Anni Anete Mõisamaa of NGO Varjupaigad, which operates nationwide, told Vikerraadio that "A certain process is prerequisite to adopting a pet It's not quite as simple a process as a person entering a shelter and emerging 10 minutes later with a pet dog."

Some due diligence is thus required, though it is not a background check as such, Mõisamaa said.

"This is not a background check, but rather preliminary work. We cannot do a thorough background check on any individual, and we cannot go to a person's home. Our process starts with their submitting a request. This form already provides us with quite a lot of information about that individual. After that we invite that person to meet us, at the shelter. In the course of that conversation we tend to get a good feel for what kind of person they might be. We have to come to trust this person," she continued.

Mõisamaa said while animals can be returned to a shelter if things do not work out, this happens rarely, in around a couple of percent of cases, or a couple of dozen animals in total, per year.

On the other hand, Mõisamaa recognized that people might face challenges, and that returning an animal is a welcome alternative to simply letting it run wild on the streets.

The adoption fee is €75 for a dog and €35 for a cat and this includes basic procedures such as chipping, neutering and inoculation included in the price.

However, Eliko Melb, a dog trainer and dog therapist, said adopting from a shelter can be more challenging than obtaining a puppy from a breeder, for instance, including behavioral problems or underlying health issues which may end up costing more and/or requiring more training.

Melb speculated that the issue of abandoning dogs may relate to our I-me-mine superficial consumer society; at the same time, Estonian law does not help here, and tend to regard an animal as a "thing," she added.

Mõisamaa noted that compulsory chipping may help with the issue of abandonment.

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