Pristina: The mayor of Kosovo’s capital offered to pay almost a third of the country’s minimum wage every month if he bought a new dog to clean up strays.
Street dogs have become a major headache as Pristina’s 4,000 strays have become a major headache, and many people say they should avoid large aggressive areas, activists say.
But a shocking video of a young man being badly beaten after straying into the street brought the issue into the spotlight for protests late last month.
“This is not an isolated incident, it happens every day with dogs all over Kosovo,” animal rights activist Argenta Docci said on Facebook.
“When we hurt animals, they get angry with us,” said schoolgirl Berta Meha, who attended the demonstration with her father in Pristina’s main square.
But according to the 11-year-old, this lesson is lost on most adults. “If we feed them and don’t hurt them, they won’t be aggressive,” he told AFP.
Mayor Perparim Rama, who has spent most of his life in England, hopes his new ‘A Home for Every Dog’ scheme will solve the problem and help change attitudes.
The city pays shelters 50 euros per month for each stray dog.
“Keeping a dog is very expensive and not everyone has money,” the 48-year-old architect told AFP. “That’s why we help the families of the missing.”
The city has started rounding up the stray dogs, and Rama has vowed to “continue every day until they are all removed”.
He said they will be vaccinated, neutered and kept in big shelters where they will be ready for adoption.
Mechanic Sami Khaxhaj was the first to accept the mayor’s offer by taking 10 dogs from the municipality.
“I want to do something for them,” said the 52-year-old, who has set up a shoe rack in a sheltered yard in the village of Sibovac, west of Pristina, where dogs can play safely.
He even wants to adopt 10 more sons.
“I’m glad I gave them a roof over their heads and enough food and space.”
The city said others should “follow Sammy’s example and give it to every stray dog.”
But some are not happy with the mayor’s decision, saying it is a waste of money.
“You have to sink money to pay for a dog,” said 65-year-old Mirsad Balaj.
“All dogs must be sterilized so they don’t breed anymore, or all the state budget will go to dogs,” he said.
Local Animal Rights Foundation president Elsa Ramadani said the city needs to focus on the root of the problem, which is “the uncontrolled breeding and abandonment of dogs by people who don’t see them as family members.” . “
Architect Bajram Kazagiqi said that dogs are also “inhabitants of this city”.
“If we want to take care of the people of our city, we have to take care of wild dogs as members of the family,” said the 62-year-old.
Mayor Rama said that with a budget of two million euros per year, “if the calculation of the number of stray dogs in the capital is correct, we can hope to solve the problem”.
“Someone has to start this war.”
However, Ramadani does not expect Pristina’s dog population to decrease overnight.
“It means that maybe in 10 or 20 years we will show more love to dogs and people will want to adopt them.”
