Memorandum of Cooperation signed for legal, efficient and humane solution of stray dogs in Mostar

The City of Mostar has launched an initiative to establish and consistently implement a legal dog population management system in this city with the support of the Dogs Trust Foundation and in cooperation with an abandoned animal shelter run by the Animal Care Centre from Mostar. As part of this initiative, on Wednesday, 28.10.2020, a presentation about this system was held in the City Hall by the representatives of the Dogs Trust Foundation in B&H. After the presentation,  Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by the Mayor of the City of Mostar, Mr. Ljubo Bešlić, Head of the Representative Office of Dogs Trust Foundation in B&H, Mr. Anel Bećirović, and the president of the association and the head of the shelter "Animal Care Centre" Mostar, Mrs. Emica Ćorić. The British Ambassador to B&H, Matthew Field, also supported this initiative with his presence. “The City of Mostar may be the first in Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish and consistently implement a legal dog population management system, with the support of the Dogs Trust Foundation and the Animal Care Centre. With the active participation of all stakeholders, there is a great opportunity to establish the system in a short period of time, and to implement it successfully, which would solve the problem of abandoned dogs in a humane, sustainable and cost-effective way, "said Ambassador Field. Mayor Bešlić pointed out that more and more citizens of Mostar are dog owners, and that the issue of stray dogs needs to be resolved permanently, systematically, in accordance with the law and best practice, following Zagreb as a regional example.He added that this can only be done by acting on the two main sources of dogs on the streets - irresponsible ownership, i.e. preventing the abandonment of dogs and preventing the uncontrolled reproduction of dogs on the street, i.e., mass neutering. "Such a solution will ensure that the problem is solved permanently, that it does not happen again, that dogs do not pose a risk to citizens, and that they themselves do not suffer a hard life on the street. All of this is also very important given that Mostar is an important and popular tourist centre”, concluded Bešlić. Since 2012, Dogs Trust in B&H has been implementing numerous programs which have been created, coordinated and fully funded by Dogs Trust B&H in cooperation with the local partners. Programs such as mass sterilization of abandoned dogs, free sterilization of owner dogs, education of school children, and education and raising public awareness in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton in cooperation with the Animal CareCentre have been implemented since last year. "So far, we have launched several projects related to animals, but this is one of the most important, the implementation of which will result in resolving a key issue for citizens. I believe that together, and with the support of an organization such as the Dogs Trust, we will successfully reach the goal, "said Emica Ćorić. "We call on dog owners to be responsible towards their pets through adequate care for them, which is their legal obligation, and to use the support of the Dogs Trust Foundation, which is there to help them through our programs," said Bećirović. Dogs Trust is an organization known for its top standards in dog adoption, but also for its high expertise in managing the dog population. That is why the Foundation is under the protection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and enjoys the support of the British Embassy in B&H. For more information on the support of the Dogs Trust Foundation in B&H, visit www.dogstrust.ba.