We cannot let the 120 dogs at Benjamin’s shelter starve!

1. In Bosnia, Benjamin is running out of kibble left to feed his shelter’s 120 dogs. They will starve if no one helps!

"We have 120 dogs under our care at the shelter and their number has unfortunately been steadily increasing as people keep abandoning their dogs in the streets… It’s so hard to maintain satisfactory living conditions in a shelter so full, as we’re struggling with fundings and kibble supply.

Now, we’re running so low on kibble that what we have left will only last two more days, as long as we mix the portions with old bread! Indeed, we’re confronted with a substantial decrease in donations from the local government, which is unable to provide as much kibble as before the inflation…  

The cold winter months are coming and we’re worried about how we will manage to cover the dogs’ needs without adequate food and more means… We desperately rely on the success of this campaign: without kibble, our dogs won’t get through the winter and make it to spring!”

2. The shelter is full and dogs only have low-quality food to survive on: the lack of kibble will severely impact many dogs in distress! 

“At the shelter, we currently feed the dogs with a mix of old bread and low-quality kibble… The problem with this food is its lack of nutritive qualities: the dogs don’t get the proper amounts of calories, nor do they build up enough energy or strengthen their immune system to face the freezing Bosnian winter…

Besides, it’s already such a challenge for us to continue running the shelter, being at full capacity, that we sadly can’t rescue any street dogs at the moment… It’s a tough existence, out there, especially during the winter - they sleep outside, exposed to the elements…

We can’t offer other vulnerable dogs a roof and right now, we even lack the means to provide them with a bit of food! It’s difficult and mentally overwhelming to be unable to get kibble during this season: it’s the worst that can happen to the dogs!”

3. Mali is emaciated and hungry: she needs this kibble delivery to put on weight and be in better condition! 

“Mali is a 5-year-old Belgian Shepherd who has been stuck at our shelter for over a year, with her 2 puppies. She was living in the streets with her babies and they were brought to us after being spotted in someone’s yard - it's very likely that she was just trying to survive outside, taking care of her litter… Because of her aggressiveness towards other dogs, it's sadly very unlikely she'll get adopted.

Mali is hyperactive, like most dogs of her breed… To stay healthy and in good condition, she should be eating big quantities of high-quality food. Yet, she struggles to put on weight and remains particularly thin due to the low amount of nutrients she gets at the shelter… We’re scared her health will deteriorate if we don’t get kibble to feed her properly…”

4. The shelter has lost sponsorships and the donations are too scarce: this campaign is their last and only option to get kibble!

“We lost sponsorships that helped us buy kibble so, now, we can only count on donations to cover these expenses… The latter have remained unchanged: they’re occasional, which doesn't allow us to cover all of the shelter-related expenses and kibble supply. Although we receive some food from the local government, their help has been decreasing so, alas, it’s not enough for what the dogs need… We also organise online fundraising, but it's not enough at this stage to fix the kibble issue.

We even have to cancel some of our actions, like sterilising strays - indeed, our debts at the vet clinic are just too big for us to cope with! It's a constant struggle for us, having to juggle between dedicating money to pay back vet care bills or to buy kibble. These are the priorities for our dogs: we want them fed and healthy, one aspect cannot go without the other! Now, it's difficult to continue like that with such limited means and a rapidly dwindling food supply. We've exhausted all possible solutions to get kibble…”

5. Benjamin is not asking for money, only kibble to keep the dogs from starving.

"I can't stand to see animals suffer and I always find reasons to keep helping them! We created the shelter to take care of stray dogs and we managed to take many of them in: our goal has always been to protect dogs from people and people, especially children, from potential dog attacks… For a while, we even managed to dramatically decrease the strays' population in the streets! Then, more and more dogs started to get abandoned in our city and the shelter has been full ever since! Locally, our actions aren't recognised much. People only see the benefits without wondering why or how it was made possible…

Even throughout the last few difficult years, we’ve been able to make a difference regarding the strays’ situation, despite a steadily high abandonment rate… But the shelter definitely lacks support and manpower! I can't help as much as I used to because of my health: caring for the dogs and shelter has taken a toll on it. We have too few adoptions each month and we feel helpless: the dogs’ situation in our area is sad and they deserve a better life, in caring homes…”

6. If this campaign succeeds, the shelter will not receive any money but 1440 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. Nova Nada's supporters have done their maximum to help, but it's not enough to keep feeding and saving dogs: this campaign cannot fail! 

"It's been a constant struggle to find organisations to collaborate with... Our volunteer Amela has reached out to many organisations, but either they haven't replied or refused… We may have some support from the local government and from a Belgian organisation (mainly for adoptions), but it's just not enough to solve our current kibble problem. We're hoping to have a partnership organisation at the beginning of next year, but there’s a lot of uncertainty around that! 

My fear is that we'll end up losing our historical donors because of the recession... I hope the local government will recognise our importance and increase funding; after all, we constantly get calls from them or local people to collect dogs from the streets! But we just no longer have enough space, resources or kibble to take more of them in… We really wish this campaign will be successful, so we can get the much needed kibble for our dogs!”

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.

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 directly send them some kibble or a cheque, contact them via the association's Facebook page (note: direct help is done under your own responsibility).

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