The promises of the Kolašin authorities to build a shelter have stopped, there are more and more abandoned dogs on the streets and in villages, and more attacks by stray dogs on people and livestock in the last ten days have been reported to the Kolašin Municipal Police.
This is the epilogue of many years of failure to resolve the problem of caring for abandoned animals. The situation is almost identical in other municipalities in the north.
Thus, in the Basic Court in Pljevlja, where there is a shelter, but it has long been overbooked, 2024 lawsuits were filed in 19 for compensation for damage caused by abandoned and lost animals, which is significantly more than the year before. How alarming the situation is in terms of the number of stray dogs is shown by the fact that the shelter, opened in Bijelo Polje about fifteen days ago, is already full.
The latest drastic case occurred in Bakovići last weekend, when ten goats were killed during an attack by a pack of stray dogs. Aleksandar Šuković, and in the same meadow, on Thursday, as he claims, he also barely defended himself from a group of abandoned animals.
"I was on a private property and I barely defended myself thanks to the pole I was carrying in my hands. The goats that were on the same property on Saturday were killed, and the dogs dragged the remains of their bodies, which is probably now luring the packs. There are households nearby that keep sheep, so considering the number of packs, I fear that the damage will be even greater in the coming days," Šuković told "Vijesti".
He says that there was no point in contacting the Kolašin Municipal Police after the dogs almost injured him.
The service told Šuković the same thing as "Vijesti" a few hours after the incident, which could be simply said that the municipal police officers' "hands are tied" when it comes to abandoned animals.
"As for stray dogs, we have no special jurisdiction. Unfortunately, the laws and regulations are not on our side, especially when it comes to stray dog attacks on private property. In the last ten days, we have had several reports of dog attacks. There are slightly fewer of them on city streets, but they are often present in suburban areas. This is a general problem throughout the north, and higher authorities must be involved in solving it," the head of the Municipal Police told "Vijesti". Stevan Switzerland.
He notes that it is necessary to provide a shelter for dogs in the municipalities of Mojkovac and Kolašin. He also reminds that it is necessary to establish whether there is a shelter service that, with the presence of a veterinary inspector, could help find a solution.
"The problem is that the shelter in Bijelo Polje is already full, and there is an additional question of where to take the dogs. The Municipal Police Service is making efforts, but the problem requires a systemic solution," Zvicer notes.
And there is no systemic solution in Kolašin, nor in most northern and other municipalities. Asylums are overcrowded, and promises of new ones have yet to be fulfilled.
President of the Basic Court in Pljevlja Marina Jelovac She said that in nine final cases, damages totaling 3.850 euros were awarded.
"In four cases, the amount of 500 euros was awarded as compensation for damage, in two cases the amount of 400 was awarded, in one case 350 euros. In two cases, a court settlement was concluded for compensation for damage in the amount of 400 and 300 euros. In six cases, a decision was made that is not final, in three cases the procedure is ongoing, and in one case the lawsuit was withdrawn," said Jelovac.
Compared to 2023, when eight lawsuits were filed with the Basic Court in Pljevlja for compensation for damage caused by abandoned and lost animals, 2024 more lawsuits were filed in 11.
Seven lawsuits for damages have been filed with the Basic Court in Pljevlja since the beginning of the year. In one case, a court settlement was concluded for damages in the amount of 300 euros.
Due to the small capacity of the Pljevlja shelter, the presence of a large number of stray dogs on the streets of Pljevlja is still visible.
Director of the Utility Services Company Radivoje Bujišić He said that the asylum in the village of Zabrđe was overbooked.
"The shelter's capacity is not sufficient to accommodate all stray dogs, while at the same time complying with the Animal Welfare Protection Act and the Regulations that boarding houses and shelters for abandoned animals must comply with, adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development," said Bujišić.
A total of 155 dogs were caught last year.
"Last year, six dogs were adopted, and 38 euthanasias were performed, of which 35 were sick and old dogs, and three were euthanized because they were very aggressive towards the workers employed at the shelter," said Bujišić.
The construction of an asylum has not been mentioned in the Kolasin municipality for a long time, although a few years ago they said it was a “done deal.” However, there are no planned expenditures for such a facility in this year's budget.
According to what some municipal officials unofficially told Vijesti, the construction of the asylum has been complicated by opposition from locals living near the planned location. They are now reportedly looking for another, more suitable location. The idea of jointly building an asylum with neighboring Mojkovac is no longer mentioned.
In January 2023, the local authorities firmly promised that the shelter for abandoned animals would be completed by the end of that year. 50.000 euros were allocated from the municipal treasury for the construction of the facility. The shelter, as determined by the Temporary Facilities Program, was to be built at the Debeli lug location, near the confluence of the Plašnica and Tar rivers. According to the then Secretary for Environmental Protection Mila Glavičanina, the capacity of the Kolašin shelter was supposed to be around 100 dogs. There was, he explained, also the possibility of expanding and building a second phase, if necessary. Glavičanin said two and a half years ago that the survey and geodetic base study for the design of the facility had been completed.
"The main project is currently being developed. Its completion is planned for the first quarter of this year. The execution of the works and the arrangement of the inaccessible road to the location can be completed by the end of this year. These deadlines are in accordance with the Budget Decision, as well as the Program for the Control of the Abandoned Dog Population," Glavičanin said at the time.
The local government announced the closure of the existing private shelter for abandoned animals, which had been operating with great difficulty, but which, despite this, provided shelter to many animals abandoned on the streets. The municipality explained that there were several reasons for the closure of the private shelter, including the results of a public opinion poll, failure to meet the appropriate conditions, lack of a building permit, and a petition from the local population.
Six employees are currently employed at the Shelter for Abandoned Animals in Plevlja. The municipality plans to expand the shelter by building a new one at a location two hundred meters away from the current one.
This was recently confirmed to "Vijesti" by the Secretary of the Secretariat for Inspection Affairs. Vule Macanović.
He said that the location, which is located not far from the Thermal Power Plant, has been proposed and should be included in the Spatial Plan of the Municipality of Pljevlja, which is currently being developed.
"Through the amendment to the Spatial Plan of Montenegro, the location of the asylum has been determined. We cannot expand the current asylum because the location where it is located is not our property and we do not have consent. That is why we have proposed a new location for the asylum and as soon as the new Spatial Plan of Montenegro is adopted, which will determine a location that is about 200 meters away from the current asylum in the direction of the city. It is municipal land, and there are other conditions and as soon as the SPA is amended, we will implement it," said Macanović.
155 dogs were caught last year in Pljevlja, six dogs were adopted, and 38 were euthanized, of which 35 were sick and old dogs, and three were euthanized because they were very aggressive towards shelter employees.
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