# Animal cruelty and negligence court rulings

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/animal-cruelty-and-negligence-court-rulings
> Updated: 2026-10-13T16:12:18.000Z. Sources: 14. Developments: 2.

Legal proceedings in the region have resulted in various sentences following incidents of animal-related violence and negligence.

In Ulcinj, a Macedonian woman was sentenced to 45 days in prison for the killing and torture of a Sharplanin dog. The court considered mitigating factors, including the defendant’s status as a mother and a psychiatric evaluation indicating “significantly reduced mental capacity,” noting the sentence serves as a “social condemnation of animal violence.”

In Thessaloniki, a Bulgarian national was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with a three-year suspension, for causing serious bodily harm through negligence. The ruling followed a May 2024 incident where a pitbull escaped a fenced area, killed a Maltese dog, and seriously injured the pet’s owner. The court converted the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor of negligent bodily harm, as intent to kill the companion animal could not be proven.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-13: Thessaloniki court sentences pitbull owner after fatal attack

A pitbull owner in Thessaloniki received an 18-month suspended prison sentence for a negligent attack that killed a Maltese dog and seriously injured its 57-year-old owner in May 2024.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/thessaloniki-court-sentences-pitbull-owner-after-fatal-dog-attack

### 2026-09-15: Ulcinj court sentences Macedonian woman for killing dog

A Skopje resident, Saška Stojanovska, has been sentenced to 45 days in prison by a Montenegrin court for killing a Sharplanin dog in Ulcinj.

8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ulcinj-court-sentences-macedonian-woman-for-killing-dog

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Cite as: Animal cruelty and negligence court rulings. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/animal-cruelty-and-negligence-court-rulings