We cannot let Svetjlana's shelter's 135 dogs starve!

1. In Bosnia, Svjetlana is running out of kibble to feed the 135 dogs at her shelter. They will starve if no one helps!

"We take care of 135 dogs at the shelter and most of them are vulnerable. Even if this number stagnates, we can’t take more dogs in as there is no available space anymore to do so and we’re having trouble getting dogs adopted... Besides, we were recently able to fill the last free places in the shelter because of a sad event: 16 of our puppies died from parvovirus… 

Our current stock of food can barely last for a week and I’m not talking about quality food: the dogs eat a mix of bread and low quality kibble… Since the beginning of the year, we had no other choice than reducing their portions and I know they don’t eat their fill at all! I can’t find any other way than this Animal Webaction campaign to get them proper food…

We’re out of money, indebted and there’s inflation: my pension remains unchanged while prices keep on skyrocketing… Additionally, the local government has stopped subsidising the shelter without any explanation… If I can’t get any kibble, the consequences on the dogs will be disastrous and I’m not sure how I’ll overcome this situation. They won’t make it, they’ll starve to death…” 

2. Svjetlana’s shelter is home to many vulnerable dogs: without kibble, their health will dramatically decline…

"Lacking good quality food is a real problem at the shelter. The dogs currently eat a mix of old bread and poor quality kibble… It’s unhealthy food but it’s the only thing I can afford right now to try and feed them. I’ve been rationing their food since the beginning of the year because we lack fundings, so we’re trying to stretch our stock as long as we can… 

There is no doubt that they should eat a little more than these reduced portions to be healthier… Most of the shelter’s dogs are fragile: there are many puppies and older dogs. The latter are the ones who are the most sensitive to the lack of quality food as they very rapidly lose weight - it lacks essential nutrients and proteins. 

I’m very afraid that the dogs will all get sick and keep on losing weight. This kibble campaign has to be successful to avoid terrible fates… So many of them rely on the food we can provide them with in order to survive, stay healthy and age peacefully."  

3. Nani is wounded, barely hears and sees: she needs this kibble campaign to build up strength, gain weight and age serenely at the shelter…

"Nani is fifteen years old and she’s been at the shelter with her brother and sister for a long time. Sadly, their sister died a few days ago. Nani and her brother are now the last two remaining siblings… She’s a quiet mid-sized dog who’s a little too shy and scared around people. That’s the reason why she never had the chance to get adopted... 

She is an old dog now and she’s going to stay with us until her last days... She relies on us and we can't let her down! She’s underweight and has great difficulties hearing and seeing. She also has a wound on her leg that requires daily treatment… She really needs this kibble delivery to happen to prevent her health from deteriorating further, to gain weight and not to lose her strength as she is getting older…”

4. Svjetlana is in dire straits and indebted: the inflation, the lack of donations and government support make her unable to buy kibble…   

"Our main problem is the lack of funding. We have many debts and no income… We can’t find any sponsors either. I used to finance the shelter with my personal money but I depleted my savings and I can’t borrow money anymore. The only way we can provide for the dogs is through donations. There again, there has been a noticeable change: nobody is donating anymore or if so, way too scarcely...

I feel frustrated, sad and miserable... I’m just worried and I don’t see how we can get kibble other than with this campaign... Being deprived of the local government’s subsidies, which they withdrew without any explanation, has really worsened our situation as well, since we used to get a small, yet still helpful amount from them each month…

The inflation in Bosnia really takes a toll on our finances as it affects every aspect of our lives and the shelter’s actions. Animal food has become unaffordable, knowing pensions haven't increased to adapt to these exorbitant prices! In that context, our debts keep growing, whether for dog food, veterinary care or other shelter-related expenses… This campaign is our only solution to get kibble for the dogs.” 

5. Svjetlana isn't asking for money, only kibble to keep the dogs from starving.

"We are the only organisation in the area that cares for abandoned dogs… If we don’t take them away from the streets, they’ll starve, get harassed or killed. No one wants to volunteer for the shelter, so there are just 3 employees to help me. I’m struggling to save these animals on my own… Nobody can accomplish anything if they’re doing it all alone! I wish there was more support from the local government and people… I think things have to change and improve at a country level when it comes to animal welfare in Bosnia. The political institutions have to get more involved in the cause. 

Strays still live in terrible conditions in the streets, are abused and mass reproduce due to the absence of sterilisation programmes. There are even hunters who pick and kill dogs and puppies… I know the shelter has made quite a huge difference in the area as there are fewer stray dogs... We also have limited the abandonments and do our best to promote sterilisation. We managed to have dogs adopted but the procedures to send dogs for adoption are ever changing and it’s always very tricky and long... When it comes to people’s awareness towards animals and particularly dogs, I’m sad to say it hasn’t evolved much and there’s still a long way to go. Perhaps it will start to change in fifty years!”        

6. If this campaign succeeds, Svjetlana will not receive any money but 1440kg of kibble, delivered from Animal Webaction's logistic platform in Bosnia.

Animal Webaction has a logistic platform in Bosnia which allows us to intervene quickly and deliver kibble.

7. The current inflation is affecting Svetlana's actions and her supporters' calls for help are unfruitful: this campaign is her last hope to feed the dogs!

“The only sponsor we have is a Dutch association and all the fundings we get are thanks to their actions only! They're doing a great job at promoting us and their help is very precious but their room for manoeuvre is also limited, unfortunately they can't help us to the extent of our expenses and needs...

A friend living in the USA has reached out to American organisations in order to try and find more support for the shelter. Her search hasn’t made any progress, as answers are still expected… I really hope we’ll find more donors and manage to get more dogs adopted to decrease the number of strays even further… 

We don’t have enough donations each year, and I am not talking about money but food. Roughly 40kg of food three or four times a year isn’t much considering the number of dogs we’re taking care of at the shelter… Animal Webaction’s help with this campaign is crucial to the survival of the dogs and the shelter!”

8. Campaigns launched on Animal Webaction often fail.

When a campaign fails, Animal Webaction cannot deliver the products. The beneficiary doesn't receive anything and the buyers are refunded. 

9. In Bosnia, stray dogs are tortured and killed illegally without anyone looking...

If you know of a foundation or NGO that could help Svjetlana, please invite them to contact us so that we can put them in touch with each other.

If you represent a Foundation or an NGO for animal protection, please help Svjetlana's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you want to come to Svjetlana's shelter to help her, or if you want to send her directly some kibbles or a check, contact her via the association's Facebook page(note: direct help is under your own responsibility).

10. If you make a purchase on Animal Webaction, it will be protected by our guarantees.