Dogs relieved of dizzying ritual

Inhabitants of the Bulgarian village of Brodilovo have consented to simplifying an ancient ritual that involves spinning dogs over a pool of water.

The custom, which was traditionally used to ward off evil spirits, often in the shape of diseases, had all but disappeared.

However, in 2011 there was an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in south eastern Bulgaria, prompting some anxious village elders to turn to the tried and tested remedies of the past.

Dog-spinning, or trichane na kuche, involves attaching a dog to a wound-up rope over a pool of water. When the rope is released, the dog spins around and gradually lands in the water below.

Villagers have insisted that it is not the purpose of the ritual to cause harm to the animal.

However, animal rights activists in Bulgaria and beyond have given the villagers' concerns shirt shrift.

Caroline Lucas, an MEP for the UK's Green Party, has described the ritual as a barbaric practice that must not be allowed to continue into the 21st century."

Owing to renewed pressure from animal rights activists, the villagers of Brodilovo have agreed to abandon the spinning aspect of the custom, instead dropping the dog straight into the water.