04/30/20 Blind, full of parasites, with the chain carved into their neck and without microchip
Animal protection Network warns about the great number of dogs without microchips
- Housing and caring for dogs who have been abandoned cost dozens of millions of kunas ( HRK ) per year, for the exact reason of they not being microchipped.
While the situation with the new Coronavirus has slowed down already difficult housing of abandoned animals, animal protection organizations in Croatia are burdened with other severe repercussions as the Animal Protection Act is not being put into effect nor is conducting properly.
Animal Friends Croatia, which coordinates more than 50 organizations which together make Animals Protection Network, is alerting to the horrible destinies of dogs who have chains carved into their necks and which have gone blind or were born in a canal. All these dogs have not been microchipped, their guardians are unknown, and to many of them, their health is permanently destroyed, due to municipalities neglect, as they refuse to enforce microchipping for dogs determined by Law. It is absurd and tragic for animals that this regulation specifically exists for local communities to decrease costs of housing and caring for the shelter dogs which have not been microchipped.
Five years old Medo from Slavonija has been put to the chain as a puppy, and as he was growing, the chain has been carving into his neck causing him horrible pain. Meanwhile, due to negligence, this miserable dog has gone blind. This story came to the attention of Novogradi¹ke nju¹ke organization when neighbors after almost five years, couldn't witness his suffering anymore.
„Chain which has carved into his neck 8 centimeters has been surgically removed, but Medo will stay blind forever. Above all, Medo is not vaccinated nor microchipped. The town could have prevented his suffering by conducting control of microchipping dogs“ – counselor Ivana Lunka from AFC states.
It has also been stated in a case of a gentle female dog in the village near Benkovci which has been found together with her puppies born in some abandoned building. „Dog has been left in her high pregnancy. She has no microchip which means that she also has not been vaccinated against rabies, so it is impossible to identify her guardian. Cubs have been cared for by organization for animal protection which are generally the only ones solving consequences or town negligence, and which already had to visit all households and check if all the dogs have been microchipped.„
Dog Bono from the island of Korèula has also been mentioned as he has been saved from the chain ten days ago. Same as Medo from Slavonija, Bono is blind, his ocular cavities are full of parasites, he is malnourished, and has heartworm.
„According to veterinarian's estimation, Bono is around ten years old and – you are guessing – has never been microchipped. The organization which saved him is now trying through this parcel's ownership where Bono was found, to find out who was his guardian which lead him to the condition he is now; a malnourished blind old dog“ – says Lunka.
She is also pointing to a situation in a province in eastern Slavonija where an abandoned dog gave birth in a canal. It is unknown how many puppies are there as she hid them. „Kind people who are feeding her have called for a communal administrator which told them it would be best if they take the dogs into the woods (??!!! ). Municipality mayor has been contacted and he claims that the dog has been moved from another county as he allegedly knows every dog in his community, even though this county has not conducted microchipping control“ – AFC is outraged.
Lunka reminds that towns and counties, according to law legislation, should have organized microchipping control by 30 June 2018 at the latest. Until today it has not been done by more than half of them, even though it is primarily in their best interest. Towns and counties need to house and care into shelters and settle the payment of taking care for each dog which ends up in the street and is not microchipped.
Ivana Lunka emphasizes that housing and caring for abandoned dogs cost dozens of millions of kunas ( HRK ) per year because they are not microchipped. „It is incomprehensible that high costs of housing and caring are not big enough motive to the local communities to enforce microchipping control and by this, to decrease the number of dogs that are not microchipped, which in some parts of Croatia amounts to 50 %. Despite our continuous reminders, microchipping control has not been conducted in many towns, even in capital Zagreb where one pilot-project has determined around 15 % of dogs not being microchipped.
All those stressful examples throw a shadow on those local communities which are doing their best to enforce the law.“ Animals protection network from the beginning of this year until today has filed 23 reports to the veterinarian inspection on the subject of abandoned animals not being housed and cared for by local units as well as not conducting microchipping control for dogs. Organizations are urging towns and counties to act according to their legal commitments in order to decrease unnecessary costs to its local community for dogs' housing and care.