Animalist no. 250

Permanent ban on owning another animal

Following the recent tragedy in Zadar, where an elderly woman was fatally attacked by an American Staffordshire Terrier, we sent a letter to the Directorate for Inspection Affairs of the Republic of Croatia (DIRH) requesting that the caretaker be ordered to pay all costs for the care of the dog in the shelter and that a protective measure of a permanent ban on owning and acquiring another animal be imposed on him. We reminded that the problem can only be solved by urgently adopting a new Regulation on Dangerous Dogs, which would introduce preventive measures such as neutering and socialization.

World Spay Day for Dogs and Cats

On the occasion of World Spay Day for Dogs and Cats, we wrote to local government units and emphasized the importance of implementing spaying/neutering programs for free-roaming cats and funding the costs of spaying/neutering caretaker-owned dogs and cats. We urged them to mark the day by promoting it on social media, educating through posters, distributing leaflets about caretaker legal obligations, and funding spaying/neutering initiatives.

Horror at Paid Accommodation

We reported on scenes reminiscent of a horror movie unfolding at a private accommodation facility operated by an individual claiming to be a dog caretaker in Osijek. There is no registered business activity as a pet hotel or shelter, yet the caretaker charges animal welfare organizations €50 for dog care plus additional fees for food, and €85 plus food for owner-provided dogs. We alerted that everyone working with animals should operate with registration and in full compliance with all legal provisions and applicable regulations.

Abandonment of Animals as a Criminal Offense

Parliamentary representatives voted to introduce abandonment of animals as a criminal offense, a measure we have advocated for since 2021. Penalties have been increased, and a new useful security measure has been introduced – a prohibition on owning and acquiring animals, lasting from one to five years.



€14 million annually from dog sales

We highlighted the incredibly absurd situation where those who sell a cake for a few euros are penalized, but not those who breed and sell living beings for thousands of euros. Classified ads are full of breeders who do not have registered economic activities, keep animals in catastrophic conditions, are not subject to housing condition controls, and meanwhile make enormous illegal and untaxed profits from breeding and selling animals. In response, we also contacted the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.

Vegan Meals in Cafeterias

We had a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Science and Education regarding the introduction of vegan meals in cafeterias, where they listened to our requests and promised us a meeting in the Commission for drafting a new regulation on student nutrition. We also had a meeting with the Secretary of the Croatian Student Union, who allowed us to propose our suggestions for vegan meals through them in the commission. We are also looking forward to a meeting with the community of student centers, with whom we will discuss more specifically the amendment of the Regulation to include more exclusively plant-based meals.

Meatout Day

On March 20, we celebrated Meatout Day in Ban J. Jelačić Square with tasty vegan shepherd’s stew made with plant-based meat. We invited everyone to join us to taste the shepherd’s stew and similar vegan food in the company of vegan blogger Martina Đođo.



Flash News

  • We asked the Ministry of Agriculture to support the EU Positive List.
  • We sent a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture urging them to ensure sufficient financial resources and enable local communities to finance the neutering of caretaker dogs and cats through contracted veterinary organizations via competitions.
  • We gave an interview to the Akademija Art portal.
  • We wrote to the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the issue of neglected or temporarily confiscated domestic animals and their temporary care, as well as the correction of the existing Unified Information Center for abandoned and lost pets.
  • As part of the Erasmus+ project “Youth for Volunteering,” students from the Ivan Meštrović High School in Drniš and their guests from Romania, North Macedonia, and Serbia visited us. We presented our association to them and told them all about current projects and campaigns, as well as various ways in which volunteering enables their execution.
  • We wrote to the Government that the Commission for the new Animal Welfare Act has not started its work, nor are there plans for it to do so this year due to a lack of personnel, necessitating an increase in the number of employees in the field of animal protection or the establishment of an Animal Protection Sector.
  • We sent a letter to the Directorate of Inspection urging the veterinary inspection to specify concrete steps in supervising the implementation of microchipping for all dogs, which all local communities were supposed to carry out as early as 2018.
  • We invited everyone once again to the 4th Animal March.
  • We explained why we oppose and what is wrong with dog and cat shows.
  • Don’t forget to mark your calendars for VeggieFair on June 8th!
  • We explained that over 80% of rabbits people buy at Easter do not live to see their first year because people get bored with them after a few months and simply abandon them.

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Your Animal Friends

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