Location: SERBIA - Pancevo
Events: 2 x School Educational Events / Promotional Stand / Media Carton and Comic Competition / Celebratory Animal Show
Hosted by: Society for the Protection of Animals Ljubimci

- Two educational events were organized in Pancevo primary schools. Students were able to learn new things about the basic needs of animals, about their protection and behavior. This was brought to them through a very interesting and interactive approach developed by our staff. We used the Blue Dog software for the second part of our educational presentations and the children's reaction was amazing. We have, therefore, arranged further presentations in other primary schools.

- Promotional stand was held in the city center where our volunteers were giving out our promotional leaflets about World Animal Day, about our activities and about animal welfare and protection. The stand was open on 4th October from 2PM- 7PM with the participation of the local public animal shelter. City Mayor, Vesna Martinovic, visited our stall as well as a number of journalists. We also rehomed 10 abandoned animals during this day.

- We organised a massive autumn clean-up of our animal shelter during which we made preparations for the cold winter days ahead.

- We organized a special Media Cartoon and Comic Competition by sending a press release to the media asking their creators/artists to present us with their work about stray animals. The best works were displayed in the city gallery, publicized in the media, and also used in our future campaigns.

- We organised a Celebratory Animal Show with over a hundred participants. Our sponsors prepared interesting prizes for all participants, and some animals won special prizes and diplomas.

- All events and World Animal Day were fully covered by the media in the City of Pancevo, and in Serbian national media.

Location: FRANCE
Events: UNESCO request for Protocol to Prevent Animal Abuse in Tradition-based Cultural Heritage.
Hosted by: GEE

On the 4th of October 2011, we launched a request to UNESCO asking for the creation of a Protocol to prevent all human activities based on animal abuse in intangible cultural heritage.

Several organizations have followed this action. The 4th of October 2011 is only a start because this request will depend on the mobilisation of international and national animal organizations and it will take one, may be two or several years.

Cultural heritage is not limited to monuments and objects that have been preserved over time, it also includes living expressions and the traditions communities worldwide inherit from their ancestors.

We remain at the disposal of organizations who help to take this action worldwide and will send them, by email, the translations we have made of this action in French, English, German or Spanish.

We hope that by the 4th October 2012 many organisations will follow this action.

Joëlle PELLEGRIN OLDENBOURG
Présidente co-fondatrice GEE

Location: SLOVAKIA - Kosice
Events: Baptism of Bianka
Hosted by: Zoo Kosice

The baptism of a young Alpaca was a symbolic celebration of World Animal Day at Kosice’s Zoo this year. The Zoo scheduled and prepared a culture event on October 1st, where a young Alpaca was baptized - the first time in the park’s history. She was named 'Bianka' during the charming ceremony. An adorable baby, who has become the visitors darling, was christened by the Chairman of the Board and General Manager of VSE, Norbert Schürmann, and by the famous actress of the National Theater Kosice, Ľubica Blaškovičová. The godmother carried presented Bianka with a basket full of vegetables and wished her healthy life. The godfather extended the wish with a lot of positive energy.

To encourage a good attendance, the Zoo discounted the cost of entry to the Zoo to mark this special day which resulted in 1,800 visitors. Dancers and singers performed at this event, and children competed for sweet surprises. Visitors had the chance to fully enjoy the beauty of the whole park which was enhanced by sunny weather. It was a very special day. Eva Malesova.

Location: HUNGARY - Szeged
Events: School Talk, and Pet Beauty Contest / Fundraising and pet adoption day
Hosted by: Tappancs Animal Welfare Organization

To celebrate World Animal Day 2011 we held two events. We were invited to a local school to talk about how to treat animals well and how to be responsible pet owners. We also played some games with the children. The children and teachers donated lots of cat and dog food to our shelter. The main event of the day was a pet beauty contest. We hope the kids enjoyed the day as much as we did!

Our other event was fundraising in front of a pet shop. We took some of the dogs from our shelter to give them a chance to try and find a new home and two of them succeeded in finding a loving friend that took them home! Although we also had quite a success with collecting donations, the most important thing is that two of our loved ones did not have to go back to the shelter and they are now starting a new life with their new family. We would like to thank all those who helped, donated and participated at these events! Vivien Terjéki-Papp

Location: POLAND - Bydgoszcz
Events: First Adopted Dogs Parade
Hosted by: Bydgoszcz Animal Shelter

The dogs behaved very well throughout the event and many new friendships were struck up between both the 2-legged and 4-legged! More than 100 dogs, who have now found hapiness in new homes, took part in the parade. All the participants were given sky-blue balloons and scarves for their dogs to wear - symbol of innocence

The Parade performed an initiative to encourage the adoption of homeless dogs and cats from the Bydgoszcz and OTOZ Animal Shelters. We wanted to show that homeless pets are as beautiful and unique as those which come from breeders. It was the first such event in Poland! Izabella Szolginia V-ce Prezes of OTOZ ANIMALS, manager of Bydgoszcz Shelter for Animals.

Location: HUNGARY - Budapest
Events: March for the Animals
Hosted by: Federation for Animal Welfare and Nature Protection in Hungary

The World Animal Day procession was very succesful in Budapest 2011.

Our event attracted more than 3,500 people accompanied by in the region of 1000 animals!

Dr. Orbán Zsófia, President.

Location: GREECE - Athens
Events: Information Stand
Hosted by: Medasset - Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles

Dozens of people, Greeks, but also tourists from all over the world, had the chance to learn more about the endangered sea turtle species, their habitats, and the negative impact humans can have on the environment. They also made small donations to support our campaigns and offered to volunteer wherever needed. Eleanna Georgiou, Communications Officer.

Location: FINLAND
Events: School collection for local animal shelter and educational events
Hosted by: International School of Vantaa (ISV)

All the students and faculty at ISV can be supremely proud of their contributions to animals and their welfare! Reported by: Ann Marie Morrow

Location: ITALY
Events: Bloghop
Hosted by: AngeliqueFelix.com

http://www.angeliquefelix.com/blog/children-animals-aboard-conclusion-world-animal-day-2011-bloghop

Angelique Felix

Location: MALTA - Island of Gozo SPCA
Events: Shelter Open Day
Hosted by: Gozo SPCA

Gozo SPCA were delighted to receive a good response for their Open Day to commemorate World Animal Day. Visitors dropped in throughout the day and discussed helping out at the Centre, neutering, microchipping, overseas transport, as well as various health issues.

One puppy was rehomed after a successful trial period. Another puppy was chosen for rehoming in a couple of weeks by new residents on the island. An older Labrador, Harold, found himself a new sponsor whilst he waits for his 'forever home'.  There was added excitement when Pawla, the black bitch found pregnant and brought into the shelter a week earlier, gave birth to 3 puppies on that day.

Following this positive response, a spokesperson said that the Society was considering holding an open day on a regular basis. Betty Berry, Gozo SPCA.

Location: BELGIUM
Events: Parliamentary Animal Welfare Symposium
Hosted by: Animal Welfare Dept., Belgian Federal Public Service Public Health

The silver jubilee of the law of 14 August 1986 on the protection and welfare of animals is being celebrated this year. The time has come for a thorough appraisal according to the Animal Welfare and CITES division, which organised on 4 October - World Animal Day - a major symposium on the benches of the Parliament.

In the morning, the impact of the law on animal welfare and its implementing decrees during the last 25 years was reviewed. The presence of the Animal Welfare and CITES division, animal welfare organisations as well as representatives of the agricultural sector, zoological gardens and labs using animals for experimental purposes provided different ways of looking at reality. The evolution of animal welfare in an ethic perspective was also reviewed.

In the afternoon, members of the Parliament from the different political fractions had an opportunity to discuss with a large number of persons active in the area of animal welfare. With this symposium, Minister Onkelinx wanted to kick-start an update of the law on animal welfare. Karlien De Paepe, Animal Welfare and CITES division.

Location: PORTUGAL
Events: Caopaper
Hosted by: Associação de Defesa dos Animais e Plantas de Olhão (ADAPO)

Our World Animal Day event was called CÂOPAPER (Dogpaper) and it was held in the Jardin Pescador Olhanense.

The aim of our event was to raise public awareness of the ways in which human beings are cruel to animals, whether it be through deliberate acts of cruelty, an uncaring attitude towards animals, or simply inadequate knowledge of the needs of animals. World Animal Day - a day of solidarity with all animals that suffer at the hands of man: those that keep us company; those that we use for our own benefit - to hunt, to pull carts, to eat, to use in entertainment such as bullfighting; those that we experiment upon, those that are endangered, and the list goes on...........

There were games, a police dog demonstration to show the public how important the dogs are in helping the police in their work, and various competitions for dogs and their owners to show off their skills.

At the end of the day, we called for all animals in our country to be treated with respect, dignity, compassion, as sentient beings that feel pain and suffer like us. Cellia Caravela.

Location: MALTA
Events: Shark Awareness Day
Hosted by: Jackie Laferla, Animal Advocate

The objective was to inform children that sharks are actually gentle creatures, even though they are predators like lions and cheetahs, and that they are important to the marine food chain. Secondly to inform them about the cruel practice of finning and to encourage the students to get involved and help - even in the tiniest way! They were all so excited to talk and learn more about sharks. They knew a lot of different shark names and some facts. One student asked me about the etymology about the word 'shark ' - luckily I was prepared with the answer!

I used a big tribal drum at the end to chant 3 lines which they loved and went round to ensure every child tapped the drum to 'I AM A SHARK, I LOVE THE SEA, AND ALL I ASK OF YOU IS PLEASE PROTECT ME'. It went extremely well and now I have been asked to do this thru eco schools.

Location: HUNGARY - Derecske
Events: Charity Bazaar in aid of Derecske Dog Shelter
Organised by: Angela Fodor, Animal Advocate

I am writing you from Hungary. I am trying to volunteer as much as I can for the case of a small dog shelter with about 110 dogs in a small town called Derecske. I work at a language
school where I try to let the parents know about the situation of Derecske and ask for their help and talk to the kids about the importance of conscious dog ownership.

We organized a Charity Bazaar where people could buy books, toys, clothes but we did not put a price tag on them. Everyone paid as much as they wanted and all the money went to Derecske Shelter. We collected 75 Euros, 40 kg dog food and some blankets and towels. The event was held in the backyard of a family house where we had 5 puppies from the shelter. The children could meet and pet them and the puppies could play and run around so it was a big socialization lesson for them as well.

We are already starting to make plans for celebrating World Animal Day 2012!
Angela Fodor, Helen Doron Early English Teacher - Hungary.

Location: HUNGARY
Events: Inter School Competition
Hosted by: Berecz Antal Primary School

This World Animal Day was the fifth time that Berecz Antal Primary School held a regional competition. The activities were about wild animals as well as domestic animals. Eight groups participated and they had eight tasks to carry out.

First they had to recognize animals on the interactive whiteboards, then made some tests, created picture frames and searched for more details on the internet, as well as playing some games.

At the end of the competition we inaugurated our new Bird-friendly tree in the school yard. Every group received prizes and the first three groups won books too. The best group (called King Cobras from Jászfényszaru) received a special award: we took them to the World Animal Parade and Budapest Zoo on World Animal Day.

Location: FRANCE - Sauveterre
Events: World Animal Day Golf Competition
Hosted by: Les Amis Des Chats

The weather was perfect and a record number of 37 golfers left during the morning. They played 18 holes arriving at the clubhouse early evening to be greeted by an aperitif, delicious pizza and nibbles during the presentation of cups and prizes. The raffle was then drawn, amongst the prizes were a weekend at an English Golf Club, a large hamper and meals offered by local restaurants.

Les Amis Des Chats, as always, had an information stand which also sold cards,c onfiture, chutney and books.

The Roucous Golf Club is in an idyllic setting - the restaurant serves meals in the garden under the shade of trees and overlooking the golf course. The dining room is very welcoming with its bar and its small boutique which has a lovely range of quality clothes. The clubhouse doors open onto the swimming pool and there are also attractive gites for a peaceful holiday - very tempting also for non-golfers! Yolande Bishop, Presidente.

Location: MONACO
Events: Awareness Day - Alternatives to Animal Testing
Hosted by: Alexandra Association

On the occasion of 'World Animal Day', the Association organized a full day information session on the use of alternative methods to animal testing .

The goal was to educate Monegasque primary school kids, college students and their biology teachers on the different alternative methods that are used today in medical and industrial product testing.

Thirty children age 10, and 20 students age 14 – 18, from the different schools in Monaco, and their respective teachers were invited to follow a 1.5 hour educational program, including a presentation and live demonstration of the use of tissue engineered human skin, eye, gingival and respiratory cultures. Participants were able to assist in ‘real time’ laboratory experiments.

Location: FINLAND
Events: Information Stalls, Raffles, Books and Stationery Sales, Rally Obedience Event.
Hosted by: Helsinki Humane Society (HESY)

In celebration of World Animal Day, we spent the week of 4th to 10th October in the libraries and shops of the Helsinki city center and greater city area. We organised 3 events and participated in two other events, organised by Stockmann and Oulunkylä Library.

On the 4th of October, our aim was to raise awareness and hand out information. We also held small raffles in the Faunatar pet store in Vantaa.

On the 5th of October, we headed towards the city center of Helsinki and set up an information stall in front of the Lasipalatsi building where we sold books and stationery at advantageous prices to raise funds for homeless pets. The event was a huge success!

On the 8th of October, we took part in the pet day event organised by the Oulunkylä Library. We gave children and their parents information on pets and their proper care, and also spoke about what it means to be a responsible pet owner and to commit yourself to an animal. We also talked about animal protection.

We continued raising awareness even after the week was over. On the 14th of October, we took part in the pet event organised by Stockmann, the largest department store in Helsinki. We set up an information stall in their premises and informed customers about the suffering of homeless animals and the proper care of pets. Lots and lots of pet owners showed up, as the dog clothing collection by the famous Finnish designer Ristomatti Ratia was also introduced during the event.

On the 16th of October, HESY organised a Rally Obedience event in its own premises. The day consisted of various demonstrations. During intermissions, guests with dogs had the possibility to try the sport out with the help of the organizers. Find out more on www.hesy.fi

Location: ITALY
Events: Spay Day
Hosted by: Lega Pro Animale

To celebrate WORLD ANIMAL DAY (October 4th), LEGA PRO ANIMALE offered another “SPAY DAY” (free spaying/neutering of stray cats). After the memo was put on the homepage, within 10 days cat care takers from all over the Region of Campania in southern Italy made appointments for over 200 animals. And this time nearly all of them arrived: 205 cats were caught, but only 204 were operated, because one of the females showed a big scar on the belly and probably she was already spayed, even if there was no tattoo (there is a law in the Region of Campania that prescribes to tattoo the letter “S” close to the incision for all dogs and cats in order to not open animals twice).

133 female and 71 male cats (a big number of them under the age of 4 months!) now do not proliferate anymore; they will not contribute anymore to the big stray problem. We never should forget that a female cat can have up to 4 litters a year with up to 8 kittens in only one litter and one male can get pregnant around 300 female cats in only one year. With only one “spay day” the birth of over 20,000 kittens can be avoided in the following year.

And everybody asked when the next spay day will be, because there are still thousands of cats in the streets that need neutering. The LPA “spay team” wants to thank all donators from all over the world to have enabled the October spay day and hopes that the next one can take place as soon as possible. You can view a full report with images here [pdf]. Dorothea Frizz, Lega Pro Animale.

Location: GREECE - Heraklion, Crete
Events: Awareness Event / Fun Dog Show
Hosted by: Cretan Animal Welfare

Our WAD 2011 events were once again well received and celebrated by the public! Saturday 1st October - We spent the day in the centre of the capital (Heraklion) informing the public on all aspects of animal welfare, fundraising with yummy snacks made of free range eggs, collecting signatures for petitions and facepainting!











Sunday 2nd October - We held the first ever Fun Dog Show attended by 67 dogs with 26 participating. Medals were awarded the winner of each class. People also enjoyed demonstrations from a guide dog handler, an obedience trainer and agility instructors!

Tuesday 4th October - We were once again in town raising public awareness!
Kerenza Vlastou.

Location: AUSTRIA
Events: 4 Information Stands / Press Release / Fundraising
Hosted by: Verein zur Förderung geretteter Tiere

We solicited and collected donations to Happy's Farm, a local animal shelter in Anif near Salzburg, supported by the Association for Promotion of Rescued Animals. We also released information through the press (for more information please see: www.salzburg-cityguide.at/note/3936).

We have endeavored to promote the World Animal Day initiative and the protection of animals to as broad an audience as possible within our limited resources. For more information please see: www.gerettete-tiere.at.
Image: World Animal Dogs: Buddy & Madison

Location: FRANCE
Events: Book Launch / School Event
Hosted by: Geneviève Hamelin

To mark World Animal Day, I also organised a school event - a game to raise awareness about endangered species in South America
http://www.surlespasdesours.fr/articles.php?lng=en&pg=2849
With my warmest regards, Geneviève Hamelin

Location: PORTUGAL
Events: Fundraising Awareness Day, Children's Educational, Open Door Donations
Hosted by: Aanifeira (Associacao dos Amigos dos Animais de Santa Maria da Feira

For the third year running, AANIFEIRA proudly participated in celebrating World Animal Day by holding three separate events.

1. Fundraising, Donation of Building Materials and Awareness Campaign
Over the weekend of 30th September and 1st October, Aanifeira had a stand at the entrance of the Intermarché supermarket located in Arrifana. The stand was manned with volunteers and was mainly focused on explaining that we were raising funds and also seeking building materials for construction work at our shelter. An Aanifeira dog was taken along to provide public awareness to the plight of unwanted and abandoned animals. The result was positive and drew a lot of attention and not only did we receive building materials, but also dried food for the resident shelter animals.

2. Childrens' School Educational Visit
On Tuesday October 4th, a group of young junior school students from the Santa Maria da Feira Primary School, aged from 6 to 8 years, visited the shelter with their teachers to learn and see the animals that are being looked after there. They were shown around the shelter by Aanifeira staff who explained how most of the dogs had arrived at the shelter and what needed to be done to change this. They were allowed to pat the dogs and cats which, for some children, is sometimes not possible as they don't have a pet at home. They were thrilled with this opportunity and many were incredulous at seeing so many animals held in one place. The main objective was to show the children what happens to an animal when it is abandoned and help them understand the consequences.

3. “Leave a Door Donation”
Aanifeira opened its front gates on October 4th to members and passers-by giving them an opportunity to donate something to the shelter. Visitors generously left bags of dried dog and cat food for the shelter animals, all of which was very gratefully received. For those interested in having a look around, there was the opportunity to visit some of the new recently constructed kennels which were built with the help of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.

AANIFEIRA would like to extend their sincerest thanks to all those who participated, donated and helped with these three events. For further information about the shelter please see our English blog: http://aanifeira.wordpress.com

Location: SWITZERLAND - Noiraigue
Events: Petition Against Hunting Cats in Switzerland
Hosted by: SOS Chats

We had a very nice World Animal Day spending it gaining signatures on Against the Hunting of Cats in Switzerland. Tomek and Elisabeth Djordjevic, Founders and Co-Directors.

Location: MALTA - Gozo
Events: Shelter Open Day
Hosted by: SPCA

Location: ROMANIA - Bucharest
Events: 2-Day Spayathon
Hosted by: 'The Nature - a Heritage for the Future' Association / Poestri-Leordeni Authorities

In honour of World Animal Day we organised a Spayathon in Popesti-Leordeni. The event was sponsored by the Popesti-Leordeni authorities.

People brought their pets and we also caught stray dogs in the area. One vet and two vet assistants carried out the surgery and we also vaccinated the animals. With the support of 5 volunteers we sterilised and vaccinated 90 animals (dogs and cats) over the two days.
Carmen Milobendzchi, World Animal Day Ambassador.

Location: TURKEY
Events: A whole host of activities took place under the HAYTAP umbrella - number tbc
Hosted by: HAYTAP

HAYTAP engaged in many activities by virtue of World Animal Day as it does every year. Some of these activities are given below:

- Our education project called “Existence is a right” was introduced to the press and the public. Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Kadir Topbaş was awarded a plaquet for his support to the project.
- The rewarding ceremony of the Photo Contest that we had organized to attract attention to stray animals was held. 2012 calender to be prepared of the selected photos will be on the market soon.
- Organizations under the roof of HAYTAP visited the shelters with local authorities and politicians.
- The water pans sent to the cities by the Ministry of Forestry and Water were delivered for the benefit of stray animals.
- Students from all age groups coming from different schools were entertained at the shelters throughout the day.
- Stands were set up and brochures were delivered in many parts of various cities.
- Students were informed about the animal rights through meetings at schools.
- Local press were contacted and animal rights were made to get a lot of press.

You can view more images by clicking on the links below:

http://www.haytap.org/index.php/201110053598/etkinlikler/haytap-in-4-ekim-2011-etkinliklerinden-goruntuler
http://www.haytap.org/index.php/201110063602/etkinlikler/istanbul-ibb-haytap-turler-arasi-dayanisma-afisleriyle-donatildi
http://www.haytap.org/index.php/201110053599/etkinlikler/koa-yonetim-haytap-fotograf-yarismasi-kazanan-fotograflar

Location: ITALY - Barga
Events: Dog Show / Public Awareness / Microchipping
Hosted by: L’Arca della Valle (The Ark of the Valley)

The volunteers of "The Ark of the Valley" would like to thank all the owners and their dogs who participated in the World Animal Day Dog Show held in Barga on Sunday 2nd October. There were many categories and lots of prizes to be won. The winner of the "Best in Show" went to the friendly mongrel 'Remo' adopted from the dog home in Diecimo. Sonia pointed out that although it was lovely to win the trophy, the best prize of all is the love and respect everyone attending showed towards their four-legged friend. This is the message that the Association wanted to convey by holding the show and wanted the event to be viewed as much more than a competition, it's just lovely to have the opportunity to be together with your dog and in the company of other like-minded people.

The show was a huge success and seeing everyone walking proudly with their dogs brought the greatest satisfaction and immense joy to the hearts of everyone who attended. It attracted a lot of coverage from local press and TV - see www.noitv.it- TG 03.10 20.30. We confirm that it shall become an annual event ! Sonia Ercolini

Location: AUSTRIA - Linz
Events: Animal Blessing Mass for ALL animals of the world
Hosted by: Pfarre Linz - St Peter

“I have not seen so many happy people for a long time,” is how one person attending Mass summed it up. And that’s how it was. On Sunday, October 2nd in the bright sunshine there was a hearty and cheerful atmosphere on the church square of the Parish of St. Peter in Linz. Over 350 people came to have their pets blessed. A long-time core audience that comes to the Animal Blessing every year joined the congregation, but there were also many “newcomers” this time.
The blessing was issued by: - Komminister Louise Behrendt from Växjö, Pastor of the Swedish State Church, who came from Sweden especially because she wants to establish the Animal Blessing in her home country according Linz’ model. - Brother Philemon Kleinöder, from Bavaria came, as always, with his dog, Angelo. Angelo conquered all of the children’s hearts! - Franz Zeiger, Parish Priest of Linz-St. Peter.

Along with hundreds of pets like dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits and turtles, there were two alpacas from the zoo in Walding, Willi, the good-natured Haflinger stallion, Kaa, the python and a brown owl from the owl protection station in Osterkorn. In addition, pictures of animals from around the world were sent to the parish once again this year in this way asking for a blessing for animals around the globe. Many pictures were sent from countries in Europe, but also from New Zealand and the United States as in the past few years. New this year were many participants from South Africa. An incredible, record-breaking 1,250 pictures were sent in!

The musical framework was provided by the children of the "Villa Sonnenschein", the pre-school of the Parish of Linz-St. Peter. For the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Animal Blessing there was a big celebration following the Mass there was a colorful children’s program and a balloon start. The entertainer and WWF-Ambassador Manuel Ortega lead through the program in a very congenial and humorous way.  Sincere thanks and greetings, Pfarre Franz Zeiger.

Location: MALTA - Mellieha
Events: Animal Awareness Week
Hosted by: Maria Bambina Primary School

Maria Bambina Primary School in Mellieha, Malta, had an Animal Awareness Week from the 3rd till 7th October 2011. The children collected food for the abandoned animals during the week.

Animal Care Malta was invited to have a speech on the 7th October, during the School Assembly, and afterwards they were given the collected food. Kind regards, Antoinette Timmers.

Location: NETHERLANDS
Events: 2nd Stray Dog Conference
Hosted by: Animal Foundation Platform

On September 24, 2011 the second Stray Dog Conference was held in Capelle aan den IJssel, the Netherlands, with 160 participants. It was organized by Nathalie Klinge, Birgitta Machielse and Angelique van ‘t Riet, under the flag of the Animal Foundation Platform.

The first speaker was Yvonne Kroonenberg, author of a book in Dutch about the life of pigs in the livestock industry.  The second speaker was Rinus Gerlofsma, vet and senior advisor for the Food and Veterinary Authority, who explained (the use of) import laws for dogs (and other animals) from. He is responsible for the implementation of European and National legislation on imports from countries outside the European Union of Live Animals and Animal Products.

Our third presentation was by Lindy Poots and Ineke Jochims, Stichting Zwerfkatten Rijnmond (Stray Cat Foundation Rijnmond – Rotterdam) who talked about stray cats, their reproductive capabilities, and their mission to keep this problem manageable by the TNR method (= Trap, Neuter and Return) and to stimulate the welfare of stray cats. The next speaker was Jose Haeke, a behavioral therapist for animals with over 10 years experience in assisting owners with their dogs.  She spoke about signs of animal stress and how it affects them which included discussions about the quality of life for dogs in shelters.

Next came Robert  Smith, a businessman who confronted the suffering of stray dogs in Turkey which led him to found the Turkish organization SHKD in Istanbul.  He is also the founder of the Romanian organization FPCC (Foundation for the Protection of Community Dogs). Both organizations are focused on solving local stray dog issues through castration / sterilization of free roaming dogs, education in schools and offering free castration / sterilization door to door.   FPCC does not believe in the lifelong incarceration of dogs and has several natural open shelters. Smith: “An open shelter is cheaper to run, need fewer staff, dogs are not stressed and there is no fighting. In this free area, stray, neutered dogs, which cannot be returned in the streets, are sometimes shut in at night but during the day they roam free. You could compare a closed shelter with a zoo and an open shelter with a safari park.”  FPCC reduced the number of stray dogs in a Romanian city with over 200,000 inhabitants by 90% in four years and 85% of the dogs in the rehoming center were adopted locally.

Suze Steenbergen was the next lecturer and she gave the audience a lesson in humane education, the same way as she teaches it at schools in Bosnia. Animal Rescue Bosnia organizes sterilization and education projects in Bosnia. Henk van der Duim was the final speaker. Henk is the founder of Social Crowd and is engaged in inspiring, educating and coaching of entrepreneurs and businesses to give them the possibility to apply social media business. Also a solution for animal organizations!
In his lecture he talked about all kinds of social media, including the importance of using Google Alerts and YouTube.  After all the lectures, there was a question and answer session.  The Second Stray Dog Conference was a big success!

Location: SERBIA - Novi Sad
Event: Information Stand / Kennel Construction / Tree Planting / Abandoned Animal Database / Humane Stray Control
Hosted by: Novi Sad Humanitarian Centre NSHC

Group for Animal Protection, part of NSHC, which is a part of NSHC, marked World Animal Day with several activities. Considering that the problem of stray animals is currently one of the most urgent ones in our society (many stray dogs and cats but no rescue centre or no-kill shelters, except for a few privately-owned ones that struggle to cover the costs of their everyday work), the main mission of our Group is promotion of adoption and other humane procedures to solve this issue.

We had set up an information stand in the centre of Novi Sad and distributed information about animal welfare and the importance of animal adoption. We were also giving away t-shirts, cups, hats, bags, and posters with educational and ethically correct messages about animal welfare to remind people every day. "We are the citizens of Novi Sad, too" is our slogan printed on all these items, which acts as a regular reminder abouth the coexistence of humans and animals in urban areas. We produced a short video which can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE_vaxWWasc

We constructed several kennels and enclosures for dogs at the local shelter (SPANS) which we support on a regular basis. Also, we provided tree seedlings for three animal shelters near Novi Sad (located in villages of Djurdjevo, Budisava, and Svilos) – so that the trees could provide shade for animals during the hot summer months and make them more comfortable.

NSHC is also donating three computers to the local animal welfare associations, in order for them to keep and maintain a database of abandoned animals.

Finally, NSHC is organizing a meeting between the local government representatives and animal welfare associations in order to initiate a dialogue and to facilitate engagement of local authorities in solving the problem of stray animals in a humane way. Maja Vuckovic, Coordinator of the Group,
Novi Sad Humanitarian Center.

Location: MACEDONIA - Bitola
Events: Shelter Visit / Adoption and Fundraising Drive
Hosted by: Little Heroes

Location: CYPRUS - Famagusta
Events: Fundraising Fish & Chip Supper
Hosted by: Helping Hands

Location: GEORGIA - Tblisi
Events: World Animal Day Extravaganza
Hosted by: Animal Rights Committee (ARC) & Homeless Pets Help Organization (HPHO)

On 2 October the Animals Rights Committee of Georgia, together with the Homeless Pets Help Organization, organized an event dedicated to World Animal Day for the second year.

Our event took place in one of Tblisi's central parks and it turned out to be a really festive occasion. Our main aim was to draw public attention to matters of animal welfare. In our view, awareness and education are the main priorities in our country.

Homeless Pets Help Organization - Our mission was to distribute fliersabout the advantages of sterilizing dogs and cats. HPHO is the only organisation in Georgia that carries out this service for stray animals an we hold a free sterilzation clinic on the first Monday of each month for pets owned by poor families. We also used this opportunity to raise public awareness of our work to help animals. We collected nearly 2000 signatures during the month for our letter to the Tbilisi Mayor and Parliament Chairman encouraging them to sterilize stray animals instead of killing them. All vets were asked to support our call for the adoption of a humane approach to stray control in Georgia.

There were numerous fun children's activities, all of which focused upon teaching them to be compassionate towards animals, and recognise they are sentient beings and should be treated with respect. We obtained permission from City Hall to allow the children to draw with chalk on the pavements. We also had facepainting, held a poster competition with the theme 'I Love Animals' with prizes and had musical entertainment.There were numerous fun activities for children such as chalk-painting on the pavement, animal riddle lotto, and prizes to won.

We also collected donations for our sterilization program and dog food, and sold T-shirts and umbrellas.

Animal Rights Commitee - Our main mission was to collect signatures on a Petition calling for stricter laws against animal abuse and cruelty, as we did last year. We also hosted children from the orphanage and gave presents to them. Pastries and cakes were provided by 'Diefenbach', a popular German bakery to sell to the public and the funds raised were donated to the HPHO stray animal sterilization program. Children were also given a specially designed 'Animal Care License / ID' with space to add their photo.

All participants were given, T-shirts, a specially designed 'Animal Care License / ID' with space to add their photo, a bracelet with the message 'I Love Animals' and for their pets, a collar with the message 'I Love Humans'. We also distributed balloons with the World Animal Day logo.

Our event was well covered by printed media journalists, leading Georgian TV stations, as well as a crew from Radio Liberty in Georgia. Report provided by Mariam Chkhikvishvili, HPHO, and Tina Chavchanidze, ARC.