06/14/24 Latest Horror: Dog Strangulated After Inspection Fails to Impose Safety Measures!
Following the latest tragedy befalling abused dogs kept for fighting, Animal Friends Croatia appealed to the Croatian State Inspectorate
- The Split City Council must ensure the welfare of all dogs, urgently provide alternative temporary accommodation, and launch the construction of a new shelter
In late March, Croatian public was shocked by the news of a well-known Split psychiatrist who held and abused over sixty dogs and two wolves in a hidden location in Split for the purpose of dogfighting. In early April, Animal Friends Croatia promptly reacted filing a complaint to the State Inspectorate, pressing criminal charges, and initiating a meeting between representatives of the Split City Council, veterinary inspection, two animal shelters and several animal protection groups. It was agreed at the meeting that a temporary dog shelter would be built urgently on land owned by the city of Split, as a foundation of a future shelter. Dogs were due to be relocated on June 15. Not only does the relocation seem unlikely at this point, but one of the dogs has been found strangulated by accident on the original site, clearly showing that the veterinary inspection has not yet ordered the removal of visibly dangerous wooden planks used as improvised coverings, nor arranged for suitable and safe sun protection for the dogs.
“At the meeting held on April 9, we requested urgent registration of all dogs found on site, triage, their physical and psychological health assessment, tests for Leishmaniasis considering the existing zoonosis, repellent treatment, microchip and vaccination checks, provision of accommodation for all dogs, and socialisation and castration of dogs evaluated as dangerous according to the Dangerous Dog Rulebook. In addition, we requested better living conditions on the site where the dogs are currently kept. According to available information and photos, due to veterinary inspection failings, the conditions thereof have not improved, but actually worsened,” stated indignant Animal Friends Croatia.
In light of the above events, the group sent a new letter to the veterinary inspection informing them of problems such as diarrhoea and weight loss, several dogs pulling out of collars and slaughtering each other, no sun protection (such as awnings, umbrellas, etc.), incidents of parvovirus infections, death of a puppy due to the virus as dogs have not yet been vaccinated against infectious diseases despite repeated warnings by the group. The site is still littered with dozens of pallets with protruding nails, posing real danger of tetanus infection, as well as chain entanglement and accidental strangulation of the dogs. Over forty dogs have not been spayed yet despite multiple requests by Animal Friends Croatia: “Thanks to our appeal, only six females have been spayed as representatives of the shelter providing food suspected them of pregnancy. Had they not been neutered, the number of dogs in urgent need of care would be far greater!”
Animal Friends Croatia believes that the veterinary inspection in charge put dogs’ lives in danger by inaction: “The veterinary inspection should have taken care of all the above issues by direct order to ensure animal welfare. All required tools are in their hands. And yet, over the period of two and a half months, the inspection failed to protect the animals from disease and death. Why has the veterinary inspector not yet ordered the removal of wooden pallets from the site when any lay person can see the danger they pose? The death of the strangulated dog and the puppy with parvovirus are not accidental but directly caused by actions of the veterinary inspection in charge. Also, why have three months passed without dogs’ being neutered when we could have already completed the process? Has the inspection acted upon our complaint? Will the inspectorate carry out a safety survey now and impose necessary measures?”
In the letter sent to the State Inspectorate, Animal Friends Croatia demanded answers as well as a confirmation of the initiation of infringement proceedings against the psychiatrist from Split, in response to the complaint the group submitted to the State Inspectorate two months earlier. The group appeal to the veterinary inspection to urgently issue orders ensuring better conditions and health and safety care for the dogs, while exerting pressure on the Split City Council to accelerate the organisation of temporary accommodation and a new shelter.
“It is disheartening to see that these poor dogs now hardly live in any better conditions than when they were “cared” for by their abuser. The Split City Council, that has been ignoring all our correspondence and calls for a new meeting for the past two months, must ensure dogs’ safety, remove the dangerous pallets and other litter from the site, provide adequate sun protection for the animals and prioritise the construction of a new shelter where the animals must be relocated as soon as possible. The Council is the cause of the most recent problems, and it is obliged to secure temporary accommodation for the animals as a matter of urgency, under the supervision of a registered dog shelter. Being the second largest city in Croatia, there are no excuses for the City Council not to start the construction of an indispensable registered shelter immediately and stop searching for alternative accommodation in shelters across Croatia, as it is currently doing,” conclude Animal Friends Croatia.
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