On 07.04.2025 Stray Love Foundation announces the beginning of a new campaign on the territory of Kostenets municipality for free castration and identification of domestic dogs and cats. The campaign is carried out independently from the administration of Kostenets municipality. The aim of the campaign is an effective and long-term reduction of the population of stray dogs and cats on the territory of the municipality through mass castration and identification of domestic dogs and cats, whose unwanted generations become the main source of stray animals as a result of irresponsible and unpunished disposal on the street by their owners. In parallel with the campaign, our foundation will continue to demand from the administration of the municipality of Kostenets effective and legal measures to reduce the population of stray animals on the territory of the municipality.
The citizens of Kostenets municipality who keep a dog or a cat in their home will be given the opportunity to have their pet castrated and identified by inserting a microchip, free of charge. The campaign will last for one year, after which our foundation will take additional measures regarding the identification and registration of domestic dogs and cats on the territory of the municipality. According to the Law on Veterinary Medical Activity of the Republic of Bulgaria, all dogs older than six weeks are subject to mandatory registration by their owners in the information system of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency. Tracking the location of pets and their generations on the territory of the municipality is a leading measure to effectively reduce the population of stray animals, along with the castration of domestic dogs and cats. The registration of pet dogs on the territory of the municipality of Kostenets is very low. Assuming, as a rough guide, that every second household consisting of five people keeps a dog, the registered dogs on the territory of the municipality amount to only seven percent of all domestic dogs. There is still no established practice of the municipality to register domestic cats. For these reasons, after the end of the identification and castration campaign, our foundation will start reporting to the municipality of Kostenets the presence of unregistered pets on the territory of the municipality, which will force people who have not yet registered their pets to do so. In the framework of the upcoming campaign, we want to give the citizens of Kostenets municipality the opportunity to register and castrate their pets for free, so that they are not subject to legal sanctions later on.
The capacity of the foundation to organise castration and identification of dogs and cats within the campaign is determined by the campaign funds available at the time and may vary accordingly. Anyone interested is welcome to make a free-will donation to the foundation to support our efforts and help speed up the campaign. Information on funds spent can be obtained at any time, upon request. Detailed information on the results of the campaign will be presented to the public at the end of the campaign period.
You can find out more about the terms of the campaign below.
Campaign Terms and Conditions:
1. The campaign provides an opportunity to cover the financial costs of castration and identification (microchipping and issuing a passport) of domestic dogs and cats kept in the territory of the municipality of Kostenets. Participants fill in a declaration for participation in the campaign, in which they provide data about themselves and the animal. Participants do not owe any fees in connection with their participation in the campaign.
2. Only dogs and cats that are between six months and five years of age, that are visibly in good health, and that are not in their period or pregnant at the time of spaying may be registered for spaying. All castrated animals shall be identified by the insertion of a microchip with a unique number and the issue of a passport and shall be registered in the system of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) in the name of the owner. Owners of neutered dogs and all cats are exempt from the annual fee to the BFSA. All participants will also be encouraged to register their animals with the Kostenets municipality administration.
3. Only dogs or cats that can be determined to be castrated or that are of an age or health condition that does not allow safe neutering may be registered for identification (microchipping) without castration. Dogs or cats that are of breeding age and have not been spayed or neutered will not be registered for free identification. The presence of neutering in male dogs can be readily established by a veterinarian. It cannot be established in female dogs without being noted in a valid pet passport or without other medical documentation being able to be provided.
4. Stray dogs or cats can also be registered for castration, but these animals must also be chipped and registered in the name of the owner in the BFSA system, as the administration of the municipality of Kostenets refuses to assist us in registering these animals as the property of the municipality.
5. The neutering of a dog or cat is a medical intervention which is carried out under the influence of an anaesthetic, and as such it is accompanied by some risk to the health or life of the animal. Operations are carried out in a professional clinic by a team of experienced veterinarians, which significantly reduces the risk of complications. The manipulation is preceded by a blood test to establish the general health of the animal, as well as the presence of tick-borne diseases which, in the event of undesired results, may necessitate postponement of the manipulation and initiation of treatment.
6.The participants in the campaign commit to transport the animal on the scheduled day and time of the manipulation to the veterinary clinic where the castration is performed and which is located in the town of Ihtiman. The animal must be transported in a pet cage that corresponds to its size and must not be exposed to heat, cold or moisture during transportation. In some cases, the foundation can provide a cage after signing a protocol of acceptance. Participants who do not show up at the clinic on the agreed day and time without giving prior notice of postponement or lateness will be removed from the list with participants.
6.Participation in the campaign is done by pre-registering and waiting for your turn to come. Registration is done by calling 0896259443 on weekdays between 9am and 7pm. The order of participation will be determined based on the order of enrollment, the veterinarian’s and the animal owner’s availability regarding the date of the manipulation, and the health of the animal. Scheduling a spay/neuter appointment can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on how many spay/neuter appointments we are able to arrange monthly at that time. To ensure equal opportunity for participation, in the event that more animals owned by the same person wish to be spayed or neutered, the spay/neuter appointments will be spread in time.
