Albania's strays are not outcasts

Kitten of the Korn (Berat Albania)
One thing you might notice as you travel in Albania is the amount of stray cat and dogs.  People do own dogs and cats as pets but the majority of animals you find day to day are strays.  They are everywhere.  From our first night in Tirana, we came across a beautiful blond dog.  And in every city since, there have been animals.  In Berat, you could find cats almost everywhere.  In Vlore and Durres, you were more likely to find doggos.


While in Shkoder, a person who will remain nameless - let's call her Roofield - specifically cut up her dinner and kept it with her to feed the doggos.  The hilarious part was when she couldn't figure out why the dogs were then following her around.  She just "doesn't get it".
"Roofield" fed "Earl" in Shkoder and was
 surprised when Earl followed us downtown.
Earl also likes his ears scratched and belly rubbed.

Researching another topic of Albania, I came across this article about how the Ottomans treated animals.  It all goes back to a story in the Q'ran.  The Prophet Muhammad (peace be onto him) told a story about two women.  One good and one evil.

The good one stayed away from drink, gave to charity, and prayed five times a day.

The evil one did none of those things.

But the good women allowed her cat to starve while the evil woman threw out food for animals everyday.  That is why when they both died, the good woman went to hell and the evil woman went to heaven.

When his followers questioned why this was so, the Prophet explained that animals have no ability to reason so if you hurt an animal, you cannot ask for forgiveness.  Thus, you are damned.
Stray dog in Vlore, Albania

When the Ottomans ruled Albania, Albanians integrated this into their own culture.  Later the Ottoman Empire later turned against their canine friends (the Istanbul Dog Massacre) and some speculated that the fall of the Ottoman Empire was because of how they treated their four-legged counterparts.

Adorable pooch who came out to the
beach to get warm in the Durres sun
Maybe you're thinking that this sounds like a 3rd world type of problem letting cats and dogs run "wild" but after a quick search, I found that 7.6 MILLION companion animals are placed in shelters each year.  Of those, 56% of dogs are euthanized and 71% of cats are euthanized. 

But in Albania, there are no dog catchers. The dogs and cats actually navigate the traffic better than I do.  Cars will stop for them.  Many have tags showing that they have been neutered or spayed.  Albania takes care of its animals.  The strays that we have encountered have been gentle and sweet. They are not fat but they are not emaciated either. They are Albania's strays but they are not outcasts.  They belong to every Albanian - and even to the two crazy teachers who visit.


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