A child was bitten by a pack of stray dogs in Karpoš 4, right next to the "Petar Pop Arsov" primary school. Horror for the families in the neighbourhood, and the mother put it precisely: "You're always first to show up for the photos, but when it comes to protecting and looking after us, you're nowhere." One sentence with a real address - the municipality and its institutions.

The case ended without serious injury - the dog bit the child on the leg, no complicated aftermath. But the question the mother is raising is bigger than one injury. How many children still have to walk past a school fence before someone authorises a systemic response? The Karpoš district is not the first and won't be the last - the stray-dog problem is an old wound for Skopje, and from one municipality to the next it gets pushed forward on the principle of "no victim, no budget."

The incident lands in a context that complicates it further - the Karpoš mayor has handed administration of the municipality to a council member, under the already-published reorganisation order. Which means the municipality itself is in a period of transition and unowned responsibilities. The question parents are asking: who exactly is in charge THIS week of children's safety?

In the meantime, parents want an immediate response from the municipality. A systemic solution for stray dogs in the city - sterilisation, shelters, binding ownership responsibility - isn't impossible. Skopje has the budget, the experience, and examples from other cities in Europe. The obstacle is political will, which in transition periods usually drops to zero. The question at the end is one: when a child is seriously hurt, or worse, who will be the example?