At the moment, there are only a few dogs and cats in the Pärnu shelter, but their number will increase in the autumn. The animals are currently living in sheds, while the staff also have poor working conditions.

A new shelter had been anticipated for years, and the Union of Pärnu County Municipalities agreed to construct one three years ago.

Initially, not all municipalities agreed, and there were many different points of view. "There have been discussions and debates, but ultimately everyone agrees that it makes more sense to provide this service collectively than separately," said Erik Reinhold, CEO of the Union of Pärnu County Municipalities.

Reinhold acknowledged that efforts are being made to prevent animals from ending up in shelters, but acknowledged that the issue persists.

"Prevention is very important and a lot of work is done by both non-profit organizations and the state-subsidized Animal Shelters NGO (Varjupaikade MTÜ). We want to adopt a pet but some of us do not know how to properly care for one. Ultimately, this is a dilemma inherent to being human," he said.

It will cost €1 million to build the shelter.

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