Stray Dogs in Tbilisi

No one can keep an accurate track because the registration and chipping is not systematic, but there are estimated 120,000 stray dogs in the country of Georgia, with up to 45-50,000 roaming in Tbilisi. It is a lot for a population of 1.4 million people.

Stray dogs are everywhere in Tbilisi streets. Most of them are large, of lab and German shepherd size, and unless it's a puppy you will rarely see a small stray. The city is sometimes referred to as a "stray's paradise": no one kills or tortures the dogs because of the long religious tradition and the country's animal cruelty laws.

Tbilisi's mild climate is good for stray dogs as well as it rarely gets freezing in the winter. And when it does get colder volunteers build doghouses and donate old blankets for them. I recently donated money on Facebook to a group that builds kennels and collects blankets, pillows and other warm things for the dogs, as well as cash donations for dog food.

Many people walk around the city with small bags of dog food and treats to give to the strays. In exchange, the dogs allow to pet them. Cafes and restaurants feed strays with the leftovers and many dogs hang out at grocery stores where customers buy food for them as well. Almost all specialized pet stores have at least 1-3 dogs they take care of, often inside the store. This is why there are virtually no starving dogs, they all look well-fed and since lots of people pet and brush them - well-groomed as well.

They are generally admired and loved, and most of them are safe. Still, I will never forget a story of an American expat who fed a stray on his daily runs and got bitten by that stray one day anyway. His tetanus shot was not valid and he had to be given one doze in Tbilisi and evacuated for the second one in the US. So you just have to be careful and beware, especially of the dogs that bark and chase you.

There are five large official dog shelters in different outskirts of the city, three state-run and two privately operated, that can be easily found on Google maps. I've discovered several others, smaller private shelters, on Facebook groups and volunteer networks.

All shelters take the dogs in when they are brought from the streets, give them emergency vet care when needed, spay and neuter them (there's state funding for that), vaccinate them, put a yellow tag on the right ear signaling that the dog is safe, and let them out back into the streets.

These shelters have no capacity to keep all dogs until they are adopted as there are too many dogs brought in daily. Besides, the tradition of adopting from the shelters in Georgia is not strong, most people are ready to pay a lot of money for pure and design breeds. Although recently, especially after the pandemic, this is changing as well and more people are starting to adopt from the shelters.

Despite the state-run dog population control measures, the number of strays in Tbilisi does not go down. On the contrary, it seems to be growing. Just yesterday, I came across an announcement on one of the Facebook volunteer groups that about 18 puppies were found stuck in a ditch and no shelter was able to take them as they are all at capacity. So this volunteer group has taken it upon themselves to retrieve the puppies to a safer place, build a kennel for them from materials donated by a construction company, and feed them daily until they can come up with some permanent solution for them. Thank god volunteers like this exist.

The stray overpopulation problem in Georgia got so serious that the lawmakers finally approved the long-awaited Amendments to the Animal Protection Law that will be coming into force next year.

The many changes to be implemented in stages through next summer are focusing on the registration that would allow to track the animals and adjacent measures that can be summarized as follows:

By February 1, 2026, the Ministry of Environment must submit to the government:

— a draft law establishing a moratorium on dog breeding, and

— a temporary regulation (program) for managing dog overpopulation.

By March 1, 2026, the government must ensure the adoption of:

— regulations on animal identification and registration, and

— regulations on sterilization/castration and animal breeding.

At the same time, all normative acts regulating the operation of vet clinics and shelters must be brought into compliance with the law.

Starting January 1, 2026, walking a dog (or transporting it on public transit) without a leash and a muzzle will be punishable by a 150-lari fine (~55USD), with the exemption for small breeds.

Starting July 1, 2026, every dog owner will be required to ensure the identification and registration of their animal. Owners/breeders whose animals are already identified must submit an application for registration.

Starting January 1, 2027, the following large fines (in lari) will apply for failure to comply with the mandatory requirements:

— identification/registration — 1500

— sterilization/castration — 1500

— rabies vaccination — 500

— breeding without permission — 3000

— breeding animals without registration — 5000

— abandonment of an animal (verified via registration chip):

 • for individuals — 5000

 • for legal entities — 10,000 lari.

To be consistent with the Amendments, the Criminal Code of Georgia, Article 259, is being amended as well:

"Torturing an animal, cruel treatment, or any other act of violence resulting in injury will be punishable by a fine, house arrest for six months to one year, or imprisonment for up to three years. If the animal dies as a result, the offender will face one to two years of house arrest or one to four years of imprisonment."

Hopefully, these measures, if properly enforced, will make the life of stray dogs in the country even easier and their population will be under better control. I also hope that more and more Georgians will adopt the dogs from the shelters and start cleaning their dog's poop off the streets. It's a real problem here too: very few dog owners pick up after their dogs, probably thinking that it wouldn't really make any real difference because of so many strays in the streets. As a pedestrian, you really have to be careful about navigating the dog mines.