Local resistance postpones construction of asylum in Kolašin

The municipality of Kolašin has not built a shelter even six years after the adoption of the Program for the Control of the Abandoned Dog Population, and the local government claims that the only reason is the opposition of the locals to the originally planned location in the settlements of Radigojno and Drijenak.

Expert measurements showed that with the installation of a sound barrier, the barking of dogs would not be heard in residential and commercial buildings located approximately 500 to 1.000 meters from the planned shelter, i.e., it was not determined that the facility at that location would negatively affect the quality of life of the locals. However, the Municipality gave up on that location and began searching for a new one, which delayed the implementation of the project, which, according to current estimates, could only be completed by the end of 2027.

The Kolašin local government reminds that one of the measures of the Program for the Control of the Population of Abandoned Dogs in the Municipality of Kolašin is the construction of a shelter (asylum) for abandoned dogs. The Program was adopted by the Kolašin Municipal Assembly back in 2020. The construction was planned for 2023 by the Program, and over the past two years, technical documentation for the construction itself was prepared, as well as the definition of the space in the Plan of Temporary Facilities, because the shelter for abandoned animals is a type of temporary facility. Urban and technical conditions (UTU) were obtained, and then the conceptual and main design were prepared.

"Currently, the project has been stopped at the planned location due to resistance from the local population of the settlements of Radigojno and Drijenak. The management of the Municipality of Kolašin has abandoned the planned location due to resistance from the local population, although the findings of the expert institution for experimental noise level measurement have proven that there would be no impact on the local population, that is, that the barking of dogs would not be audible in residential and commercial buildings located approximately 500-1.000 meters from the planned dog shelter, provided that a sound barrier is installed that would dampen the sound of dog barking," the Municipality explains.

According to what the local administration told "Vijesti", they have decided to include in the new Temporary Facilities Program, which is currently being developed, a location located on the right side of the Kolašin-Mojkovac main road, after the exit from the first tunnel. So far, they say, there is no resistance or assumption that an asylum at that location would bother any of the distant locals.

"The timeframe for the implementation of the project after the preparation of technical documentation and spatial planning assumptions this year is the end of 2027. The resistance of the local population is the absolute and only reason why we do not have a built and functional asylum already this year. The biggest problem for the Municipality was created in 2022 when there were no objections to the proposed location in the Temporary Facilities Plan, but they appeared after the preparatory work was carried out on the ground," the Municipality reminds.

The local government says that the number of dogs on the streets of Kolašin remains alarming.

They claim that according to the Program for the Control of the Population of Abandoned Dogs, they allocate certain financial resources each year for the sterilization of dogs, by hiring a local veterinarian, then for increased control by the competent inspectorates and the Municipal Police, cooperation with other shelters in the region and other measures. The number of sterilized owned and abandoned dogs varies from year to year, which the local administration does not have special records of, but rather, they explain, is kept by registered veterinary clinics.

This year, 1.400 euros were allocated from the municipal budget for sterilization.

"Basically, the funds are intended for the sterilization of 50 dogs per year. Adoption is carried out by a private shelter in Kolašin, while the Municipality does not adopt dogs because there are no conditions for this. The number of dogs, despite sterilization measures and responsible ownership, remains the same because dogs are brought from other destinations, from other cities. A permanent solution for abandoned dogs in the territory of the Municipality of Kolašin cannot be achieved only by building a dog shelter. Building a shelter only solves the consequences."

Due to dog bites, or fear suffered due to animal attacks on the streets, last year, Kolašin women and men were paid as much as 12.656 euros, and this year 7.718 euros.