Although authorities in Kirkuk have ended the practice of killing stray dogs, animal welfare concerns remain severe as hundreds of dogs in government shelter now face starvation, disease, and neglect.
A stray dog shelter was established in 2023 on five acres of land outside Kirkuk after pressure from animal rights advocates who opposed the government’s previous policy of killing stray dogs. The shelter was created following several attacks on residents, including children, some of which resulted in deaths.
However, officials and volunteers say the shelter is now suffering from a lack of funding, food, water, and medical care.
“The shelter currently has no government budget for food or water,” said Kawa Karim, a representative of the Kirkuk governor’s office. “As a result, the dogs are facing hunger and disease, and many are dying.”
Today, volunteers and donors are trying to keep the shelter operating, but resources remain limited. Around 700 dogs and 150 puppies currently live there.
A joint committee from Kirkuk authorities visited the shelter earlier this week after provincial council member Abdullah Mirwais warned that conditions had become “catastrophic.”
“The dogs are in very poor condition,” Mirwais said. “They need two water tankers every day, but even that cannot be provided consistently. Food depends on restaurant leftovers and donations.”
The local administration reportedly stopped actively managing the shelter about five months ago and has provided little financial support since then.
Volunteer supervisor Goran Hussein explained that the shelter originally housed around 1,000 dogs. Due to hunger and disease, the number dropped to 400 by the end of last year. Since volunteers took over management, more dogs have arrived, increasing the population again.
“Dogs continue to die every day,” Hussein said. “We are doing what we can with donations, but it is not enough.”
Food for the animals mainly comes from restaurant waste and dead chickens collected from poultry farms. Some restaurants reportedly charge money for the leftovers, while transportation has become another challenge after the governor’s office reclaimed the vehicle previously used to transport food.
“The government is unwilling to spend even a single dinar,” Hussein added. “In summer, we need at least two water tankers daily, but only one is sometimes provided.”
The shelter also lacks proper separation between male and female dogs, leading to continuous breeding and overcrowding. Volunteers say puppies often die from extreme heat or cold because of insufficient shelter facilities.
Some officials now argue that euthanasia should again be considered due to the growing number of dogs and the high cost of maintaining the shelter. Under Iraq’s 2013 Animal Health Law, provincial committees are legally allowed to eliminate half of stray dogs with assistance from security forces.
In recent years, however, public backlash from animal rights activists pushed Kirkuk authorities to stop mass killings. Instead, the city adopted a policy focused on sheltering the animals rather than killing or sterilizing them.
Despite multiple government meetings and discussions over the past three years, the stray dog crisis in Kirkuk remains unresolved.
Veterinarian Abbas Khalid previously warned that stray dogs can spread dangerous diseases to humans, including rabies.
Volunteer supervisor Goran Hussein believes the solution is clear.
“This is a government project,” he said. “It cannot survive on donations alone. The shelter needs a dedicated budget.”
Meanwhile, council member Abdullah Mirwais warned that if conditions do not improve, releasing the dogs back into the streets may become “more humane” than leaving them to suffer inside the shelter.
