The reality of Croatian Animal Abuse, the rot starts in the early years

by Selene Niënor Rescuer and Carer ( Part of our Croatian Network) 

Just everyday in Vukovar... 

20. May 2013. Park Incident
Somebody informed us that there was “a big black dog tied with a rope to a tree house in the park placed in-between buildings complex in Borovo, Vukovar. One group of kids was beating him while the others climbed the tree house to spit on him. We went to check the situation…

In the conversation with parents, children and neighbors who witnessed the abuse in the park, we determined that 3 individuals (2 girls and 1 boy) abused dogs continuously in the following ways: wrapping in a blanket and kicking, tying with ropes, dragging and kicking, tying to a tree house - kicking and spitting, imprisonment in abandoned houses (houses left from the war 20years ago) without food and water, tying to benches and also leaving without food and water exposed to all weather conditions and trespassers, till the next time they come on the same spot to play (this took days sometimes - we found a malnourished, dehydrated puppy - after recovery we returned him to his rightful owners) and also those more “classical” methods: throwing stones and whatever’s nearby. 

We also learnt that the other group of children, their mothers and some residents in the area of the park were feeding the dogs and some boys made a shelter for the dogs, that was completely destroyed by previously mentioned two girls. They also attacked the boys and began to spit on both them and the dogs, the youngest child was beaten up as his mom stated, and no one reacted to that madness in popular kid’s park, none from all the people out there, and there were at least 100 since it’s a huge playground in-between the apartment complex…
Kids will go unpunished for the abuse of those weaker than themselves - other younger, smaller children and animals, those who know who they are should be reporting such things so others could peacefully enjoy in the park ... And you can not live thinking "that can’t happen to my child / pet, these things do not happen in my neighborhood...“ well they certainly can, things are generally getting out of control over here....
Kids gathering into groups….and those who don’t know the difference between the right and wrong are bullying everyone. It’s not their fault, the culprit may be the society or the way they were raised.

I think it's clear in what kind of place do we live in, this is Vukovar ... The damaged city. Damaged in all the ways that word can describe. No matter what goes on on TV, big speeches about tolerance in our city etc…Not true, people can’t stand each other in general no matter the national, religious or any other affiliation, they don’t tolerate any of us who deal with animal issues, they pretend not to see a group of children beating weaker children, they glance at animals with disgust. Most of those documentaries about new, better life in reconstructed, repaired and renewed city of Vukovar, are just some things we all hope to see one day, so we’re actually speaking about lies packaged in a colorful box with a pretty bow, since this city has become an unhealthy environment to live in. Normal life is possible only for those who lack eyes and ears, ignorant toward reality.
People are frustrated by the overall state of the country, and they express those frustrations in hundreds of different ways. Constant fights for something they believe could do some good, but in the end it sums up to promoting hatred…The anxiety reflects in everyone.

Due to abuse, dogs are getting more restless by the day…it’s not their fault but eventually they’re going to be the ones blamed for all the incidents in the park ...
Our neighbors and some trespassers began to attack us (verbally and almost physically) for supposedly “bringing fierce dangerous dogs that attack humans”, several men started attacking the dogs we were feeding right in front of us, trying to beat them up with umbrellas. On the other occasion, two women started beating the dogs – one with the walking stick, the other with a crutch – now can u believe that?! 3 of 5 Dogs that we found in the park were all sticky from saliva and limping, with various injuries and completely frightened (Like German Shepherd Eve that we picked up, she had bloody paws, didn’t respond to anything at all, refused to eat, didn’t wanna walk so two of us had to carry her, she was just lying there in the middle of that same park, gave up of life…We placed her in our safe house - a house that is unfortunately full, she’s still recovering, afraid of, and I mean this literally, her own shadow…) which is, again, a confirmation of all the things stated above.... But these doggies still blindly follow most people and have faith in them, approaching everyone...they’re easy to lure, so I can’t emphasize enough how urgent they need at least a temporary accommodation!

Note: The statement is 100% without exaggeration used to induce empathy, all of this is, unfortunately, the only truth...
For any further info please check out our page:https://www.facebook.com/AnimalsInNeedVukovar