We cannot let this shelter's 55 dogs starve!

1. In Bosnia, Maya is almost out of kibble to feed her shelter’s 55 dogs. They will starve if no one intervenes! 

“I’ve unfortunately noticed a rise in the number of abandoned dogs in the area. I think the economic context plays a huge part in this; inflation, social insecurity or decreasing incomes push many people to abandon their pets… The majority of these dogs aren’t sterilised and therefore, the number of strays keeps growing.

Whenever we rescue a new dog, we have to spend a significant amount of money before they get into the shelter: initial vet check-ups, additional kibble supply… But all the prices have shot up, so getting kibble is a significant issue, it’s actually an ongoing struggle for our shelter! Our dogs currently eat rice, vegetables, or else, leftovers that we mix with a little bit of kibble… 

We try really hard to feed each and every dog, but we’re forced to cut back on the kibble to save it. Yet, although we substitute this lack with whatever food we have available, it’s not enough to fully meet their needs! Besides, in only a few days, we won’t have any kibble left in stock… Alas, as we don’t get substantial food donations, this campaign is now a lifeline for our dogs!”

2. At the shelter, many dogs are vulnerable and the lack of kibble has an impact on their health... If the campaign fails, their survival is threatened!

“Our lack of kibble is making things worse for our dogs, especially the most fragile of them; I'm alarmed as they aren't in a good shape and struggle to put on weight! I'm so worried about our older and sicker residents, as they need a more nutritious diet to stay healthy! Sadly, due to the current poor diet, most of them suffer from skin conditions and from various digestive troubles, which can rapidly make their health decline… 

There are still so many dogs on the streets and, as the only shelter in the region, we feel committed to do everything we can to help them! But unfortunately, the lack of kibble has a huge impact on our rescue work... We're always stressed out, wondering if we will be able to provide for all the dogs. We order less and less kibble from the supplier because with these prices, we can't keep up... With this campaign, we could finally make sure that the dogs eat enough for a while!"

3. Vilma’s low immune system is directly linked with the lack of kibble: without this delivery, her skin infections will never heal!

“Vilma is an eight-year-old female dog whom we rescued from the streets… She has wounds and abscesses on her skin that never seem to heal! It appears to be a recurring yeast infection due to her low immune system. It’s clear that these infections are a direct effect of the poorly nutritious diet she currently gets at the shelter!

Vilma is particularly at risk if we cannot provide her with proper portions of kibble that can help her skin condition. She needs higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to help cure the infection and facilitate her treatment…”

4. Financial difficulties are mounting at the shelter: galloping inflation and meagre donations no longer allow Maya to buy kibble!

“In the beginning, we relied mostly on our own personal funds to finance the shelter… We have been trying to innovate on different ways of funding, like auctioning off personal or donated items, but it seems like it's not enough anymore! We've had no luck expanding our network of donors… People seem hesitant to donate due to inflation and increases in life expenses.

Therefore, the shelter's financial situation has become very complicated! Indeed, the current economic situation has made it increasingly difficult for us to meet the dogs’ needs: prices have skyrocketed, especially for vet care and kibble.

We've had to postpone some surgeries and even delay improving and renovating the shelter, all because we prioritise food and redirect all the donations to fund it! We're grateful for our usual donors and the organisations that help us with adoptions, but when it comes to kibble, this campaign is our only hope! It will allow us to feed our dogs and we could then focus on other essential expenses for them..."

5. Maya is not asking for money, only kibble to keep the dogs from starving. 

“The main thing that motivates me to keep going is the happiness of the dogs: seeing them go from the streets to loving homes is truly rewarding, and makes all the effort we put in worthwhile! It’s a great feeling when we get to save a dog from the street and see them thrive once adopted. Currently, we have three employees but no one to volunteer at the shelter… 

On a local level, not much has changed and we continue to face the same issues when it comes to the treatment of dogs in general… Whereas the municipality is not involved in animal protection issues; it’s so frustrating that there are no functioning laws for stray dogs at either the local or national level! If people could help us spread awareness, volunteer, donate, or support our work in favour of dogs, we could save many more of them!”

6. If this campaign succeeds, Maya will not receive any money but  1360 kg of kibble, delivered from Animal Webaction's logistics centre in Bosnia.

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

7. The shelter’s supporters did all they could to help Maya, but kibble supply remains the biggest issue to solve…

“We’re not supported by any local organisations, but we do have help from abroad with adoptions! This helps us a lot, as they provide us with the means to get our dogs adopted in different countries, which helps us create more space in the shelter for new dogs in need...

In the last two months, we managed to send around 15 dogs for adoption, which is a significant increase from our usual rate of 2-3 per month! The main reason for this is word of mouth – people who have adopted dogs from us before have been recommending us to their friends and family - and I'm deeply grateful for this!

But despite our supporters' precious help, this is unfortunately not enough to meet our dogs' needs; we can only count on this Animal Webaction campaign to receive sufficient amounts of kibble to feed them!"

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 Maya, please invite them to contact us so that we can put them in touch.

If you represent an animal protection foundation or NGO, please help Hope's shelter dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch with Maya!

If you want to come to Hope VMS to help Maya or if you want to directly send her some kibble or a cheque, please, contact Maya via Facebook (note: direct help is under your own responsibility).

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