We use the term “the stray dog problem” very often, as if the fact that hungry, thirsty and dogs without shelter who live on the streets is at the least some kind of weather disaster, and even more often the fault of the dogs themselves. Why do we have this problem in the first place, who is responsible for ensuring the legal and adequate management of dogs, and what can each of us do to reach a common goal that is in the interest of both people and dogs – that all dogs have good care and responsible owners?
The primordial bond between man and dog
The bond between man and dog is primal. A dog is not a wild animal, but an intelligent being domesticated by man a long time ago. The benefit was certain and remains mutual; the man used the dog for protection, hunting and other jobs, and the dog got a shelter and food. A dog has very similar emotions to humans, especially when we talk about loyalty and love, so very quickly this noble animal became not only an “employee” but also a friend. In the last hundred years or so, the dog has increasingly become exclusively a friend, a companion, a pet.
A dog keeps a man company so that he is not lonely, loves his human unconditionally and often cheers him up with innocence and intelligence. But is a place to curl up and some leftovers good enough for such a loyal friend? Everyone who has ever loved and owned a dog will agree that it is not. And ethics and laws agree – the well-being of the dog for which we take responsibility, and humanity towards animals in general is an obligation of all of us.
A dog is a intelligent animal who feels emotions similar to humans: love, empathy, pain, suffering… and because of this, the dog is able to find some kind of shelter and go in search of food on his own if necessary. However, life without good care can cause suffering and pain to the dog, and consequently have an impact on the entire community. It is precisely the irresponsible acquisition, neglect, and rejection of dogs that human obtains without planning where the problem arises.
It seems that almost all of us are ready for the happiness and fun that pets bring to us, but not the responsibility. Having a dog carries with it an ethical and legal responsibility for his well-being and the well-being of the community. Therefore, if you are not ready to dedicate yourself to raising and taking good care of a pet, postpone your decision to get a dog, no matter how much you love them.
Legislation, responsibility, and obligations
Each state has laws and practices for managing animal population, including pets. Our state legislation on animal welfare is very good, applicable, humane and progressive, and it provides excellent guidelines for efficient dog population management. The law protects not both the well-being of animals and people.
So why do we have a problem?
1. Although there are significant developments in some local communities, the law is generally not implemented consistently and systematically, but sporadically or not at all.
2. Those authorities and services that commendably implement certain legal measures often do not use measurement and procedures that enable monitoring of progress in solving the problem.
3. Authorities and institutions in charge insufficiently inform and educate the public about their activities related to this issue.
4. Citizens do not know the roles in responsibilities and resolving the issue of dog population management, or the mechanisms by which they would demand from their representatives in the government that the law is implemented systematically, consistently and transparently.
5. The law is often violated, but sanctions are not systematically applied, and if they are applied, the public is not adequately informed about it.
6. Irresponsible people acquire dogs for the wrong reasons, and when they cannot, or do not want care of them, they abandon them.
7. If mass neutering campaigns are not maintained, dogs that have already been abandoned continue the cycle of reproduction and thus the number of abandoned dogs living without human supervision increases uncontrollably.
8. In an escalated problem, transitional measures (e.g. community care for peaceful, healthy and socialized dogs) are poorly employed and that is why inhumane behavior occurs, which is not only unethical but also illegal.
9. Registered, transitional shelters, with good living conditions exist in small numbers, and mass, unregistered shelters are inhumane and endanger the welfare of animals without solving the problem.
10. Dog owners in certain areas still have resistance to pet neutering and do not provide any other way of control over the reproduction of their dogs, and when unplanned offspring occur, they abandon them.
11. In certain areas, owners rarely microchip or vaccinate their dogs against rabies, which is a legal obligation of all owners, so the state database that would enable good monitoring cannot be complete.
12. Dog owners acquire pets without consulting an expert, so they often get the breeds with needs beyond the capabilities of the owner (e.g. Husky, Malinois, etc.).
13. Dog owners do not work on training and mental stimulation of their dogs, and consequently poorly manage them in the community, which creates potential risks for the owners, the community and the dogs.
14. Unregistered breeders, including hunters, abandon dogs that are not up to their “standards” or that are of no use to them.
15. Some animal protection activists remove dogs from their habitat and place them in places which do not satisfy the standard of living, in order to “rescue” them and illegally export them, usually for profit.
4. Along with numerous other programs, raising public awareness and education about the law, the dog population management system, dog welfare, safety with dogs, sterilization and adequate care of dogs, and dog training is mainly carried out by Dogs Trust.
Dogs Trust has been in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 12 years and acts completely voluntarily on a large number of aspects of the systematic management of the dog population prescribed by the humane and progressive state law, in accordance with its status and available resources and capacities. You can see the programs and results at https://dogstrust.ba/.
The goal of Dogs Trust in Bosnia and Herzegovina is to support the local stakeholders, most of all local authorities and institutions responsible to ensure the implementation of the legislations, to gradually take over and continue to use the model and standards that Dogs Trust has set through its programs demonstrating their effectiveness and achieving excellent results. Only through the systematic implementation of legislation’s measures and the cooperation among authorities and other stakeholders, the problem can be put under efficient control and gradually resolved completely, permanently and sustainably.
