Expat Serbia

Animal care actions in Belgrade

The ambulance for dogs and cats began to work in Belgrade in the middle of January 2012. while the city will also make efforts to establish the animal police as soon as possible.

The ambulance for animals started its work in the second half of January and anyone who spots an injured animal, could call the animal ambulance on the phone +381 62 8090 333 from 8am to 4pm. The pet cemetery is planned in the near future.

From February, police will start giving penalties to the owners of dangerous dogs if they are not walked in the proper way. According to the new city regulations a dangerous dog could be walked only by an adult, on the leash and with a muzzle. A walker must have with him, all the time the appropriate certificate ie. permit from "Veterinary Belgrade" stating that the dog is healthy, vaccinated and chipped. Dangerous dogs can move freely (with a muzzle) in the parks for dogs built last year in Tasmajdan, Karadjordje, Cuburski park, "Milutin Milankovitc," Bele vode and Lep izgled park.

City will also continue to implement programs for the free sterilization and vaccination as well as chipping of dogs, to encourage a responsible ownership. Selected veterinary organizations in Belgrade will do for free the first vaccinations and chipping of dogs, regardless of their age. For this purpose it’s provided 10,000 vaccines and 18,000 microchips. Within this initiative, 2,000 female sterilization will be completed, which is subsidized by the city budget to five thousand per sterilization.

As a logical sequence of these actions a shelters for dogs will be open more frequently in the Belgrade. So far, there are shelters "Rakovica 1" which can accommodate around 1,000 dogs, asylum for 550 dogs in Kovilovo and the most recent one was open on the ground of the old farm PIK "Zemun", and will be able to host 1237 dogs. In February, Belgrade will receive the new one on the PKB area, accommodating 550-600 stray dogs. Total of five shelters will be open in the next period.

In addition to making a life of an stray dog much easier, the program “Najbolji prijatelj” (The best friend) will come into force, focusing on the placement and adoption of abandoned dogs.

Owners of the dogs up to 40 cm tall and cats will be able to bring them into the public transportation vehicles in 2012. They will have to be placed in a special carrier (crate, box, cage etc.), to ensure the safety of other passengers and the animal. With an animal you will be able to enter in the period between 9AM-1PM and from 6PM to midnight.