Bucharest approves legal foster program for shelter dogs

Bucharest has become the first city in Romania to introduce a legal foster program for shelter dogs, after the General Council approved a proposal from the city’s Animal Supervision and Protection Authority (ASPA). Until now, Romanian law permitted shelter dogs to leave only through definitive adoption, the agency said.

The program, called “Foster for Adoption,” will allow dogs from ASPA’s public shelters to be temporarily placed with families for care, socialization, and preparation for permanent adoption.

Under the new system, foster families will sign contracts with ASPA, which will provide microchipped, vaccinated, dewormed, and sterilized dogs, along with food and veterinary care where needed.

ASPA said the initiative mirrors programs already in place in many developed countries and is designed to improve adoption rates and reduce shelter overcrowding.

“This program has multiple benefits: it gives shy or hard-to-adopt dogs a real chance at rehabilitation and integration, it allows families more time for a responsible adoption decision, it decreases the number of dogs in shelters and increases the success rate of adoptions, while also engaging citizens and promoting civic responsibility,” ASPA said in a statement on Facebook.

(Photo source: Serghei Poberejniuc/Dreamstime.com)