Dogs in Balkan countries

Cruel treatment of dogs in Kosovo

Many Balkan countries lock them up in dirty enclosures, without shelter, without food and without water, and let them starve to death if they don't kill them first. No medical treatment is offered, let alone an affectionate word or similar gestures.

Kosovo is no different from Romania or Ukraine, where it was assumed that their dog treatment was the most horrible and incomparable. We now find the same conditions in Kosovo and Albania. In both countries, activists and foreign aid workers have tried to help the street dogs, but in many places, authorities and politicians have looked the other way and decided to ignore the problem. Since there is currently no major animal welfare organization in Kosovo that helps street dogs, we are focusing on this beautiful country.

We support local helpers who have so far tried to combat animal cruelty alone and with little resources. This includes small local organizations, veterinarians and volunteers who work to improve the well-being of dogs.

Kosovo has a history of horror behind it - and is still fighting today for recognition as an independent state by the EU - Serbia is preventing it. The rural region also suffers from extreme poverty. Almost no one can afford a vet, which is why we find puppies, sick and old dogs abandoned in the streets of cities and in fields and garbage dumps. We can only prevent this if we provide free animal assistance, at least regionally!

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WHY DO WE ONLY WORK IN CERTAIN REGIONS?

All our assignments in all countries where we have provided assistance so far are based on the qualifications of locally available veterinarians. We place high demands on performance and only expect good castrations with the small cut technology. Since there are primarily large veterinarians in Kosovo and neighboring countries without any experience with dogs, it was a difficult task to find suitable and motivated veterinarians. However, the situation is improving and the University of Pristina is also offering better training for small veterinarians than just a few years ago.

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