We cannot let these 500 dogs starve!

1. In Bosnia, Armina is nearly out of kibble to feed her shelter's 500 dogs. They will starve if no one helps!

“There are 500 dogs at the shelter, and their number has greatly risen in the past few months: more people have dumped dogs and puppies on our doorstep... We feel terrible, because we constantly struggle to find kibble; ensuring the dogs can eat is our biggest concern!

With inflation and the current economic context, the only type of kibble we can buy for the dogs is the lowest quality. And tomorrow, we won't have any at all, so securing kibble supply is now an emergency! If we don't get some quickly, their health will deteriorate very fast and there will be fights!

Our resources have drastically diminished; people seem less and less able to help us out financially, which tremendously limits our ability to buy kibble. If this campaign succeeds, the kibble issue would be fixed for a while. We’ll be able to keep our dogs healthy and safe, avoiding illnesses and fights..."

2. Leo has various bullet wounds and he’s gaunt: this kibble campaign is his last chance to fully recover and gain weight!  

“Leo is 6 years old and was used for hunting by his former owner… A month ago, we found him near the shelter, painfully emaciated and with a scar on his leg, left by a bullet wound… Like most hunting dogs we've rescued, Leo had bullet fragments lodged in his body, luckily none posing an immediate threat to his health… Alas, the practice of starving dogs to supposedly ‘enhance their hunting prowess’ is rampant in our country, which was obvious in Leo's case, with his skeletal frame.

Since his rescue, he's shown an intense, almost manic eating behaviour: he devours and gobbles up every last crumb of kibble at mealtimes... Each day it's as if he's terrified he'll never be able to eat again! He's so famished, he really needs to eat more... Besides, he doesn't even manage to put on weight and we're very worried about his health. If the campaign fails and we are forced to reduce the portions, it will put him in serious danger!"

3. The low quality kibble is almost gone at the shelter, putting the dogs' lives at risk: Armina fears dangerous fights if the campaign fails... 

“Kibble is a scarce resource at our shelter and as we’re nearly out of it, we feel very concerned about the impacts it will have on our dogs. When they’re hungry, their behaviour changes a lot: they grow nervous, more likely to get into fights. Besides, with such low quality kibble, the dogs don’t get enough nutrients and calories: many are really struggling to put on weight and their immunity will keep on declining if we don’t provide them with better kibble…    

If we can't secure more kibble and the campaign fails, we won't be able to buy food for any extended period. The last resort would be to ration the remaining kibble we have until there’s nothing left in the bags... The dogs will fight over what little is available, and I would be devastated if one of them gets hurt (or worse), in a fight!” 

4. There's a patent lack of resources at the shelter: too many debts, too few donations, inflationary expenses... There are no funds left to buy kibble! 

“In addition to the 500 dogs at the shelter, we have 30 others under our care on the streets and also, 15 under special care at my place and several more at Ina’s, the association’s president… It’s a huge amount of mouths to feed and none of them are sponsored… Because of the lack of resources, it’s never been so difficult to cover their needs! We have accumulated huge debts at the vet, to care for so many dogs…

Besides, donations have been consistently low, due to the economic crisis… Although people often respond to our calls for help, they aren’t able to donate much and support tends to fade away. Another concern, in the summer, is water supply: our well tends to dry up fast so we have to pay for water truck services almost weekly! We've also had to put on hold the shelter’s expansion, which is so important to improve our dogs’ well-being... Now with our fast depleted kibble stock and dwindling donations, there’s only this campaign left for us to feed our dogs!”

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

“My involvement with the shelter began about two and a half years ago when some puppies and their mother were abandoned near my house... I brought them in, started caring for them, and just never left! It's a job I enjoy, spending time with these dogs, offering them help - it brings me satisfaction. There aren’t many places here for abandoned dogs to be cared for…

We've been lucky to see 20-25 of our dogs adopted out to Italy in the past two months, but managing the shelter is like constantly fighting, with dogs continuously arriving! We're a small team for such an amount of dogs and we basically get one day off every two weeks… We struggle to find anyone willing to help out, despite offering to pay!

We get no support from local authorities, not even from Prijedor's city administration… We've learned to grow a thick skin, blocking out the negativity. Some people are supportive, but many others dump their responsibilities on us without a second thought about whether we have the capacity to handle more dogs or not…”

6. If this campaign succeeds, Armina 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. Calls for help are no longer fruitful enough and despite unfailing supporters, the association struggles to feed their dogs...

“Our support network is small, with ‘Prijedor Emergency’ (Italian NGO) being our most constant ally. We've had occasional help from organisations such as ‘Lilies of Hope’ (US NGO), or even from Bosnian natives living abroad… They've all chipped in to complete construction projects or raise funds for injured dogs, which is so valuable! But we struggle to have a steady flow of help: the support we get often comes in sporadic bursts, in reaction to our distress calls…   

We’ve reached out to other organisations for help, but to no avail… Our fundraising and food raising attempts mostly rely on Facebook and their success fluctuates a lot, depending on the reach of our posts… We're among the few left rescuing dogs here, but we can't do much on our own! It’s too hard to find the time or energy to both maintain the shelter and constantly fundraise — we need people’s support to keep saving these dogs’ lives!”

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 Armina, 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 Armina's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you want to come to Armina's shelter to help her, or if you want to send her directly some kibbles or a check, contact her 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.