The capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, stands out for its friendly treatment towards stray dogs. These have been integrated into the urban environment, becoming the pets of all residents.
Thousands of dogs roam freely in the city streets and parks without causing any disturbance among passersby. Almost all dogs have a colored chip in their ear, visible from several meters away, which serves as their certificate of vaccination and sterilization.
They can be seen enjoying the sunny hours by the entrances of public buildings, such as the Government headquarters, restaurants, and wherever they please, under the indifferent and, most of the time, affectionate gaze of passersby. But it wasn’t always like this.
History and transformation of stray dogs in Tbilisi
“I am a lifelong Tbilisi resident and I remember perfectly how in the difficult years of the past decade of the 90s, we were all afraid of the numerous hungry dog packs that roamed our streets,” says sculptor Guela Petiashvili to the EFE agency.
The artist is the author of a work conceived as a temporary sculpture, lasting no more than six months at most, but it has already been in Vasó Godziashvili Park for over two years.
“Where is our place?”, is the title of the sculptural composition of three dogs running in a row, each with its respective chip.
“If with this monument we have managed to save, even if just one stray dog, it would be wonderful,” says Petiashvili. His stone dogs are a hit among children and he has requests to install similar sculptures in different cities across the country.
Stray dogs with names: a Tbilisi phenomenon
The dogs in the monument do not have names, something that, according to the sculptor, should evoke more compassion towards them, but not the stray dogs of Tbilisi. “Jurda” (Little Thing) is the name of the small dog that lives in a wooden house installed by the City Council next to the entrance of the Technical University metro station.
Even on the esplanade next to the Government headquarters, dogs sunbathing can be seen. “It’s already a custom. Before starting the day, I give them some food I brought from home,” says Georgi, an employee of the Executive administration, to EFE.
To a foreigner visiting Tbilisi for the first time, what is habitual for its inhabitants catches their attention: the bowls of water and food for ownerless dogs next to the doors of many shops and even restaurants in the city.
“The attitude towards stray dogs is related to the development of our society,” says Sofia Beroshvili to EFE, host of a weekly television program dedicated to dogs.
Integrating dogs into the urban ecosystem
“The chips they wear in their ears are a security guarantee. The times when stray dogs looking for food terrorized the inhabitants of Tbilisi are a thing of the past,” says Beroshvili, emphasizing that an friendly environment between people and stray dogs has been established.
According to the Animal Monitoring Agency (AMA) of the Tbilisi City Council, last year nearly 9,000 stray dogs were sterilized, a 25 percent increase from 2023.
The AMA, whose staff consists of about 150 people, including veterinarians, has emergency response teams for animals. With the help of the animal protection organization Mayhew, they created a digital map of the habitat of stray dogs in Tbilisi to facilitate their care.
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