The eastern region of Macedonia is working on something that has been a problem across the country for decades - a strategy for handling pets without owners. The idea: a regional shelter, project documentation in the works, an estimated feasibility study value of around 5 million denars.

The location hasn't been chosen yet. The documentation funding and the operator are to be selected by the end of the year. Which means that until 2027, on the ground, nothing will be different.

What's interesting is that this isn't an isolated story. According to the Food and Veterinary Agency (AHV), the same scene is repeating in all eight planning regions. Each is developing its own strategy, which will be merged into a national strategy. That's a big, ambitious coordination job - and at the same time it's a clear sign of something else: that Macedonia has had no functional system for pets across its entire existence.

„Irresponsible ownership is the underlying problem," says Tanja Ristevska-Olovska, head of the Inspection Oversight Sector at the AHV. Translation: people buy a dog, don't sterilise it, don't microchip it, and when they get bored - they dump it on the street. No consequences.

Professor Vlatko Ilievski of the Veterinary Faculty adds the key bit: the strategy will include measurable indicators. That means tracking the population, microchipping as the foundation, and mapping the sources. Without that, every „action" for pets boils down to „catch and release" - an endless loop.

The question that remains: how long does it take before 1,000-2,000 dogs on the streets of an average Macedonian town become a smaller number? With 5 million denars for a study, we wait another year. With 8 regions running in parallel - we wait perhaps three years. With people still buying puppies as a New Year's gift without a second thought, we wait a lot longer.