The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development (MAFRD) has officially approved the Administrative Instruction (AI) for Companion Animal Shelters on May 25, 2023! 🎉 ✅

But that’s not all! Thanks to your support, the Ministry has chosen a humane approach and removed the controversial euthanasia article for non-aggressive animals, which would have opened the door to the systematic killing of healthy, non-aggressive stray animals. 🚫❌

The UA has established criteria to ensure that companion animal shelters provide the best possible care and guarantee the full welfare of all the animals they house, and it also provides for them to implement CNVR at the center of an animal adoption program. 🏠🐶🐱

In addition, specific professional requirements have been defined for the staff working in these centers, setting high standards and obliging the shelters to carry out extensive training for all animal sheltering processes 🙌💚. Anyone who does not meet the conditions of this AI will not be allowed to open shelters for companion animals.

We are very grateful to the staff of the MAFRD, more specifically the Minister, Mr. Faton Peci, and KFVA, Mr. Flamur Kadriu and Mr. Sadik Heta, for the tireless work to finalize this AI in the best possible way. We are very grateful to these institutions that have also welcomed us in the working group to draft and finalize this AI and we hope that the cooperation in this direction will continue for the common good. The country’s institutions have shown professionalism and compassion, not following in the footsteps of many neighboring countries that resort to mass animal sheltering and euthanasia.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all animal welfare advocates, organizations and concerned citizens who actively participated in the discussions and shared their valuable comments. Your voices really made a difference in shaping this legislation for the better!

However, this legislation should not be seen as the SOLUTION to the high number of stray dogs. Companion animal shelters are only a small part of a wide set of measures needed to properly manage the dog population and all the necessary measures have been approved by the Government of Kosovo in October 2022 in the National Strategy for Dog Management and Control with and without Owner. Shelters do not deal with the sources of the dog problem which are: 1) abandoned dogs, 2) uncontrolled breeding 3) uncontrolled sale and importation of dogs. If these sources are not addressed, the number of stray animals will not be reduced sustainably in Kosovo.

To read the UA visit the link: https://gzk.rks-gov.net/ActDetail.aspx?ActID=75171

Thank you to the partner organizations and those who contributed their comments during the process of drafting the AI and were a strong voice for the AI to be finalized in the best way: StrayCoCo, TIR, LAV, Four Paws, Stumme Brueder, PETA, Uzi Utzinger.