Bosnia and Herzegovina has an Animal Welfare Law which, like any other, has room for improvement and things on paper are always better than those in practice.
Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who own a pet are still not legally and obligatorily forced to pay taxes and insurance for ownership, nor are they obliged to pay travel insurance in addition to passports (possibly vaccines) when traveling, although this is already an established practice in the EU and the world.
The lack of these obligations certainly affects the easy decision to adopt animals, but also the easy abandonment of them, because none of these decisions fall under the strict penal system, and irresponsibility, even in the most extreme situations such as violence and animal torture, goes unnoticed.
Family member or economic cost
A pet is not a toy or an occasional thing that can be “taken” and that can be given up at any time, will be said by all those who know what responsible animal ownership means and how serious a decision it is in the end, because lifelong care for another living being is by no means “little thing”.
With responsible owners, pets become family members who are provided with everything necessary for a normal, safe and dignified life.
It is precisely for this reason that this decision is made only if we are able to cope with obligations of this kind.
Even though things are different in Bosnia and Herzegovina, even though there is mostly irresponsible ownership of animals, unjustified renunciation/abandonment on the streets, even though there is no organized adoption system, even though asylums are a special and often dark topic, even though animals are still, in the greatest proportion, viewed exclusively through the economic segment and not through the fact that it is about “living beings”, it seems that as a society we are far from experiencing a mental reform in terms of pet ownership.
Due to all of the above, in the overall situation, the information that from now on in BiH it is possible to insure your pet is pleasing and encouraging.
The first pet insurance in Bosnia and Herzegovina
ASA CENTRAL osiguranje is the first insurance company in Bosnia and Herzegovina that treats the insurance of pets exclusively in this specified way.
“We can proudly say that we are the first and only insurance company in Bosnia and Herzegovina that provides a specific pet insurance service, which includes insurance for dogs and cats.” , they told Akta.ba from ASA CENTRAL insurance.
Although this insurance company is the pioneer of this practice in BiH, with this service , we are slowly but surely moving towards changing the current settings, because it is known that other insurance companies in BiH will soon integrate insurance for pets.
Pet insurance is widely accepted in the EU, that’s why we were interested in whether this insurance company thinks that BH. market aware enough for more mass use of pet insurance benefits.
“We believe that Bosnia and Herzegovina the market is sufficiently aware and that the need has existed for a long time, but until now there was no availability of this insurance product. Education about the benefits of this type of insurance will further increase awareness and interest, and we are actively working on that.” , reports Akta.ba.
This is certainly important information for responsible owners, but there is hope that the spread of this practice will further influence changes in the legislative setting and that the rate of irresponsible ownership will be favorably influenced and ultimately increase the degree of responsibility and benefits for animal protection.
There is market interest
When asked how much BiH market interested in this service and approximately how many requests they had in the period since the introduction of the service, they say that the interest is high and that it is growing significantly.
“The mentioned insurance product has just been placed on the market, but interest is high and growing significantly. Considering that we are just introducing the market to the benefits of the new product, we have to say that we are pleasantly surprised by the great response and the number of policies concluded. We are glad that clients recognize the importance of insuring their pets as members of the family.” , stated from ASA CENTRAL insurance.
When it comes to the procedure, we were interested in how demanding it is in terms of paperwork and what it specifically includes.
“The process of pet insurance is very simple. Policies can be contracted with our sales representatives at more than 200 points of sale in Bosnia and Herzegovina or through the ASA CENTRAL webshop, where you get a 10% discount.” , they tell Akta.ba from this insurance company.
In a broader sense, unexpected veterinary expenses, urgent visits to the vet, an accident or illness of a pet, as well as material damage caused by your pets to others are covered.
In ASA CENTRAL insurance, dogs and cats can be insured, i.e. in a narrower sense, the insurance covers treatment costs, liability of pet owners, travel insurance.
Which pets and under what conditions can be insured and which cannot
In this particular service, dogs and cats that meet the following conditions can be insured:
- age from two months to seven years old, if they are being insured for the first time,
- microchipped,
- treated against external and internal parasites and intruders,
- vaccinated against rabies on time and in accordance with legal regulations,
- vaccinated against infectious diseases with the first two vaccines, according to the recommendation of the veterinary vaccination calendar and that.
There are also limiting circumstances for pet insurance within this service, criteria, or eliminatory conditions.
“According to the Terms and Conditions, those pets that at the time of taking out the insurance were under veterinary treatment due to illness or injury, if they are older than ten years and if they were kept under poor veterinary, health and hygienic conditions.” , explained to Akta.ba from this insurance company.
When asked how long and how long a pet can be insured for, the insurance company says that the insurance is concluded for a period of one or more years.
When it comes to the necessary documents from the owner, as well as from the pet, for the realization of the insurance service from ASA CENTRAL insurance, they say that it is enough to enter the breed, year of birth and the number of the pet’s health card.
“The policy is contracted depending on the age of the pet. Dogs and cats between the ages of 2 months and 7 years old can be insured if they are being insured for the first time, that is, animals older than 10 years cannot be insured. It is enough to enter the breed, the year of birth and the number of the pet’s health record.” , they stated for Akta.ba.
Practices in the EU
Animal welfare laws across the European Union also include mandatory pet insurance, primarily for cats and dogs.
Thus, owners of dogs and cats must insure their pets, and this also legislates and protects animals, and prevents irresponsible owners from unjustifiably abandoning animals.
On the other hand, this represents a kind of burden for responsible owners who would save more abandoned animals but simply cannot afford such insurance costs.
In Spain, for example, according to the latest data, there are over nine million dogs, which means that in Spanish households there are twice as many pets as children.
Thus, in this country since the end of last year, a new law on animal welfare came into force, which aims to promote the protection and prevention of animal abandonment.
The law includes an important requirement regarding civil liability insurance for dogs, which until now was only mandatory for breeds considered potentially dangerous.
In some regions, this insurance was mandatory, but according to the new law, it will be mandatory throughout the country, and for all dog breeds.
The law also states that those who decide to own dogs “must be accredited for a training course for dog ownership”, which will be valid for an unlimited period of time.
This training is free but mandatory in order for potential owners to “learn” how to properly treat their pet.
There are already pet insurances, some with liability only and others with more coverage that can be added, such as veterinary insurance or telephone assistance services.
Some insurances limit the age of pets – for example, from three months to nine years – and provide insurance options for other types of exotic animals, such as birds or reptiles. The price range can vary, from 50 to more than 100 euros per year.
When it comes to traveling with pets, there is the European Pet Passport and the EU Animal Health Certificate.
The European pet passport is a standardized document and mandatory for travel within the EU. It contains your pet’s description and details, including the microchip or tattoo code, rabies vaccination history and contact details for the owner and the vet who issued the passport.
The passport is valid as long as you regularly vaccinate your pet.
On the other hand, the EU Animal Health Certificate is another type of document with information about your pet (name, health status, rabies vaccination history) and is based on a standard EU form.
If you are traveling from a country or area outside the EU, your pet must have an EU animal health certificate issued by an official state veterinarian in the country of departure no later than 10 days before your pet arrives in the EU.
That certificate is valid for travel between EU countries for four months from the date of that certificate or until the rabies vaccine expires.
Along with the certificate, you should also have a completed written statement that you are traveling with your pet for non-commercial reasons.
This declaration is also required if your pet is traveling with a person authorized by you. In this case, you must collect your pet within five days of your trip.
NK
Source: akta.ba
