The article, based on expert interviews, studies to what extent citizens can influence the management system of, first of all, local level. The problem is explored by the example of how Obninsk authorities react to the presence of stray animals in the city and communicate with members of the public. The choice of Obninsk is justified by the fact that it is one of the science cities of Russia, which allows one to study how the problem of stray animals affects the relations of the inhabitants of the city with a high percentage of educated people. As a theoretical basis of the research, the actionist approach and, above all, the theoretical concepts of the French sociologist A. Touraine were used. The global experience of solving the problem of homeless animals is examined in order to understand whether animal advocates can cope with it independently or if local authorities’ intervention is needed, and a short historical review of this experience is presented. Currently in European countries and the United States, the uncontrolled breeding of animals, which are often end up in the streets, and raising of the pet keeping culture, are done via introduction of reduced taxes from the owners of sterilized animals, mass informational campaigns of animal advocates. The situation in the Russian regions has been analyzed; it is shown that downsizing stray animals is possible only with the participation of the authorities. In Moscow, for example, dog catching with subsequent destruction was stopped after repeated appeals of animal advocates to the authorities in 1999. In Obninsk, the authorities implement only the external signs of democracy, trying not to interfere as much as possible. In local media one is improbable to find any materials on behalf of representatives of the administration, up to the moment of publication of official documents. At the same time, real attempts at democratization have been revealed: in part, the authorities still allow public participation in decision-making, and their activities become more intense only when the demands of various strata of the population are broadcast by non-governmental organizations, for as long as one year and more.

executive system, animalists, non-governmental organizations, the administration of the city, impact of citizens on decision making process

 1. Khaliy I. A. Sovremennye obshchestvennye dvizheniya: innovatsionnyy potentsial rossiyskikh preobrazovaniy v traditsionnoy srede [Modern social movements: the innovative potential of Russian transformations in the traditional milieu]. Moscow, Institut sotsiologii RAN, 2007 (in Russ.).

 2. Obninsk zanyal vtoroe mesto v konkurse «Samyy blagoustroennyy gorod Rossii» za 2008 god [Obninsk took the second place in the contest "The most comfortable city of Russia" for 2008]. Informetr. Nedvizhimostʹ Kaluzhskoy oblasti. 13.10.09. URL: http://www.informetr.ru/journal/news/obninsk/4994 [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

 3. Turen A. Vozvrashchenie cheloveka deystvuyushchego. Ocherk sotsiologii [Le Retour de l’acteur]. Moscow, Nauchnyy mir, 1998 (in Russ.).

 4. Turen A. Sotsialʹnye izmeneniya dvadtsatogo stoletiya [Social changes of the twentieth century]. Sotsiologicheskoe obozrenie, 2002, vol. 2, no 4 (in Russ.).

 5. Rayder R. Istoriya ehtiki zashchity zhivotnykh i eyo sovremennyy ehtap [The history of animal protection ethics and its modern stage]. Gumanitarnyy ehkologicheskiy zhurnal, 2001, vol. 3, release 2 (in Russ.).

 6. Rybalko V. A. Obzor mirovogo opyta v reshenii problemy bezdomnykh zhivotnykh [Review of the world experience in solving the problem of homeless animals]. Veterinarnaya patologiya, 2006, no 2 (17) (in Russ.).

 7. Artyushenko O. Inostrannye zashchitniki zhivotnykh otmechayut: v Ukraine problemu bezdomnykh sobak reshayut nasilʹstvennymi metodami [Foreign defenders of animals note: in Ukraine the problem of homeless dogs is solved by violent methods]. Pervyy Natsionalʹnyy. 2010. 12.11. http://1tv.com.ua/ru/news/2010/11/12/2450 [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

 8. Yanitskiy O. N. Sotsialʹnyy kapital rossiyskogo ehkologicheskogo dvizheniya [The social capital of the Russian environmental movement] Sotsiologicheskiy zhurnal, 2009, no 4, pp. 5–21. URL: http://www.isras.ru/files/File/Sociologymagazin/Socmag_04_2009/01_Ynitsky.pdf [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

 9. Nikolʹskiy A. Mehriya Moskvy vydelit 780 mln rubley na bezdomnykh zhivotnykh v 2011 godu [The Moscow City Hall will allocate 780 million rubles for homeless animals in 2011]. RIA Novosti. 2011. 14.01 (in Russ.).

 10. Ne bey brodyachego [Do not beat the wandering]. Kommersant – Vlastʹ, 2005, no 8 (611) (in Russ.).

 11. Vlasti Moskvy sobirayutsya vyvozitʹ brodyachikh sobak v regiony [Moscow authorities are going to take out stray dogs in the regions]. Gazeta.ru. 2008. 24.06. URL: http://www.gazeta.ru/news/lenta/2008/06/24/n_1235034.shtml [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

 12. Postanovlenie Pravitelʹstva Moskvy ot 1 oktyabrya 2002 g. No. 819-PP «O formirovanii sistemy upravleniya i finansirovaniya kompleksa mer po uluchsheniyu soderzhaniya, ispolʹzovaniya i okhrane zhivotnykh v gorode Moskve». Prilozhenie 2 k postanovleniyu Pravitelʹstva Moskvy N819-PP (v red. Postanovleniya Pravitelʹstva Moskvy ot 14.02.2006 N 89-PP) [Decree of the Government of Moscow of October 1, 2002 N819-PP "On the formation of a management and financing system of measures to improve the maintenance, use and protection of animals in the city of Moscow." Annex 2 to the Resolution of the Government of Moscow N819-PP (as amended by the Resolution of the Government of Moscow of February 14, 2006 N 89-PP)] (in Russ.).

 13. Bezopasnostʹ. Kto travit sobak u Yaroslavki? [Security. Who poison dogs near Yaroslavka?]. Zvezdnyy bulʹvar (gazeta Severo-vostochnogo administrativnogo okruga goroda Moskvy), 2008, no 5 (202) (in Russ.).

 14. Petrenko V. Bezdomnykh sobak nikto ne beryot [No one takes stray dogs]. Gazeta.ru. 2007. 14.03 (in Russ.).

 15. Odinnadtsatʹ priyutov dlya bezdomnykh zhivotnykh postroyat v Moskve [Eleven shelters for homeless animals to be built in Moscow]. RIA Novosti. 2010. 30.12 (in Russ.).

 16. Zvezdy kino budut prizyvatʹ moskvichey priyutitʹ bezdomnykh sobak [The movie stars will urge Muscovites to shelter stray dogs]. RIA Novosti. 2009. 20.11 (in Russ.).

 17. Zashchitniki bezdomnykh zhivotnykh shturmuyut mehriyu [Defenders of stray animals storm the mayor's office]. Infotsentr «Spasite zhivotnykh». 2010. 05.02. URL: http://saveanimals.ru/node/130 [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

 18. V Moskve bolʹshe ne budut ubivatʹ bezdomnykh koshek i sobak [Moscow will no longer kill homeless cats and dogs]. BaltInfo. 2010. 11.10 (in Russ.).

 19. Salʹnikova M. Zashchitniki zhivotnykh pokazali voronezhtsam pokalechennykh sobak [Defenders of animals showed Voronezh residents injured dogs]. Moyo. Online. 2010. 17.05. URL: http://news.moe-online.ru/view/219062.html?module=4&year=2011&page=9 [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

20. Nikolaevskie zashchitniki zhivotnykh pobedili departament ZHKKH – im dadut drugoe mesto dlya priyuta [Nykolaev's animal defenders defeated the Housing and Communal Services Department – they will be given another place for a shelter]. Nikvesti. 2010. 29.04. URL: http://nikvesti.com/news/9438 [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

 21. Zashchitniki zhivotnykh raskritikovali zakonoproekt, napravlennyy v Gosdumu [Defenders of animals criticized the bill sent to the State Duma]. Rosbalt Novosti. 2011. 15.02. URL: http://www.rosbalt.ru/2011/02/15/819628.html [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

 22. Andreeva N. Saratovskaya oblastʹ. Zashchitniki zhivotnykh dobilisʹ, chtoby chinovniki prinyali pravila otlova bezdomnykh koshek i sobak [Saratov region. Defenders of animals have achieved that officials have adopted rules for capturing stray cats and dogs]. Novaya gazeta. 2010. 13.07. URL: http://www.novayagazeta.ru/news/841564.html [date of visit: 6.12.2011] (in Russ.).

 23. Khaliy I.  A. Mestnye soobshchestva v Rossii – nositeli innovatsiy i traditsionalizma [Local communities in Russia – carriers of innovation and traditionalism]. Vlastʹ, 2008, no 5 (in Russ.).