We cannot let this shelter's 150 dogs starve!

1. In Bosnia, Benjamin is running out of kibble to feed the 150 dogs at his shelter. They will starve if no one helps!

"As every year at this time, there is a real problem with ticks: the first heat allows them to multiply and transmit infections and diseases to the dogs in the shelter! The problem is that, at the same time, all the street dogs that have been abandoned without being sterilised are reproducing: I am therefore faced with an upsurge in the number of dogs in need, who, without kibble, will not survive the diseases...

I have always managed to avoid food rationing. However, I am financially obliged to reduce the quality of the kibble... Lately I've been buying even the cheapest kibble, which contains the least amount of nutrients, and which unfortunately can cause diarrhea and vomiting. To avoid this, I mix them with rice, bread, pasta, chicken leftovers: this diet is bad for the health of the dogs, I must absolutely avoid that this situation continues too long!

Today, I only have one day's worth of kibble left, so I'll manage to find some bread or other food with my own money until I find a better solution. Every morning the first thing that comes to mind is how I am going to feed the dogs. It's rare that I have enough kibble for a month, really rare... I feel sad and nervous, this situation worries me a lot!"

2. At the shelter, adoptions have stopped since the pandemic, while dogs continue to pour in from all sides: Benjamin can no longer afford to buy kibbles for so many dogs!

"When the shelter opened its doors two years ago, there were 50 dogs. Since the pandemic, as adoptions to Europe have become increasingly rare, the dogs are staying longer at the shelter. Today, the shelter has reached its maximum capacity with 150 dogs that need to be fed every day! I could totally let the dogs live on the street, but they live in such bad conditions that it breaks my heart... At the shelter they get love, attention, care and a chance to be adopted. Leaving them to die in the street is not an option, they have not deserved this life of misery...

At the shelter, we receive daily calls from the local government, the population, public services such as the police and schools, everyone calls us to warn us of a new dog in need so that I can come and save it. In addition to all this, in Bosnia, sterilisations are not paid for by the state, so the dogs continue to reproduce, despite our efforts and our sterilisation campaigns at our own expense... We are the only registered shelter in the region, there are a few people who take care of abandoned dogs, but the volunteers of my association and I are dedicated to the shelter 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, it has become even more difficult to run the shelter: there are more abandoned dogs who need help to eat, and the prices of raw materials are increasing. Recently I noticed that the price of kibble has increased by 50%, and medicine is also becoming less and less accessible... If this harvest fails, I don't know how we will manage to feed our 150 dogs, we urgently need kibble!"

3. Poor Aky has to undergo a major operation: he won't survive without kibble...

"Aky is a dog that I used to see walking through the streets looking for food. One day, I didn't see him... The villagers informed me that they had seen him near a lake, badly injured... When I found him, his leg was in a very bad state, he had probably been hit by a car.

Even if Aky is better today, the vet strongly recommends that he undergo an operation: break his leg again, and insert metal parts to allow him to continue walking on it... Aky is just recovering from his trauma, he will need to get his strength back if we ever want to pay for this operation and he can recover... This kibble campaign must succeed if we are to continue to care for Aky!"

4. Benjamin sacrifices himself for the dogs, but the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have weakened the association's finances so much that he can no longer afford to buy kibble...

"We receive regular support from the local council but unfortunately this is a drop in the bucket when it comes to running a shelter for 150 dogs. Fortunately, we have very good friends abroad who do their utmost and send us donations when they can afford it. Any help is welcome! The problem is that we don't get enough, and it's getting harder and harder to get them, especially since the pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine...

So we regularly publish appeals for help on our social networks, but no matter how much help we receive, it is never from people living in Bosnia: here, people live badly, they have difficulties to feed their own families, so I understand completely that the animal cause is not their priority...

At the beginning of the pandemic, one of our volunteers started making masks and all the profits were donated to the shelter. In June, all the volunteers and I will be selling our personal belongings to raise money to feed the dogs. We regularly organise this type of event, but it's not enough to get all the kibble we need..."

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

"I've been involved in the animal cause for as long as I can remember! I built this shelter to take care of dogs in distress, then one day the local government contacted me to ask if I would expand my land and become a shelter for stray animals in the city... That's how it all started.

Three years ago, people didn't let their children play in the parks and they accompanied them to school because they were afraid of stray dogs. Since the creation of the association, we have succeeded in changing people's mindsets, the locals are more peaceful because we take care of these dogs. Today you can see children playing in the streets because there are no dangerous dogs, I think we are really making a big difference.

It is important to involve everyone in the problem of the proliferation of street dogs. I try to do my best to get the local community to empathise and start helping with the kibble collection: if we can convince people, our work will be much easier and the dogs would be safe!"

6. If this campaign succeeds, Benjamin will not receive any money but 1920 kg 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 few supporters of the association have done their utmost and Benjamin's many appeals for help remain unanswered: this kibble campaign is their last hope...

"We do not have any kind of partnership with any organisation in the country or abroad! We have contacted many organisations, here in Bosnia and elsewhere, but all of them politely reject us, as they already support many other shelters in need... Any kind of donation is welcome, because we can't manage on our own anymore.

When we run out of food or need medical treatment for a sick dog, we post an appeal for help on our Facebook page. All these donations are small amounts, they come from individuals, because there is no organisation that is ready to help us with a more significant amount... I hope that this kibble campaign will be successful, and we will be noticed by an important association that can help us!"

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

If you want to come to Nova Nada's shelter to help Benjamin, or if you want to send him kibble or a check directly, contact him via the association's Facebook page (note: direct help is done on your own responsibility).

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