TIAWC 2026

Sara Turetta is the founder and president of Save the Dogs and other Animals, an international organization initiated in 2002 with active projects in Romania and Italy.

Birth control and the identification and registration of dogs and cats are at the center of the activities carried out in both countries.

The organization is also known for its commitment to animals living within the most vulnerable groups of the population, whether they live in rural areas of Romania or on the streets of the metropolis of Milan. In 2022 and 2023, Save the Dogs and other Animals mobilized to help the animals of Ukrainian refugees, carrying out over 5,000 sterilizations in the war-torn country.

Sara Turetta and Save the Dogs have received a long list of national and international awards for their commitment and for the high standards of their work in the field, particularly at the Footprints of Joy center in Romania.

Alessandra Ferrari has worked in the field of animal rights since 2011 and has served as Head of the Companion Animals Department at LAV since 2021. A qualified dog trainer with a background in the cognitive-zooanthropological approach, she focuses on the protection and welfare of dogs and cats, with particular attention to free-roaming dogs and stray animal population management. In recent years, she has coordinated spay-and-neuter programmes across central and southern Italy, including the establishment of temporary veterinary field clinics serving free-roaming animals and animals belonging to people facing financial hardship. She also coordinates initiatives to improve access to veterinary care for vulnerable people and manages LAV’s Social Veterinary Clinic in Rome, which provides free veterinary care. In addition, she contributes to national and European initiatives on companion-animal welfare policies.

Since 2008, Ilaria Innocenti has worked at LAV in the fields of legislative work, institutional advocacy, awareness-raising campaigns and training. Until 2021, she headed the Companion Animals Area, focusing in particular on stray animals, deliberate animal poisoning and the illegal puppy trade. She prepared national reports on stray animals, analysing territorial differences and putting forward legislative proposals. She has also conducted analyses on puppy trafficking and contributed to prevention and enforcement efforts. Since 2021, she has worked in LAV’s Institutional Relations Office, which she has headed since October 2025, with a particular focus on legislative activity and institutional advocacy. She is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on legislation for the protection of companion animals and also provides training for police forces.

Anda Šandal Karić, LL.M., is a legal professional from Bosnia and Herzegovina, specialising in animal welfare and legal protection. She is the founder and president of the NGO Animal Friends Sarajevo, through which she has worked on hundreds of cases involving animal protection and the enforcement of animal-welfare legislation at different levels of government. With extensive experience in legal advocacy, institutional cooperation and animal-welfare policy, she has served on several commissions and working groups, including those involved in drafting legislation and bylaws related to animal welfare and protection. Her work focuses on strengthening law enforcement, promoting responsible ownership and achieving lasting systemic improvements in animal protection.

Elisa Teneqexhi is a Programme Manager at the European Union Delegation to Albania, where she works on EU cooperation and policy support in the areas of agriculture, food safety, veterinary and plant health, and fisheries. She has over 14 years of experience in EU and donor-funded programmes, with a particular focus on EU accession, IPA programming, institutional development, and policy and regulatory reform. Her work includes supporting Albania’s alignment with the EU acquis and strengthening national capacities in areas related to food safety and animal health, including the implementation of reforms under EU-funded programmes and the Growth Plan Reform Agenda. She holds an Executive Master’s degree in Planning and Economic Development of Rural Areas.

Tudor-Tim Ionescu is President of Totul pentru Animale, a Romanian animal-welfare organisation. He is also a canine behaviour specialist, certified dog trainer and ethologist, and a PhD candidate in Communication Sciences researching communication around violence against animals. His work combines canine behaviour, public policy, advocacy and public communication. In Bucharest, he has been involved in major animal-welfare policy reforms, including the development of animal-protection enforcement structures, measures to end the use of wild animals in circuses, efforts to move municipal dog management away from euthanasia, and the reform of the city’s animal-management policies and institutions. He also develops educational and public-awareness initiatives focused on prevention, responsibility and the human–animal relationship.

Born in Prizren, Kosovo, and living in the Netherlands for approximately 30 years, Sadri Sopi has long combined his work in the legal field with a strong commitment to helping vulnerable people and animals. Deeply affected by the suffering of animals in Kosovo and by the many appeals for help, he decided to take action by visiting animal-welfare organisations and reaching out to people in the Netherlands to work together on practical solutions. In 2024, together with a team of animal lovers, he founded Ani-Kos, an organisation dedicated to tackling the stray-animal problem in Kosovo. Thanks to the support of many animal lovers and organisations from the Netherlands, more than 5,500 animals have been neutered in just two years.

Ilir Kusi is a veterinarian, university academic and companion-animal practitioner based in Tirana, Albania. He is affiliated with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Agricultural University of Tirana and serves as President of the Albanian Companion Animal Veterinary Association (ACAVA) and as FECAVA representative for Albania. His professional and academic interests include companion-animal medicine, veterinary forensics, professional regulation, veterinary communication and continuing veterinary education. He has been actively involved in the development of the veterinary profession in Albania and in strengthening its cooperation with European and international veterinary organisations.

Nathalie Klinge is a Dutch animal-welfare advocate and volunteer who has been deeply involved in international stray-animal management since 2001. Over the past two decades, her work has focused on launching and supporting spay-and-neuter programmes across Romania and Turkey for SOS Dogs Romania and its Dutch branch. Driven by a commitment to systemic change, she co-founded and serves as a board member of the Stray Animal Association Netherlands (SAAN), an umbrella organisation that supports Dutch NGOs working abroad, particularly in navigating complex European and Dutch animal-welfare legislation. In this role, she regularly engages with the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture to advocate for policy improvements and works with governments and NGOs to promote humane and sustainable solutions for free-roaming dog populations.

Flora Tsilaga is Programme & Partnerships Manager for Cats and Dogs at Animal Action Greece, where she brings a lifelong commitment to animal welfare to the development of practical solutions that create lasting change. Her work is grounded in the belief that sustainable progress comes not only from helping animals in immediate need, but from working with communities to address the root causes of animal-welfare problems. She has developed and managed programmes focused on humane cat population management, community engagement, and collaboration with municipalities, veterinary professionals and local animal-welfare organisations. Most recently, she led Animal Action Greece’s three-year programme on Paros and Antiparos, combining large-scale sterilisation, population mapping, monitoring and community engagement. Flora holds a PhD in History and is particularly committed to evidence-based approaches that move animal welfare from rescue towards prevention, local responsibility and lasting positive change.

Alida Brkan is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with several years of experience in small-animal clinical practice and civil-society organisations. She joined Dogs Trust Bosnia in 2023 as a Veterinary Coordinator, monitoring spay-and-neuter programmes with partner veterinary organisations and supporting veterinary training programmes. Her work has contributed to the broader efforts of the Dogs Trust Foundation to establish sustainable dog population-management strategies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since early 2026, she has also worked as an Administrative Officer, supporting programme implementation and organisational activities. The dog and cat she shares her home with remind her every day of the importance of the human–animal bond and its role in the wellbeing of both.

Mia Čeifović Baltić is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Academic Specialist in Small Animal Clinical Medicine, with experience in clinical practice, veterinary education and animal-welfare programmes. She joined Dogs Trust Worldwide Foundation Bosnia in 2022 as a Veterinary Coordinator, where she coordinates veterinary programmes in collaboration with partner clinics and supports professional training and capacity-building for veterinary teams. Her work focuses on promoting high standards of animal welfare and contributing to sustainable and humane dog population management in Bosnia and Herzegovina. With a strong interest in education and continuous professional development, she believes that combining veterinary expertise, knowledge-sharing and strong collaboration can create lasting improvements for both animals and the communities that care for them.

Karen Soeters is the founder and director of House of Animals, one of the Netherlands’ most prominent animal-protection organisations. For many years, she has worked to expose animal suffering, challenge those responsible, and bring animal-welfare issues to the attention of the public, media and politicians.

Through House of Animals Investigations, Karen and her team have uncovered serious cases of animal abuse, neglect and illegal animal trade, often leading to official reports, legal action and criminal investigations.

In 2025, she expanded this work through the launch of the Animal Crime Unit (ACU), the first Dutch investigation unit dedicated specifically to animal crime. The ACU investigates animal cruelty and illegal animal trade, including cases involving organised criminal networks. Its work shows that animal cruelty is not merely individual wrongdoing, but can form part of broader structured criminality.

Vanja Bajović is an Associate Professor of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, and Head of its Legal Clinic for Animal Protection. Her research and professional work span criminal law and procedure, corruption and economic crime, digital evidence, and the legal protection and welfare of animals. Alongside her academic work, she is actively engaged in animal-welfare advocacy and in public and policy debates on improving Serbia’s animal-protection system. Her work in this field focuses particularly on responsible ownership, prevention of abandonment, illegal and uncontrolled breeding, effective enforcement and institutional accountability. She advocates an approach to animal welfare that moves beyond rescue towards prevention, responsibility, education and effective implementation of the law.

Valentina Grancini is the founder and legal representative of Prijedor Emergency and has been dedicated since 2012 to the protection of stray dogs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with particular attention to the situation in Prijedor. A graduate in the humanities and professionally active in theatre and teaching, she transformed her passion for animals into concrete commitment, first becoming a dog handler and later a dog trainer. For more than ten years, she has combined field experience and canine expertise in the rescue, care and protection of dogs, while accompanying her rescue work with ongoing awareness-raising and close monitoring of the issue of stray animals.

Born in Elbasan, Albania, Erza Cermjani completed her secondary education there before moving to Austria to study Applied Linguistics at the University of Graz. From 2016 to 2022, she worked as an Austrian lecturer through the OeAD at the German Department in Shkodër, Albania. Although she has lived permanently in Austria since her twenties, she has been actively committed to animal welfare in Albania since 2014. With more than 12 years of hands-on experience, she has developed extensive expertise in addressing animal-welfare challenges and promoting better conditions and long-term solutions for animals in Albania.

Kristiana Cabej is a software engineer and IT specialist at the Albanian State Social Services, and the founder and director of Bambi Foundation Albania, an animal-welfare foundation established in November 2023. Through Bambi Foundation, more than 350 animals have been cared for, receiving rescue, shelter, medical treatment, rehabilitation, vaccination, sterilisation and support until adoption. With a background in technology, business and digital communication, Kristiana combines professional expertise with a strong commitment to animal welfare, working to develop sustainable solutions for abandoned animals and to strengthen cooperation between animal-welfare organisations in Albania and internationally.

Liljana Breshani is a mechanical engineer and the founder, funder and director of the NGO Protect Me in Vlorë, a role she has held since 2012. She has also been a member of the Vlorë Municipal Council since 2016 and serves as co-administrator of Breshani shpk. Alongside her professional and civic engagement, she is the mother of two children and has remained continuously active in animal-welfare work in Vlorë.

Valbona Omeri was born in Durrës, Albania. She holds a degree in Social Sciences and a Master of Science in Sociology. For many years, she has been actively involved as a volunteer in animal welfare and the protection of stray animals.

Since March 2024, she founded and has been running Kolibja e Zemrës, an animal welfare center and association dedicated to rescuing, protecting, treating, and finding better lives for animals in need.

Caren Leong and Kenric Erickson left the corporate world in San Francisco, California, in June 2017 to travel slowly around the world. During their second visit to Shkodër, Albania, in 2023, they started a Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR) programme for cats. To date, Spaying It Forward has neutered more than 4,300 cats and approximately 600 dogs in Shkodër. They also run TNR programmes in Kotor, Montenegro, and Ipoh, Malaysia, Caren’s hometown.

They care for around 200 cats in various locations, managing every aspect of their lives from cradle to grave. They trap cats themselves and also coordinate with colony feeders and pet owners.

Having travelled to more than 30 countries, they hope to bring their neutering programmes to a sustainable maintenance stage so that they can resume their slow travels.

Aida Shabani is the Co-Founder and Director of Dandi Animal Rescue Mission, a registered animal rescue organisation dedicated to saving, protecting and rehoming stray and abandoned animals in Albania.

Based in Tirana, Aida brings 19 years of professional experience in managerial positions within Albanian companies and businesses operating across Europe. Her expertise includes supply chain management, finance, procurement, customer service and business operations. Fluent in Italian and English, she combines her professional knowledge with dedication and compassion to create a successful rescue story for each dog.

Driven by her love for animals, Aida is committed to turning every rescue into a story of hope, giving vulnerable animals a chance at a safe, loving and happy life with the dignity they deserve.

Dr. Monika Canco is a lecturer and researcher with a Ph.D. in Public Law, specialising in EU competition law, and an LL.M. in International and European Law from Radboud University in the Netherlands.

Her research focuses on EU integration, procedural safeguards, and human and animal rights. She has contributed to academic publications and legal training programmes, combining academic research with practical legal experience, with particular attention to the alignment of Albanian legislation with European standards.

She also has a strong personal interest in animal rights and animal welfare, particularly in the legal protection and humane treatment of animals.

Indrit Osmani is the Executive Director of Animal Rescue Albania. A lawyer by profession, he has experience in legal practice and specialised expertise in cybersecurity.

Actively involved in animal welfare since 2008, he has organised sterilisation campaigns, managed animal shelters, and coordinated rescue efforts. Alongside fellow animal welfare advocates, he played a key role in the citizens’ legislative initiative to criminalise animal cruelty, coordinating the signature collection campaign and presenting the initiative before the Albanian Parliament.

He has also filed numerous criminal complaints concerning animal cruelty and municipal animal management practices, including the killing of stray animals, the use of public funds, and concerns over transparency and accountability.

Combining legal advocacy with hands-on rescue work, Indrit remains closely involved in the daily care of rescued animals, shelter operations, and the challenges of sustaining an animal rescue organisation with limited resources.