,900 AMD.

Mayor Vardges Samsonyan made a sensational statement that residents of Gyumri recognize all their dogs by face, noting that the increase in strays is due to individuals from neighboring communities bringing and releasing dogs into Gyumri. He also claimed to have evidence, stating that city hall employees have recorded how cars stop, let the dogs out, and leave.

“If I say it now, they will again say that Gyumri residents are joking: we recognize our dogs by face, those arriving are strangers, and their numbers have increased. Now we have a shortage of food; dogs are coming from other communities,” said Vardges Samsonyan. The mayor also reminded that sterilization does not mean that the dogs will stop biting.