Local elections are a good opportunity for citizens to ask the candidates for mayors for concrete solutions to the daily problems that concern citizens.

One of these problems is the situation with a large presence of stray dogs in all municipalities.

In our statements, we have always stressed that life on the street for these animals means extreme endangerment of their well-being. Stray animals are victims of human abuse, accidents, disease and lack of proper food and fresh water.

This poor welfare of stray animals, then has consequences for public health and safety. The presence of large numbers of dogs on the streets is frightening for many citizens, who rightly demand safer public spaces.

So far, municipalities in Kosovo have not taken serious steps to address this situation, undertaking partial castration and sterilization projects, only when there has been great public pressure.

Although municipalities, without the support of the central level, cannot solve the situation with stray dogs, there are some measures regulated by legal provisions in force that can be taken by municipal authorities to manage the current number of dogs on the street and to avoid any incident that may occur between people and stray dogs.

We have compiled a draft document for all candidates for mayor, with a series of measures that must be taken to address the problem of the large presence of dogs on the street.

These measures are also part of the national strategy for the management of stray dogs, which our organization has submitted to the Office of the Prime Minister and other relevant institutions.

Municipal measures for the management of stray dogs include:

• Implementation of laws and bylaws related to the identification and registration of dogs with owners
• Education in schools and awareness-raising of society about animal welfare
• Subsidizing the castration and sterilization of dogs with owners
• Active CNVR projects throughout the year, by all municipalities simultaneously
• Establishment of temporary care centers for stray animals and rescue centers
• Presentation of ‘neighborhood caretakers for stray animals’
• Control of access to resources, through feeding points

We urge the municipal authorities to be more serious in terms of humane and sustainable management of stray dogs. Both stray animals and humans deserve better, so they should seek serious and concrete commitment from future municipal leaders to tackle this problem properly.

You can read the full document HERE.