Romanian Lower House Decides To Send Bill On Stray Dogs Back To Committee

The decision was adopted with 247 to 21 votes and 21 abstentions.

The administration committee has two weeks to debate the bill, said deputy Ioan Oltean.

Last Tuesday, the lower house adopted the articles of the draft act, which was to be put to the vote later that day. Deputies decided to postpone the final vote on the bill by a week.

According to the bill, stray dogs will be kept in pounds for 30 days and local authorities will decide whether to neuter or euthanize them.

Administration committee president Sulfina Barbu said in April local authorities would decide whether to neuter stray dogs and return them to the streets or euthanize them, after keeping dogs in pounds for 30 days for adoption. Barbu said only gravely ill, aggressive and old dogs would be euthanized.

The Chamber of Deputies has the final say on this bill.