Dogs Trust and Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in order to improve the implementation of legal and humane measures for the management of the dog population

On Monday, October 5 2020, director of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs, Mr. Fahir Halilović and the Head of the Representative Office of the Dogs Trust Foundation in B&H, Mr. Anel Bećirović, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation which defined the continuation of good cooperation between the Representative Office and the Administration, specifically the Veterinary Inspection, as one of the key institutions in implementing the measures of humane, legal system for managing the dog population. On this occasion, the Representative Office provided its database to the Administration in order to strengthen the capacity of the Veterinary Inspection in the segment of protection of dog welfare and implementation of legal measures of responsible dog ownership. The Dogs Trust database was collected in order to control the quality of the Dog Sterilization Program, which has been financed by the Foundation in this Canton for seven years, and the data is provided with the advice of the Personal Data Protection Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. By taking over this database, the Administration assumes sole responsibility for data protection in accordance with the Law on Personal Data Protection of BiH. In addition, the Memorandum agreed on cooperation in the field of education of dog owners through the free Dogs Trust School for dogs as an important basis for preventing inadequate treatment of pets and their abandonment, which directly affects the prevention of continuing problems of abandoned dogs. Since the beginning of its activities in BiH, the Dogs Trust Foundation has provided significant support to Sarajevo, which according to the dog count eight years ago had the most pronounced problem of stray dogs in the country. The support was provided in order to help establish and consistently implement legal and the human system thus setting a good example to other parts of the country. Although it cannot be said that such a system has fully come to life in Sarajevo Canton, we believe that now, largely due to the significant results of the Dogs Trust program and the necessary initiative of some local government institutions, including the Veterinary Inspection, this goal is closer than ever. It is important to note that about three years ago, the Representative Office as an advisory member, along with the Veterinary Office of BiH, participated in the working group of Sarajevo Canton, which together with all relevant institutions in Canton Sarajevo resulted in the document "Set of measures to implement the State Law in Canton Sarajevo ". Among these institutions were the Veterinary Inspection and the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Sarajevo, as well as the competent cantonal ministries and services. The events and changes after the harmonization of this document have prevented its official adoption by the Cantonal Assembly, and this step is still pending. Once adopted, this document, which has detailed guidelines, fully in line with the Animal Welfare and Welfare Act, the Veterinary Act and all other laws, could be the most solid foundation to date for a lasting, humane and efficient solution to the problem of abandoned dogs in this Canton and serve as an example to other regions.