06/23/17 Your Choice, Your Responsibility
Animal Friends and the model Zvonèica Vuckoviæ are urging everyone to microchip their dogs
- The campaign "Family to the Seaside, Dog to the Street?!" has begun: billboards featuring Zvona and shelter dogs
In this year's campaign, "Family to the Seaside, Dog to the Street?!," Animal Friends Croatia teamed up with model Zvoncica Vuckovic, who posed for photographs with abandoned dogs in order to send an important message – microchip your dogs, they are your responsibility!
Under the creative guidance of Viktor Drago, the posters feature Zvona with Abbo and Lady Di, two cuddly dogs from Zagreb's Dumovec shelter who are the stars of the campaign. Together, they’re urging the public to adopt dogs instead of buying them, and they're reminding dog caretakers of the legal obligation to microchip their animals. Urging them to take responsibility, Zvona, Abbo and Lady Di would like to warn all dog caretakers that they can be fined up to 6000 kuna for failing to microchip their dogs.
"When I adopted a shelter dog, I stood by it with my name and surname! Microchipping is the easiest way to finally end dog abandonment. Having a dog is a choice, but also a responsibility," said Zvona Vuckovic.
Despite the legal obligation that has been in place since 2004, almost 30% of the dogs in Croatia have not been microchipped, which is unacceptable both to animals and to citizens who are suffering the consequences of this irresponsibility. With the new Animal Protection Act, legal obligations of the owners and local communities will become more stringent.
In cooperation with the association Udruga gradova (Cities Association), Animal Friends has created an informative leaflet about the legal obligations of dog caretakers under the Animal Protection Act. This leaflet is available to all city administrations to print and distribute, and, thus, to comply with one of the obligations under the Animal Protection Act.
Zvoncica Vuckovic and Animal Friends are urging everyone who is looking for a new four-legged family member to consider whether they can provide long-term, responsible care for it and comply with all the legal obligations that accompany that choice. They condemn abandoning animals and invite everyone not to buy dogs or cats, but to adopt them instead.
Animal Friends would like to thank everybody who contributed to the realization of the "Your Choice, Your Responsibility" billboards. Professional and volunteer assistance was provided by: Zvoncica Vuckovic, Abbo and Lady Di (models), Maja Hrnjak (photography), Kristina Atletic (make up), Marko Constantini for Opium (hair), Tomislav Matacun and Jure Ahacic (poster design) and Viktor Drago (creative guidance). The campaign was shot in the former factory Katran and it was supported by and carried out in cooperation with the City Office for Agriculture and Forestry of the City of Zagreb, the Shelter for abandoned animals of the City of Zagreb in Dumovec, and the companies Europlakat, Arto, Avalon and Maraja Usluge.