We can't let these abandoned dogs starve!

1. In Serbia, Danijela and Jovica are no longer able to feed the many dogs that roam the streets. They will starve if no one helps them!

"The situation for abandoned dogs is the same as it ever was – a never ending circle of dogs being thrown out, abused, we receive calls all the time. It is simply impossible for just the 2 of us to rescue all the dogs on the streets for lack of capacity, it is sad but we have no other choice, it wouldn’t be effective to just put a dozen of them in the same cage, it would be inhuman.

The best we can do for those left outside is to feed them, but even that has become difficult. We keep feeding about 20 of them on a daily basis, but we cannot do more, as we have barely any food left. We've already had to start cutting back food at our shelters, and have only 7 bags of kibble left.

Hungry dogs get weak and sick, they will roam around in order to try to find some food, they might bark at people and so people might report them or even worse, beat them, and just the thought of that scares us. We pray for these animals to be saved from this."

2. Still a puppy, Mali was recently thrown out on the street where he is unable to fend for himself. He depends on the kibble brought by Danijela.

"Mali is still a puppy, who was recently thrown out on the street, near my place. He is very fragile, and dependant on the kibble I bring him, as he his young, alone, and cannot manage on his own on the street.

Puppies are a big problem for us, since we have a lot of sick dogs at our shelters, and no space to isolate the youngest ones which are the most vulnerable. So we have no choice but to leave them on the streets, but need to at least care for them in the meantime, or they have zero chance of survival."

3. In their shelters, Danijela and Jovica care for 95 dogs, many suffering from illness or disability. They too are threatened by the lack of kibble, and will not survive a shortage.

"At the moment we take care of 95 dogs. The number is always similar due to our limited capacity – as soon as some get adopted, a few more come in... Since last year, it feels like it has no end, there are always more dogs in need. 

We have been cutting back food for more than a week already, as we have nearly no kibble left and need to save up. So we mix it with bread in order for them not to be too hungry for now, but we won't be able to keep this up for more than a few days.

If we don't manage to find kibble, they will suffer from hunger, get skinny, their health will weaken... Especially for those at Jovica's shelter, who are mainly handicapped dogs, already more vulnerable. We feel this dread, this uncertainty with food makes us we feel powerless and we can't control the situation. We are praying this campaign will succeed, because dogs depend on it, we don't know what we'll do if it doesn't honestly."

4. Terribly mutilated, Alf is suffering and has to undergo a major surgery. He needs kibble to have a chance to recover.

"Alf has been at the shelter for less than a month. Half of his muzzle is missing, we are still not sure how it happened, whether it was in dog fights, or from an attack from a boar. It is very problematic, because it stays very vulnerable, and he keeps hurting himself when he eats. He also has trouble breathing, and will undergo surgery in a couple of days.

Before he came to us, he was in another shelter where he wasn't fed well, and his injury wasn't treated, which is why we took him in : to give him a chance at a better life, and hopefully a home. He is very affectionate and also very good with the other dogs, but he would rapidly end up in a very bad condition if we couldn't feed him properly anymore. He needs kibble to go through surgery and its aftermath."

5. Donations and adoptions in decline, no subsidies, exploding veterinary debts... Danijela and Jovica can no longer buy kibble.

"The pandemic affected us like everyone else – it made things very difficult as there is less help than usual, since a lot of people have lost their jobs, so the donations dropped. Some have also become paranoid about adopting animals as they fear they might transmit viruses, so adopting is also much harder than usual.

We have no other means to afford kibble except for donations, we don't receive any money from the state, and don't have any stable support. We already have important debts at the vet, that are always growing since most dogs we rescue have some condition that needs to be treated, and there are always the sterilisations, vaccines etc... at the moment we owe 3.500 euros, which is a lot.

We don’t have any other options or anyone else to turn to right now, as we need to provide food on an everyday basis."

6. Danijela and Jovica are not asking to receive money, only kibble to prevent the dogs from starving.

"To have an association like this takes a lot of effort and sacrifice from us both. All our free time we spend with the dogs, we cannot just feed them and go away. We are either at the vet, the shelter, checking them up, tracking their behaviour, cleaning them, doing exercises with the handicapped dogs... You have no time for yourself in this, but we have no regret. Because when you save a dog, nurture him and find him a forever home – there is no greater reward than that, all the sacrifices are worth it.

We have tried so many times to wake people up, so many pleas, complaints, but sadly no one in the government has an ear to hear these problems, we fear that it won’t change. Our rescue is needed because if we don't save them, we're afraid no one else will. We won't be able to do this alone forever, we're human too.  We wish more people could help us, and get united."

7. If this campaign succeeds, Danijela and Jovica will not receive any money but 2000 kg of kibble, delivered from Animal Webaction's logistics platform in Serbia.

Animal Webaction has a logistics platform directly in Serbia, which enables us to intervene quickly and deliver kibbles.

8. Alone to handle everything, Danijela and Jovica are overwhelmed, and do not manage to find any further support.

"We are not supported as much locally as we are from other cities and abroad, people there understand what it takes to do all this and have much more empathy for animals. We have a lot of appreciation and adoptions from France – we are forever grateful for that! Yet here, people will look at you like you’re crazy for rescuing animals and saving lives. 

We tried to reach out a few times to other organisations, but we don't have any sponsor or partnership so far really appart from adoptions. We often conduct online fundraising – it’s actually the only option we have – it does help but is not always succesful. The problem is also related to lack of time, we have no employee and there is only the two of us. We do all the work from rescuing and caring for the dogs, to finding them homes, in the meantime repairing the fences or anything that needs repairing, cleaning and all the things implied by a shelter, while having a day job as well to fund our rescue.

The government would need to start caring about this problem, and gather funds for it, maybe then we would have a long term stability. But we really don't know if that will ever happen."

9. 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.

10. In Serbia, street dogs are hunted by the State and ignored by the population, volunteers like Danijela and Jovica are their only hope!

If you know of a foundation or NGO that could help Danijela and her association, please invite them to contact us so that we can put them in touch.

If you represent an animal welfare foundation or NGO, please help Spaske's dogs, please contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you would like to come to Spaske's shelters to help Danijela, or if you would like to send kibble or a check directly, please contact Danijela via the association's Facebook page (note: direct help is your own responsibility).

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