– The police completed the criminal investigation of a 45-year-old woman on suspicion of committing the crime of killing or torturing animals. She is suspected of severely neglecting and exposing to unnecessary suffering dogs entrusted to the association for the protection of animals that she leads in the town of Vanići, municipality of Dvor. She did not provide them with veterinary care and adequate space to keep the animals, which led to a difficult condition and malnutrition, as well as to the death of several dogs – announced the Police Department of Sisak-Moslavina.
In the yard of the association, where its president also lived IBveterinary inspectors also came. According to the police, they will file an indictment against her for a violation of the Animal Protection Act and the Animal Health Act. She was handed over to the detention supervisor.
The Veterinary Inspection told us that they found 15 dead dogs, whose bodies were in an advanced stage of decomposition, and 35 alive ones in the yard of the association. But some of them are in poor health. None of them have been vaccinated against rabies.
– The president of the association, i.e. the owner of the dogs, was present during the inspection, but considering that she was deprived of her liberty based on other findings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was decided that the local self-government organizes and ensures feeding, care and keeping conditions suitable for the type and category of animals, as well as the protection of animals from unfavorable weather and climatic conditions, predators and other dangers to their health and well-being, as well as to urgently organize the disposal of found carcasses of dead animals – they explained to us from the inspection.
The association she led for years struggled with fundraising. At one point, the head of the association, faced with the fact that she was taking care of too many dogs, stopped accepting new animals. But the adoptions were slow, and the donations were less and less.
The last post with a photo of dogs published on the association’s official Facebook profile was in October 2025. After that, just a few announcements about fundraising. Then, from March 22, complete silence.
– She is a person who loves animals, no one can deny that. But I don’t know what exactly happened in that yard. Nobody knows. The police are doing their job, the veterinary inspection as well, and we will do what we are legally obliged to do. Our municipal wardens fed and watered the dogs, and they will be taken over by the shelter in Sisak, with which we have a contract – says the mayor of the Dvor na Uni municipality. Nikola Arbutin.
He told us that he is not sure exactly how many dogs are alive and how many are dead. He also claims that the 45-year-old suspect did not bring dogs from the streets of the municipality into her yard, because they have had a contract with Sisko for years.
– We paid for the vaccination of those dogs on two occasions. However, the association was not registered when we had open tenders for animals, so we could not help financially. The president of the association wanted us to give cash, but we can’t do that – points out Arbutina.
The Sisak asylum normally has a capacity for about fifty dogs. They recently submitted a request to be allowed to increase their capacity. What will happen when a large number of new dogs arrive?
– We have to find a place. We hope that people will contact us for temporary homes – we find out from the shelter.
