A four-year period is sufficient to deal with the stray dog problems in Bulgaria’s capital of Sofia, World Health Organisation (WHO) data showed.

Mirosval Naidenov, head of Ekoravnovesie company, which deals with street dogs in Sofia, said that a four-year castration programme could decrease the population of street dogs.

Nearly 2000 dogs were castrated and Ekoravnovesie predicts that by September 2007 the number of breeding street dogs will be minimal, Focus news agency said.

The number of street dogs in Sofia reached nearly 26 000, but in four years it could be decreased to 1000. The dogs at that time could be sheltered, Naidenov said.

Still the dogs will be counted again. In 2005, when the last census took place, the number of street dogs in Sofia was 17 000.