Working for Street Dogs and Against Prejudices

Thanks Regio for your contribution

First report on our work

THANKS REGIO Oberland! The very first newspaper report about our work in Kosovo was published in March 2016 in the REGIO Oberland — and it marks an important milestone in the history of StrayCoco. In this article, it was publicly documented for the first time how much courage, commitment and improvisation our first veterinary assignments were carried out. Without a fixed infrastructure, with minimal equipment and in disused KFOR containers next to the landfill near Gjakova, our team began with an ambitious goal: to alleviate the suffering of street dogs.

Despite the most adverse conditions — icy winters, sweltering summers, lack of electricity or water connections — our vets managed to do it in just 15 months To castrate and provide medical care to 1,440 stray dogs. This figure is impressive when you consider that these were mobile deployments in Makeshift Facilities. At the same time, it was a first step towards sustainable animal management in the region, which offered no structures or support for street animals at that time.

The REGIO report provides a moving insight into this initial phase — from the motivation of the helpers to the tireless work of veterinary staff to the significance of castrations for the population and animal welfare. It shows how a project can start with almost nothing and yet make a big difference.

We would like to thank REGIO Oberland from the bottom of our hearts for reporting, which has made our work visible — not only in Switzerland, but also for the local population in Kosovo, who were informed about such a project for the first time.

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