Landfills feed Kosovo’s massive stray dog population

MAY 2026 - PRISHTINA, KOSOVO. Over fifty thousand dogs roam the streets of Kosovo, with the highest concentration found in the Pristina region. For years, the country has been grappling with an enormous stray dog population due to uncontrolled breeding, abandonment and inadequate animal welfare systems. Landfills have emerged as a particular hotspot for stray dog populations here.

FOUR PAWS, global animal welfare organization, together with local partner veterinarian Albatrit Halili, carried out a Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (CNVR) program from May 11 - 22 at a landfill in Podujeva municipality. During the two-week operation, over 100 stray dogs were neutered, vaccinated and treated for urgent injuries.

Manuela Rowlings, responsible for stray animal programs at FOUR PAWS, explained, “It is heartbreaking to see how owners discard their animals on landfills, when their once beloved pet becomes unwanted. Surrounded by waste, they survive only by scavenging through rubbish, fighting daily for their lives. Many are living with painful, untreated injuries and diseases, exposed day and night to extreme heat, cold, and rain."

Both illegal and legal landfills are frequently used by owners to abandon their pets and unwanted litters. Often these sites are unfenced and allow for easy access to food waste for stray dogs. Yet conditions on these sites are particularly harsh and unsanitary with no access to clean drinking water or shelter. Dogs on landfills are constantly at risk of injury from sharp objects hidden in the rubble and are often less accustomed to human contact and very fearful, making it more difficult to approach them.

In Kosovo, over 50,600 dogs are living on the streets, many of them suffering from hunger, disease, and other severe hardships. A 2024-2025 survey from FOUR PAWS in partnership with Kosovar Animal Rights Foundation, revealed that with a total estimated number of 11,300 stray dogs, Pristina is the region with the highest stray dog populations.

Since 2024, FOUR PAWS has been working to help and stabilize the dog population in Podujeva municipality, which lies within Prishtina that experiences an estimated 42 stray dogs per 1,000 inhabitants.

To support local municipalities and to support long‑term, sustainable impact, FOUR PAWS together with Animal Rights Foundation are strengthening local capacity by holding dog population management workshops in all of Kosovo’s seven regions. FOUR PAWS also invited veterinary students from the Kosovo Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to participate on site and gain first‑hand experience in CNVR implementation during the operation in May.

FOUR PAWS has been active on this topic in Kosovo since 2023, advocating and implementing humane, community‑led dog population management programs. FOUR PAWS promotes humane, sustainable population management for stray dogs and cats across the globe. Alongside running CNVR programs, FOUR PAWS focused on building and sharing valuable knowledge that helps communities manage stray animal populations.  FOUR PAWS also runs BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina in Kosovo which opened in 2013 to provide special care to rescued and traumatized brown bears.