For some time, we have received complaints from citizens, but also from the municipalities themselves, that the number of dogs in certain territories (municipalities) is increasing due to the intentional influx (abandonment) of packs of dogs from other territories (municipalities).
While our organization has not yet received concrete evidence for this phenomenon, these reports should be taken seriously by the country’s institutions, including the Kosovo Police.
Our organization calls on anyone who has information and evidence of such activity to inform us via the email address info@animalrights-rks.org. We ask all citizens to be attentive to this phenomenon and to report it, as it is very important for the management of stray dogs.
Changing the territory of dogs or packs of dogs poses a concern for the animals abandoned in an unknown territory for them, endangers other stray animals as the abandoned dogs enter their territories and can also endanger the citizens themselves as the dogs that are abandoned do not know the neighborhood or the community where they were released/abandoned.
Dogs released in unknown territory for them will feel stressed and scared, and this increases the possibilities for incidents, endangering public safety, which according to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo constitutes a criminal offense.
Our organization will reach out to the Kosovo Police with a request for increased patrolling in areas where it is suspected that there is continuous abandonment of dog packs.
We call on the shelters, especially those operating in the municipality of Prishtina, not to abandon the dogs from their shelters if the dogs they sheltered were taken in other municipalities and stayed in the shelter for a longer period. Dogs that are kept in shelters should be facilitated for adoption and if this is impossible, the dogs should be treated in the place where they live in order not to overcrowd shelters, because abandoning dogs that are used to living only in shelters is a crime against health, safety and welfare of dogs.
REPORT ABANDONMENTS! THEY ARE PUNISHABLE BY LAW!