Dogs Trust: Call on local authorities to sanction and prevent brutality against dogs

In the light of multiple reports by local NGOs and citizens on the extremely inhumane treatment of dogs in certain parts of the country, we call on the competent local authorities to urgently fulfil their obligations and mandate, to investigate, identify and sanction the perpetrators, and to ensure consistent implementation of the Law on Animal Protection and Welfare, which is the only way to solve the problem of stray dogs permanently, effectively and humanely. Brutality and any form of inhumane treatment of animals are not only illegal and detrimental to both dogs and the ethics of society, and especially the younger generations who witness them, but also pose a risk to people. For example, a poison set in the open can easily come into contact with children and other vulnerable categories, while the risks of using a firearm do not even need to be explained. Taking the law into ones own hands, especially in this horrific way, is truly worrying and requires urgent attention from the competent authorities in order to identify and sanction the perpetrators, and prevent such cases in the future. We believe that dogs do not belong on the street, but we remark that they are not there by their own mistake, but because of the irresponsibility of the people, and due to the incomplete or no implementation at all of the progressive Law on Animal Protection and Welfare in BiH, even now, 12 years after its rehoming! The issue of dog population management is not fully solvable on its own, but local authorities in BiH, in this particular segment, can also have at their disposal significant voluntary assistance from the Dogs Trust Foundation, whose programmes they can use to establish a legal system faster, more efficiently and at lower costs from the budget. Proactive local authorities can thus solve one of the burning issues for which they are responsible, and which concerns the well-being of the entire community, legally, effectively, humanely and permanently, and after that they can focus on other important issues of the community, to which their mandate obliges them. As part of its new approach to distributing its resources and assistance in a more efficient manner, starting from this year the Dogs Trust BiH has been implementing its programmes only in regions in which the authorities are determined and have already initiated activities on the consistent, systematic implementation of the Law, and which will not tolerate cruelty to dogs and other animals.