We cannot let the 350 dogs living in Vesna's shelter starve!

1. In Serbia, Vesna is almost out of kibble to feed the 350 dogs in her shelter. They will starve if no one helps!

"The number of dogs in the shelter has increased a lot in the last few months. On average, for every dog adopted, there are 5 dogs in need that come to the shelter; sometimes the ratio is even higher! I know all too well what happens to dogs here, people are very cruel to animals... A number of strays were recently killed by villagers in a town close to ours... Knowing all this, I cannot in good conscience pass by a dog in need. I prefer to take it with me to the shelter and give it a chance to live!

Every day I stand in front of the pet center to try and collect kibble but unfortunately I only get a maximum of 20-25 kilos a day; it's not nearly enough to feed 350 dogs! I use my small pension to try and fill in the gap but this is not enough either and I am unable to keep up with the current inflation...

The dogs have been eating reduced portions of kibble for some time now and I have enough to last another 2 days at most. Although it is better for the dogs to eat a little each day than nothing at all... this situation cannot last! Kibble is necessary for their survival, and they will need to build up their strength to get through the coming winter. It would be a disaster if this campaign failed!"

2. At the shelter, the lack of kibble triggers fights and prevents Vesna from continuing the rescues... The success of this campaign is vital for all!

"The shelter is crowded, dogs do not have enough food and they haven't learned to eat so little! I notice changes in their behaviour and it terrifies me. They are nervous, aggressive and bark a lot. The fights are also more and more frequent... I am very scared and I know that if the shortage of kibble continues, it will have serious consequences. I have a lot of vulnerable dogs in the shelter who will not be able to survive fights or hunger!

So far I have always done my best to take in every dog in need that comes my way, but the kibble shortage is such that it is simply impossible for me to help any new dogs at the moment until I have enough to feed them! All these dogs need kibble to survive, and they depend on me to get it... If I don't manage to get some, I will take it as a terrible personal defeat and the consequences for my dogs will be just as bad... This must not happen, we must not allow it to happen. The dogs need your help to not suffer!"

3. Emaciated and severely affected by a parasitic disease, Sasha will not survive without kibble!

"Sasha is 2 months old, I found him on the street. His immunity probably weakened while he was on the street, he picked up parasites and it eventually caused Demodex disease. The disease has spread all over his body, he has open sores absolutely everywhere. He has been at the shelter for a week now but his physical condition and health are still very bad, the road to recovery will be a long one for him! One thing is sure, without quality kibble in sufficient portions, his treatment will be ineffective and his chances of survival very low..."

4. The meager donations received are not enough to feed the dogs and Vesna's pension is too low to compensate... In debt, she can no longer buys kibble!

"In the past, when I stood in front of the pet center, people donated a lot of dry or wet food, but since the beginning of COVID and now the war in Ukraine, our in-kind donations have decreased a lot! Our monetary donations have followed the same trend, there are some people abroad who help me from time to time but it is less and less frequent and their budget is limited.

There are a lot of dogs in our shelter at the moment and we lack the funds to provide for all their needs, food, care... ! What little donations we receive have to be used to buy kibble as our dogs need to eat, but this constant juggling of priorities is not without consequences. Our debt to the vet is growing and we have no way of paying it back, my meagre pension is certainly not enough...

I feel bad, I'm worried and sick. Every night I go to bed at 2 a.m. with a headache. But I avoid going to the doctor because otherwise there is no one else to look after the dogs... It's overwhelming to have so many animals and not be able to feed them properly! All I want is for my dogs to be happy, healthy, playful and cheerful. But if we don't get help soon, none of this will be possible..."

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

"It was my love for animals that started me on this journey! I think deep down I never wanted to do anything else but take care of them. Many years later, my love for animals has not wavered and when I see how far we have to go, I think that my rescue work and my shelter are still terribly needed...

In Serbia, people are really merciless and cruel to animals, they drown them, hit them, do all sorts of things to them... Whether it's in my region or in the whole country, it's the same everywhere! It really worries me and makes me terribly sad. We have very few adoptions because we want our dogs to be treated like family members and a lot of people here still don't have that mentality.

I recently took back a puppy who was adopted because he was tied to a chain all day and it hurt him... It's not for lack of insisting that the woman shouldn't tie the dog up!  Adopting a dog or a cat is like having a child, it is a member of the family and should be treated as such. My actions can make small changes, but unfortunately they can't change people's consciousness and lack of empathy..."

6. If this campaign succeeds, Vesna will not receive any money but 1600 kg of kibble, delivered by 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.

7. Donations are too low and attempts to publicize her struggles do not bear fruit... Vesna can only count on this campaign to feed the dogs! 

When I started, people had sympathy for street dogs, they understood their plight better. Over the years somehow, people have stopped caring and I think the economic crisis has a lot to do with this change. So many people are struggling, they have other priorities...

I don't have any permanent sponsors or donations, or anyone I can rely on often. Everything is very uncertain... Not so long ago, some people saw how much we were struggling when the TV stations reported on our shelter, and they decided to help us. However, this is all very short-lived, after two days people forget what they have seen and that we exist...

I also tried to contact some local organisations to ask for help, but I always came up against closed doors. This country simply does not recognise the importance of animal welfare, all my attempts have been a total failure. Only Animal Webaction can help us get out of this predicament and feed our dogs for the next while... We have exhausted all other options."

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 Serbia, street dogs are hunted by the State and ignored by the population, volunteers like Vesna are their only hope!

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

If you would like to come to Vesna's shelter to help her or if you would like to send her kibbles or a check directly, please contact Vesna via the association's Facebook page. (Note: direct help is your own responsibility.)

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