An 11-month-old dog named Tedi is safe in temporary care after he was taken off a first-floor balcony in Zagreb's Srednjaci neighborhood, where neighbors say he'd been kept for months and beaten. Zagreb police have confirmed they're investigating. As of 13 October, no charges have been reported, and none of the allegations has been tested in court.

The case spread across Croatia on 8 and 9 October, after videos and witness accounts were shared on social media.

What is alleged

The claims come from neighbors and from a post in the Facebook group "Pomoć životinjama Hrvatska," as reported by Zagreb.info and tportal. According to those accounts, Tedi was left on the balcony in all weather, was walked for about ten minutes once a day, and was hit regularly. Neighbors said they had reported the situation to the authorities several times before, without a lasting result.

The accounts don't fully agree on who was keeping him. The witnesses quoted by Zagreb.info described a father and daughter as the owners. The animal welfare association Animalex, quoted by Dnevnik.hr, Index.hr and N1, said the dog was with a man who worked for a local employer. We're not naming anyone, because no one has been charged.

How Tedi got off the balcony

Reports of the rescue differ too. Dnevnik.hr first reported that people climbed onto the balcony and pulled the dog to safety. Animalex later said that a man suspected of the abuse was brought to the Trešnjevka police station for an informative interview, that Tedi was still on the balcony after that, and that it was the man's employer who finally took him off it. The head of the company told tportal they were horrified and were moving to dismiss the worker.

Animalex said it alerted the police, the city's municipal wardens, the State Inspectorate and Zagreb's Dumovec shelter, and handed over everything it knew. It also said the system is still too slow in cases like this.

A broken adoption agreement

One detail matters to every rescue and adopter. According to Animalex, Tedi was first adopted by a woman in Zagreb who then passed him on to the man, which the association says broke the adoption contract.

Adoption contracts usually forbid giving an animal away without the rescue knowing. This is why. Once a pet changes hands privately, nobody checks on it anymore.

What we know and don't know yet

Confirmed: Zagreb police say they're investigating the whole case and will put out an official statement once they've established the facts. Tedi is safe.

Not confirmed: police haven't said publicly whether a criminal complaint has been filed, against whom, or what happened on that balcony. The descriptions of abuse are allegations from witnesses and the association. Tedi's future isn't settled either. Animalex is looking for a foster or permanent home for him.

What it means for pet owners

If you see an animal being hurt, call the police. In Croatia that's 192; in Slovenia, 113. Note the dates and times and keep any photos or videos, but don't trespass or put yourself at risk to get them. Send what you have to the police and inspectors first. A post online is not a report.

If you've adopted a pet and can't keep it, go back to the shelter or rescue you adopted from. They'd much rather take an animal back than lose track of it.

We'll update this report when Zagreb police release their statement.

Sources