The Beautiful Stray Dogs of Tirana – How You can Help

The Stray Dogs of Tirana

Tirana is a fantastic city – we’re always going on about it! The interesting architecture, the deep and powerful history, the warm and friendly people and, of course, the delicious, hearty food make this city one of our favorite places. However, there is one major problem – the stray dogs of Tirana.

In most western countries a stray dog is a very unusual sight. But on the streets of Tirana, and other Balkan cities, it is, unfortunately, all too common. On our first visit to Tirana, it was less than 2 hours before we stumbled across our first stray pupper.

The First Time we saw a Stray Dog in Tirana

This little guy must have been no more than 6 or 7 weeks old. He was all alone by the side of the road. Unsure of what to do, we gave him the chicken out of our sandwiches (we had a packed lunch prepared for a day of exploring…). Eventually we managed to coax him into a safer place. We wanted to avoid touching him, just in case he had a disease or any variety of pests. There was also a concern about moving him too far in case his mum was still around. We didn’t see anyone nearby to ask and the language barrier might have been a challenge.

If this had happened at home, we would have called the local animal charity who would have cared for him. But what do you do in a foreign country with different perceptions of animals and pets? We felt totally useless in this situation, but since then we’ve done some research. Stay tuned…

Still unsure about whether or not we had done the right thing, we carried on with our day – although he was always at the back of our minds.

A few hours later, we come across another stray

Later that afternoon we met anther stray. This time, a cheeky chappie with the look of a yellow Labrador. He was in decent shape and had a tag in his left ear. “Blondie” decided to follow us for a while and then shared our shelter as we waited out a spring downpour.

He happily sat and posed as we chatted away to him and gave him food.

After the rain had stopped, we went our separate ways.

There have been many similar encounters when travelling in Albania. Some dogs seem to be monitored, which is fantastic! But there are so very many strays in the cities and towns across the country. Animal rescue charities are not all that common in Albania. But the ones who exist are hardworking, knowledgeable and passionate and they make a HUGE difference.

As dog lovers, and proud parents to our own fur babies, we wanted to find out a bit more about the stray dogs of Tirana and across Albania. Even now, it seems clear that we should have done more to help the puppy we found on our first day in Albania. So now we are taking action.

After doing some research online, we found some pretty horrifying accounts of how these dogs were “removed” from the Albanian streets by the authorities. In an attempt to find out what was really going on, we contacted several animal rescue charities in Tirana and around Albania, to find out more and to see how we might be able to help.

What is happening and what can we do to help the stray dogs of Albania?

We spoke to Liljana from Protect ME, Albania, who has been rescuing stray animals in Vlore, Albania, for several years. Their mission is to “save street animals and change people’s mentality”. Liljana gave up some of her valuable time to help us learn about the plight of the Albanian stray. And, very importantly, what we can do to help.

We asked her –

1) When we visited Albania we found a lot of stray dogs, especially in the cities. Do you think the situation is improving generally? How many stray dogs do you estimate there may be in Vlora?

“If we will talk about Vlora, the number of dogs has gone down significantly due to the politics our shelter and the municipal community in collaboration with international organizations has done. For 5 years now we have been working in neuter/spay campaigns with the municipal of Vlora, WorldVets, ENPA Italy, Dogs Trust, VetProjects, SPCA International etc. Vlora used to have more than 10.000 dogs. However, due to neuter/spay campaigns, adoptions and the shelter the number has gone significantly down.”

2) Has COVID-19 had an effect on the number of strays?

“COVID has affected the number of strays just like everywhere. People have not been able to look after their dogs due to economic reasons or loosing someone and the number started to grow again. We would find dogs who we have never seen before roaming the streets.”

3) Albanians are wonderful people, but is there a different perception towards animals compared to Western countries such as the UK?

“Yes, unfortunately there is a different perception towards animals here. They are seen as a means to a certain job and not as a companion with rights and responsibilities.”

So, how can we help?

4) What does your organization do to help the animals?

“We do rescue work, neuter/spay, medically helping them, foster at the shelter, offering them a home (the ones who can’t stay on the street for medical reasons, amongst others), adoptions and education for the population and the veterinary staff.”

5) How can the international community help your organization?

“The international Community can help with donations, gift for the dogs, medicines, adoptions, fostering, spreading the word for our organization and the work we do.”

6) Can someone adopt an Albanian stray from overseas? If so how?

“Yes they can adopt a dog from overseas. There are two ways, one it is to have a distance adoption which means that the person supports economically the dog with food and the other costs for the dog at the shelter and two they can adopt the dog to bring him home with them.”

“If someone would like to sponsor a dog from the distance, we would be sending them 5 dogs photos and videos so they can decide, the dogs name and the amount a dog needs economically for a month. We will send every week photos and videos to see how the dog is doing and how the money is being used. (Usually is for food, treats, medical care, etc). Also we encourage the long distance parents to try and visit the shelter and the dog when they can so they will meet the dog in person too.”

This advice might be useful for future visitors to Albania…

7) If a tourist comes across a stray animal, what should they do?

“If a tourist comes across a stray animal the first thing is to give them some food and see if the animal is in distress. If it is, then they should try and contact one of the rescues in Albania like Protect Me, ARSA, Elbasan cares for Animals, Animal need me, etc. They will then get them in touch with a vet in case the rescue can’t take the case (with the high population of stray dogs in Albania it is very likely the rescue can’t do much since we are all up to our neck with debts with all the dogs we have to save every day).

But they should try and work with the rescues and also, if they can, they should ask help from their family abroad if they are willing to help this dog so once he/she is healthy and ready to travel they can find the animal a good home.

What will happen to the stray dogs of Tirana and elsewhere?

The situation for Albania’s strays is improving but, for many, the outlook is still bleak. The work carried out by people like Liljana is helping tremendously. Not just the emergency help, but the education provided about the value of animal companions. To find out a bit more about Protect ME Albania find them on Facebook HERE

Below are the contact details for other organizations across the country

Tier und Mensch https://www.jetatierundmensch.ch/english-version/ Multiple Locations across Albania

Help Animals – Korca https://www.facebook.com/animalsrescuekorca/ Korca

Animals Need Me https://www.facebook.com/animalsneedme/ Shkoder

Vet Hospital Tirana https://www.facebook.com/vethospitaltirana/ Tirana

Protect ME Albania https://www.facebook.com/protectmevlore/ Vlore

Animal Rescue Albania https://www.facebook.com/dogsofanimperfectworld/ https://www.instagram.com/arsalbania/  Multiple Locations across Albania

Animal Rescue Albania Supporters https://www.facebook.com/ARsASupporters/ Multiple Locations across Albania

Our first visit to Albania was amazing but the sight of so many stray dogs in Tirana, and elsewhere, was truly shocking in the 21st century. However, things are looking up for the street dogs. this wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of these amazing rescues mentioned above and many others. If you come across a stray in Albania, make sure to follow the advice provided and you might save a life.

We don’t know what happened to the dogs we met on our first visit. But it is reassuring to know there are people who are looking out for them. We have also signed up to sponsor an Albanian street dog to help the rescue provide them with, food, comfort and medical care.

Have you had much experience with strays abroad or at home? Are you planning to add to your family? Drop a comment in the box, we’d love to hear from you!