130 bites from stray dogs for 10 months, the solution seems near.

Despite promises of millions of euros now and several years to eliminate stray dogs, they continue to pose problems for citizens. In public spaces, in which thousands circulate overnight, wandering dogs continue to fear citizens. The latter complain of dog attacks, while plans for their departure seem to be not having much success. The Foundation for Animal Rights stresses the importance of increasing the number of veterinarian inspectors and criticises local authorities for poor management of the situation with this type of animal.

Only from January to early October, around 130 citizens have sought assistance at the Emergency Centre near the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo (QKUK) from the bite of wandering dogs.

Citizens Xhemajl Dajaj until he relates the case of how dogs have rushed, points out that the promise of their departure has not been fulfilled.

“There were 4-5 stray dogs and the sidewalk seemed to walk the same side of the sidewalk I was when I saw them, set out on the other side. When I passed them, they were humbled. It was raining, and I cut them off with it, but one of them came behind me and caught me standing. Fortunately, though, he did not go to the depths of his muscles but only a scratch that came out of blood. I went to take injections of poisoning... Progress Rama, this first point in the pre-election campaign has given this promise to wandering dogs, I remember very well. He didn't do anything. Normally, it has to be removed”, Dajaj says.

Enver Neziri says that he often encounters a bunch of stray dogs.

Go look to the government. There are five or six dogs sleeping. [Have you ever been endangered by dogs?] Yeah, I was, but I scared 'em, I followed 'em. He who fears gets caught more... I've had danger many times... Toė send them somewhere in the villages, take them to shelter somewhere, or to the centers. There's been a dog in school, at the mosque, everywhere”, Nezir says.

QKUK Emergency Director Nasser Syla in a pronomation for Kosovo Preress points out that the number of attacks by dogs has marked increases compared to last year. He adds that a significant number of cases that have been bitten by unowned dogs are health staff.

The number has increased, recently, many patients who have sought treatment here from the attack or dog bite. Until last week we've released the statistics, 127 cases have been recorded from January 1st to last week. Recent statistics were released last Friday (October 11th). But, fortunately, of these 127 this year, only one has ended up in the hospital for longer treatment. But the others have all been treated here at the emergency center and went home after the stupid therapy... Last year there were 86 cases. A large number (of dogs attacked) have been health professionals, and last year there have been” health professionals, Syla relates.

And the capital is soon expected to function the shelter centre for unowned dogs.

Public Services Director in the Pristina municipality Bekim Brestovci vows that by March 2025, up to 1,000 and 500 dogs without housing from the capital will be evacuated.

While, by the time the Kosovo team visited the centre in Hevala last week, only four dogs were there.

We're pretending to catch between 40 and 50 dogs within a week until the functionality of our housing center. Then we're going to increase this dynamic because now, it's my public promise that by the end of March of next year, we're going to take off 1300 to 1500 stray dogs from public spaces. The same will be addressed, but we believe most of them will also pass into adaptation... the housing centre is divided into two stages. The first phase, I believe, is that two more weeks are fully operational”, reports Brestovci.

Meanwhile, regarding reports of attacks by dogs at QKUK, Brestovci promises that he will voluntarily get the dogs out of there, but that he stresses that it is not the city's responsibility.

For spaces within the University Clinic Centre, the Pristina municipality is not responsible for security inside that location... We have pledged that by the end of this month, the most distant until the end of the first week of November, we will remove all dogs from KKUK. We're also getting help from them”, Brestovci adds.

It shows that about 300 dogs have been adopted so far.

Animal Rights Foundation leader Elza Ramadani says municipalities spend thousands of euros on solving the problem with wandering dogs, but their projects are short-term.

The “communs do some very short-term projects that are unthinkable for a longer term. The national strategy for management and control of dogs with no owner that was approved in October 2022 envisions just that, in order to take a more comprehensive measure. So far the municipalities where we as an organisation have always criticised have had to do with the lack of project monitoring. There's also a hundred thousand euros worth of sterilization for stray dogs. And yet they don't have any data properly, they don't know what impact or what result that project has brought to the community at that time”, points to Ramadani.

In addition, Ramadani stresses that more inspections should be made in this direction and that, according to her, penalties should be imposed for those who abandon dogs.

Central University needs to increase veterinary inspectors. To do more inspections, to close illegal petals, control dog breeding, import of dogs from neighboring countries, identification and registration. To place penalties and penalties on those who abandon and many other aspects of”, Ramdan says.

Meanwhile, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at the last meeting with Kosovo mayors that as governments they are willing to co-finance for the construction of housing centres for stray dogs. He asked municipalities to do analysis of spaces and to establish where they should be built.