There are no kibbles left at Ivana's shelter. We cannot let her dogs to starve!

1. In Serbia, Ivana is running out of kibble to feed the 50 street dogs that depend on her, they will starve if no one intervenes!

"Street dogs live in horrible conditions, they are exposed to danger on a daily basis: cars that can hit them, ill-intentioned people that poison them or even diseases... Sometimes I can't save them if I'm too late. I feel very sorry for them, but in our country people don't care and keep abandoning their dogs, that's why the number of street dogs never decreases!

Life on the street is hard for dogs, and even more so when it's as hot as it is right now: on an empty stomach, some of them don't survive starvation or disease... I would like to help more dogs, but unfortunately I can't take them all in at the shelter: the only solution I've found is to bring them kibble as soon as I can afford it.

The problem is that I don't have enough money to buy food for all the dogs. It's very hard financially and physically! At the moment, I only have 2-3 days of kibble left to feed them all, and I have already reduced their daily portion... I am afraid for them because when they are hungry, they are more likely to get sick. That's why I need this campaign to succeed, the lives of the stray dogs depend on it!"

2. Tigi won't survive long on the streets if Ivana doesn't bring him kibble.

"Tigi is one year old, he was kicked out by his owner and abandoned right next to the city's main railway station. He continued to live on the food that people left on their way to the station. I can't take Tigi into the shelter because I can't afford to save them all, I have to concentrate on the seriously ill or injured dogs...

He is a very nice and cheerful dog, but unfortunately, he lives in the station area because that is where the rubbish bins are the most full: he risks being hit by a train every day... When I bring him kibble, he doesn't have to look for food anymore, so he is safe! I'm afraid he won't survive long if I don't find a way to get him some soon!"

3. At her shelter, 47 dogs also depend on Ivana for food, and they too are threatened by the shortage of kibble.

"I take in the most vulnerable dogs at my shelter, I get them off the streets to give them a chance to survive: but if I don't have any food to give them, how can I be useful to them? I always try to feed both the street dogs and the dogs at my shelter, but at the moment I don't have enough for both...

At the moment I have two sick dogs who are in constant need of medication and are about to undergo surgery. I'm afraid that if this kibble harvest fails, the dogs will get worse: without kibble, the treatments that most of my dogs are receiving will not be effective. I have so many money problems that I can't cope with everything, I feel bad!

I do everything I can for these dogs, feeding them, caring for them, making sure their health improves. The problem is that without kibble, it's all for nothing. I'm really scared for them, this campaign is their only chance to survive!"

4. After being hit by a car, Malena has to recover from surgery and fight her illness: she won't make it without kibble!

"I found Malena on the side of the road last April, she had been hit by a car! She was probably left on the road by her owners, but she is so young she couldn't fend for herself... The accident must have been violent because her four legs were broken, so I took her to the vet as a matter of urgency, then to the shelter.

If her legs are better, she has now to fight against an eye infection! I give her medicine every day and I hope she'll get better soon. She also has neurological damage due to the stress she suffered in her former life: if I don't give her kibble, she will become weaker and her neurological condition will get worse... She won't survive!"

5. Lack of donations, pending adoptions, accumulation of debts: the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have weakened Ivana's resources, she can no longer buy kibble!

"When I was feeding fewer dogs, I was able to pay for everything from my salary, but now the number of dogs has increased and so have the bills... During the holidays, some people gave me leftover food, which helped a little, but it was not enough compared to what the dogs need every day!

Financially, it is impossible for someone living in Serbia to manage to cover all these expenses, and with the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, people can't help as much as they used to and when they do, it's never enough... We are really grateful for every little bit of help we get, but the debts we have accumulated with pet shops and vets are so large that they will soon stop supplying me with food and medicine on credit. I really hope this campaign succeeds, my dogs' lives and health depend on it!"

6. Ivana is not asking for money, but for kibbles to keep her dogs from starving.

“The love I have for my dogs grows stronger with every new dog that I rescue. Ever since I started a few years back, all my free time has been dedicated to them : in the morning before work, and then again after work. There is just so much to do at the shelter, feeding them, cleaning the shelter and checking the dogs in the streets. I would love to have more people willing to help us, but it’s always just a couple of us doing all of the work.

At the shelter, there is only one volunteer beside me. However, we have 3 friends that are helping us out by temporarily admitting some of the dogs to their homes. You know a lot of locals think we are weird to spend so much time and money on this cause, but I have never regretted making this decision to help  and rescue them. If I don’t, no one else will and the number of abandoned dogs will keep rising. 

That’s why, when I receive any kind of help I just want to do even more good for the dogs! The rescues require some sacrifices but whenever I save and bring an injured dog to the shelter, I know that he wouldn’t have survived if we hadn’t found him and helped him immediately! That’s how I know I make a difference!”

7. If this campaign succeeds, Ivana will not receive any money, but 1600kg of kibble, delivered from the Animal Webaction logistics centre in Serbia.

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

8. Ivana tries to raise help, awareness and funds, but she does not have enough support to keep up with the bills : she urgently needs kibbles to feed the dogs !

“In Serbia, no one is helping us and we don’t get any donations. Last year, I barely got any support, apart from Animal Webaction last October. As much as we are trying to rescue all the dogs we can, neither the locals nor our government bother to help us out. I did ask for some help online a few months ago but only one person abroad was willing to help. It made me so happy because it’s so rare : most organizations are already helping a lot of people and they are not able to support my shelter either.

My efforts to create some awareness paid off a little as I am in contact with an English organization “Balkan Underdogs” who helps us to give our dogs for adoption and also a French association that provides us with sterilizations. That means a lot to us but unfortunately neither of them have the means to buy us kibble.  

I hope the general awareness will be achieved among the people here and that they will sterilize their dogs and thus help all of us significantly. I hope people will realize that soon, and that the considerations given to the animals’ living conditions will change for the sake of my dogs.”

9.  Campaigns launched on Animal Webaction often fail.

When a campaign fails, Animal Webaction cannot deliver the collected products, the beneficiary receives nothing and the buyers get a refund.

10. In Serbia, street dogs are hunted by the state and ignored by the population, volunteers like Ivana are their only hope.

If you know of a foundation or NGO that could help Ivana, 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 Ivana's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you would like to drop by Pongo's shelter to help Ivana or if you would like to send her kibbles or a check directly, contact Ivana via Facebook (note: direct help is your own responsibility).

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