The City of Trebinje is actively working on a sustainable, systematic, permanent and humane solution to the issue of stray dogs and the establishment of a permanent Dog Population Management System that will prevent the recurrence of the problem.
Dogs on the streets are a symptom whose main cause is human irresponsibility. That is why it is crucial to deal with the root of the problem, which means responsible keeping and adequate treatment of dogs, prevention of dog abandonment, prevention of dog reproduction on the streets, control of breeding of owned dogs, and rehoming.
The city of Trebinje wants to help dog owners to be as responsible as they can, so from May 15, 2024, it will subsidize 50% of the cost of microchipping owned dogs for the first 100 owners who report to the Anima Vet veterinary clinic. Tagging of pets as well as vaccination against rabies is a legal obligation of every owner and not fulfilling it is subject to penalties.
In support of humane and permanent problem solving, Dogs Trust Foundation funds sterilization for owned dogs in our city, and sterilization, rabies vaccination, internal parasite cleanse and ear tagging for street dogs. In addition, Dogs Trust Dog School is visiting Trebinje on five Sundays during the month of April and May, enabling dog owners from our city to receive free training for their pets, while a joint promotion of responsible dog ownership and systematic management of the dog population is planned with the support of this Foundation, as well as education of school children about safety in the vicinity of dogs and in contact with them.
More information is provided below.
The legal obligations of dog owners are subject to inspection and penalties
Each owner is obliged to:
• Microchip their dog and collect owner's biometric booklet as proof that the data has been entered into the database,
• Provide a rabies vaccine for their dog on an annual basis,
• Keep their dog under control and on a leash when in public,
• Provide everything necessary for the dog's well-being (adequate food in prescribed quantities, fresh water, ventilated place of adequate temperature for stay, sufficient movement and exercise, training),
• Always clean up after their dog and dispose of the dog waste in a tightly sealed bag in an adequate place,
• Ensure control of their dogs' reproduction and responsible care for any offspring
Sterilization/neutering is the most effective humane measure of preventing the arrival of new dogs that are not planned and that no one can take care of. Dogs Trust Foundation finances sterilization/neutering of owned dogs by the AnimaVet Veterinary Clinic. Schedule your pet's free sterilization directly with this clinic!
• Show owner's biometric booklet to the veterinarian, veterinary inspector or communal inspector, and other authorized person,
• Allow authorized person to scan dog for microchip.
Additionally:
• Owners are not allowed to let their dogs move and wander alone and unattended in public areas,
• Veterinarians do not have the authority to treat a dog whose owner has not microchipped it and who does not have an owner's biometric booklet,
• Owners are recommended, although not required by law, to provide their dogs with vaccines against infectious diseases, especially if they are puppies, in accordance with the advice of a veterinarian. This vaccination prevents dangerous diseases that can be fatal for dogs, especially puppies.
Stray dogs
The city of Trebinje is actively working to solve the problem of dogs on the streets. This city now has a modern, humane shelter that is an important part of the dog population management system.
"Danica" Animal Shelter is registered and fully compliant with the law, but it does not have unlimited capacity, and it does not serve as a permanent place of living for dogs, but as a transitional stay for care until adoption.
IMPORTANT: An efficient shelter is not a permanent home for stray dogs, but a transition to adoption. "Danica" shelter is efficient and humane, and it is important not to let it become overcrowded.
Mass shelters are not part of an efficient and durable solution because they quickly become overcrowded and are a financial nightmare for the budget and the community. The root of the issue of stray dogs is the irresponsible attitude of people towards dogs, primary abandonment and lack of adequate control of dog reproduction, while the dogs on the street themselves are only a consequence of the problem and have not chosen to live abandoned.
Dogs that are estimated by experts to be able to easily and quickly get used to living with the owner will be taken to a shelter in accordance with the available capacity. Therefore, after each adopted dog, there will be a free spot for another stray dog looking for a home.
Dogs that temporarily stay in the community
Although dogs do not belong on the street, and the ultimate goal is for dogs to live happily and well cared for with their responsible owners only, until a permanent solution, some of them who are peaceful and healthy will be sterilized, vaccinated, tagged and cleaned of intestinal parasites through campaigns funded by Dogs Trust Foundation, and returned to their temporary place of stay in the community.
Dogs Trust Foundation funds this one, as well as other programmes as one of the forms of cooperation with the City of Trebinje and support to a humane, legal system for managing the dog population.
What's happening as part of the mass sterilization campaign for stray dogs
⦁ Stray dogs are caught by trained catchers through humane methods using exclusively humane equipment.
⦁ The dogs are transported in an adequate transport cage and vehicle to the veterinary clinic.
⦁ Using standard operating procedures and legal measures, the dogs go through the standard procedure in the veterinary clinic (sterilization, vaccination, internal parasite cleansing, microchipping and tagging with a white ear tag, and upon recovery, returning to the place where they were caught).
In fact, such dogs, defending "their territory", serve the community as a kind of protection against possible new dogs that may be brought in or that will come in search of food. New dogs that will certainly replace treated dogs if they are removed, can be unsterilized, and continue to breed, infected, frightened and potentially aggressive, and thus may pose a much higher risk to the community than healthy, sterilized, peaceful dogs.
The City of Trebinje and Dogs Trust Foundation appeal to citizens to treat these dogs adequately and humanely. Children should never approach these dogs, and citizens who are afraid of them or do not like dogs do not have to help them, but they do not need to scare them away or harm them. Associations and dog-loving adults can help keep these dogs supervized, have food, water and some kind of shelter, and keep track of their well-being and behavior, which they can report to the responsible services if necessary.
The law provides for a measure of euthanasia only for dogs that have been assessed as a risk to humans and other dogs, i.e., dogs that behave aggressively, and that are infected or ill.
Harming any animal unjustifiably is considered a violation of the law and is subject to penalties.
