We have opened new premises of the Ljubljana Animal Shelter with modern housing for dogs, new administration offices with a lecture room, space for volunteers and a service area. The investment is valued at 6.7 million euro, VAT included.

»The opening of the new animal shelter is an answer to the question of those people who wonder if animals are just living beings or sentient, as well. We don’t ask ourselves that question because the answer is clear to us,« emphasised Mayor Zoran Janković.

This concludes the first phase of the expansion with which the animal shelter grew from 1,100 m2 to 2,200 m2, and at the end of the project the overall square surface is going to be as much as 3,500 m2.

New modern premises of the first animal shelter in Slovenia

The Ljubljana Animal Shelter, the first animal shelter in Slovenia, is in operation since 2002. It admits and cares for over 2,000 abandoned animals each year, which is over one fourth of all abandoned animals in Slovenia. In seventeen years we admitted over 32,000 animals. We returned over 5,000 animals to their guardians and we found a new home for more than 10,000 animals. We treated over 11,000 stray cats and then returned them into their environment.

Capacities increased by half

The current capacities of the new shelter are 24 living spaces accommodating 72 dogs. With the conclusion of the second phase in June 2020 there are going to be 47 living spaces for 120 dogs at maximum capacity, which is 50% more than now.
Capacities for cats are also going to significantly increase, as we are going to replace the current substandard living spaces with 64 double living spaces which are going to be built in the second phase of construction. And so, new capacities are going to suffice for the accommodation of over 200 abandoned cats.
The new animal shelter buildings are designed in sectors making them highly adaptable to seasonal fluctuations in numbers and the structure of animals, and also with regard to the prevention of infectious diseases, as we can temporarily close off only the sector were an outbreak occurs and not the whole shelter.

»The culture of a nation is reflected in the culture of animal care«

Since the opening of the shelter the number of abandoned dogs has gone down by half which can be attributed to regulated ownership and more responsible dog guardianship. In the past a vast majority of dogs stayed in the shelter, and nowadays more than two thirds can be returned to their guardians soon after they are admitted thanks to microchips and the central register data.
The number of abandoned cats is still high and has been increasing when compared to the admissions at the opening of the shelter. On the other hand, the number of stray cats we are caring for is decreasing as a result of a successful ten-year-long project of castrating and sterilising cats without owners.
The number of other abandoned pets is also on the increase.