Kosovo Dog Shelter

By Kate | Permalink | No Comments | June 9th, 2007 | Trackback

The Kosovo Dog Shelter was founded in 2003 by two Kosovars – Nexhmedin Kabashi and Florim Ferati (who both have full-time jobs in addition to their shelter involvement) – and aims to provide a safe, clean and humane refuge for some of Kosovo’s stray dogs, approximately 100 at the moment. The website notes that “animals can often become the forgotten victims in war and civil unrest” and the shelter tries to combat this.

At the shelter dogs also receive medical care such as vaccinations and when possibly spay/neuter surgery provided by two vets hailing from New Zealand but living in the UK. Dogs who are well-suited to adoption are re-homed and those who seem that they would not fare well in a traditional pet environment are released safe areas – this is of course a relative term but incorporates the availability of food and the physical safety of the dogs. The large number of strays means that it is not feasible to simply shelter and re-home them all in one fell swoop; neuter and release is part of a long term strategy for humanely reducing the stray dog population.

The Kosovo Dog Shelter and the vets are also involved in bringing about change by means of raising awareness (and funds) as well as training local vets in spay/neuter techniques. Others can help in a variety of ways (see the appropriate page) including helping promote the website, making a monetary donation, or visiting the shelter to walk dogs. It is located near the airport in Prishtina, Kosovo, and would, I think, make an interesting and useful add-on to a trip to the Balkans. Find the In Your Pocket Prishtina Guide here and note that there are a variety of buses from other cities in the region, including one from Sarajevo via Novi Pazar, Serbia.

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