The dog had puppies on the trip – had to be euthanized in the dock

The puppies were born on the ferry to Sweden.

At the port, they lacked passports and were euthanized together with their parents.

– I put them next to their mother and they started giving birth even though she was already dead, says Nada Bosanac.

Nada Bosanac, 69, lives in Stockholm and was returning from her annual holiday in her native Serbia. She had her two dogs, Lexi and Lora, with her. They have made the trip many times before. But this time Lora was pregnant. She gave birth on the ferry that would take them from Gdansk in Poland to Nynäshamn.

– I got a shock. They arrived earlier than I expected, says Nada Bosanac.

A few hours later the ferry docks in Nynäshamn. The puppies, for obvious reasons, do not have their papers in order. But even Lexi and Lora lacked certain documentation.

– They have Serbian passports, but I have traveled with them several times and there have never been any problems. No one has said anything.

Diade the dead bitch

At customs, she finds out that the dogs will not be allowed into the country. The puppies and the bitch Lora are to be euthanized, decides the Swedish Board of Agriculture, which sends a veterinarian.

– Lora was so happy and proud of the puppies, but then she got the shot. The vet told me to put the puppies on the ground, but I wanted them to be with their mother one last time. I put them next to her and they started to cry even though she was already dead.

Then the puppies were euthanized as well.

Can’t travel back

Erik Ringström is an infection control officer at the Swedish Agency for Agriculture. He cannot comment on individual cases but says that dogs are not allowed to travel before they are a week old or within a week of giving birth to puppies. In other words, neither Lora nor her puppies could go back from Sweden or be transported somewhere to be quarantined.

– Even if the opportunity had existed, the animals may be in need of care. There is no possibility to give during the up to six-month quarantine.

Licking away her tears

Male Lexi could have been saved if Nada had taken the ferry back to Poland, but no one left until the next day. Therefore, it is decided that Lexi should also be euthanized.

– He noticed that something was wrong. But I took him for a walk and gave him hot dogs. He licked my tears and I kissed him before he got the shot.

Owner’s responsibility

Erik Ringström says that it is the owner’s responsibility that the dogs’ documents are in order. Extra tough rules apply to Serbia and several other countries.

– There are several countries in the same category as Serbia – including Turkey and Iran – where there is no good control over the rabies situation in the country. Then it is required that the animal has undergone a special test that shows that it has responded to a vaccination and started to produce antibodies.

According to Nada Bosanac, everything was in order.

– I said they were registered and insured with Agria in Sweden. I guaranteed with my life that rabies vaccines and that everything was correct, the only thing was that they had Serbian and not Swedish passports.

When asked if the Swedish Agricultural Agency could not have been pragmatic and found a solution, Erik Ringström answers:

– I cannot comment on individual cases. But you have to remember that these rules exist to protect animals and people in Sweden from rabies. It is a disease that cannot be cured. It is not enough to vaccinate an animal and then say it is safe. That’s what I can say on a general level.

“I’ve been crying for three days”

But Nada Bosanac’s dogs never come back. She doesn’t know what to do now.

– That was my only joy. They have taken it from me. I don’t really want to live anymore. I have been crying for three days. My heart is broken. They were like my children.

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