Srce za šapu
Dog Adoption
Why does it matter?
To make the Land of Dogs happy, its’ residents have to be adopted , and others must come to their place – hundreds of them who are currently hopelessly wandering on the streets of Sanski Most, craving bread crust, warm bedding and friendly hand.
However, the readiness of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt homeless dogs and treat them responsible and with empathy and love is extremely low. Their only chance for truly happy and fulfilled life is the adoption in the Western European countries, where people are aware of animal rights and very well know the value of living with a pet. So, if you decide on adopting a dog, you will be saving two lifes – the life of the dog you have adopted and the life of the dog who came to his/her place in the shelter.
How does it work?
If you do not live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are two legal ways to adopt a dog:
- By direct taking over the dog from the shelter, which is much simpler and cheaper, because no customs declaration is required. In that case, SRCEZAŠAPU engages a veterinarian who prepares the passport and health certificate required for crossing the border.
- Through our partner organizations with TRACES licence that deal with the transport of dogs to foreign countries. This is considered the so-called “commercial export” and it requires higher costs. In that case, it is necessary to pay the costs of quarantine, health certificate, customs and transport to the transport organization.
If you live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, you can adopt a dog directly from the shelter (SRCEZAŠAPU does not organize the transport of the dog).
The adoption procedure requires a lot of effors and time. Besides legal prerequisites that has to be fulfilled, it is of crucial importantce for us to ensure that dog is going to the right family that will be a good match for his/her personality, and not end up in new shelter again – so please be patient.
If you are interested in our dogs, please contact us and we will be happy to answer to all your questions!
Adoption costs
For residents of foreign countries, the costs differ according to the method of adoption:
- If taking over the dog directly from the shelter, the adopters have to pay the costs of the documents needed for travel to the EU – health certificate and passport issued by the veterinarian / vet inspector, totally 55 EUR (to be paid to the vet).
- If using the transport provided by our partner organization, the adopters pay the costs of staying of the dog in their quarantine, the certificate, transport and custom services. These vary, depending on where the dog is going and it is approximately 280 EUR. These costs are paid directly to the partner organization.
Adopters residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not have to pay any adoption costs.
The costs of preparing a dog for adoption (rabies vaccine, DHLP vaccines for puppies, chipping and sterilization) are covered by SRCE ZA ŠAPU)
Important things to be aware
You are about beginning of one of the most rewarding journeys of your life. For this journey, you have to be aware of facts and possible obstacles – your decision should be a well informed, as the commitment is lifelong.
- Have a good look at your own situation and ask yourself what is really important to you. What kind of dog would fit into your life? And what kind of dog would not fit? Behaviour can be trained until a certain point, but all dogs have their unique character that is never fully makable.
- In the same time, it is important not to underestimate that the life in the shelter is very different from a life in a home, and the behavior of a dog in new environment can therefore differ than the description of the behavior provided by us. This might relate to the walking in a city or other busy places, loud sounds, interaction with unknown people, interaction with other dogs and so on. Besides, please be aware that we don’t have to possiblity in our shelter to test the dog with young children, cats or other small pets, other than dogs. Shortly, adopting the dog, despite our efforts to provide acurate facts, could be a risk.
- Before you welcome a new fury family member to your home, you’ll need to prepare all the basics. Apart from food, toys, and other supplies, you need to dog-proof your home. This means you need to check for any points in your home that the dog could use to escape and prepare a safe zone or area where the pooch can relax and get used to his/her new surroundings.
- Big changes are stressful for everybody, and so for the dogs. It’s important to have patience and try to help your new dog to adapt. The shelter staff will give you the information about your adopted dog, including some tips on how to make the transition easier for him/her. The most important thing is to try to contain your excitement. Chances are that the dog won’t feel comfortable right away, so you need to take it slow and don’t overwhelm him/her with cuddles and force interaction.
- Adopted dogs need a lot of attention and guidance and still have to learn a lot. This might be a matter of week, but more like the months, and it could be possible that the dog will always have certain behavioural problems. If one doesn’t think about all this beforehand, it could lead to nasty consequences for the promised golden future.