We cannot let the street dogs under Danijela’s care and those at her shelter starve!

1. In Serbia, Danijela will soon be out of kibble to feed her shelter’s 75 dogs. They will starve if no one helps!

“It’s been the toughest time since the pandemic, at the shelter… There are currently 75 dogs and their number has been increasing! I’d never seen such a huge abandonment rate before: many dogs are thrown out by people who end up considering them burdens! 

At this stage, the shelter has reached its maximum capacity so it’s hard to make sure all the dogs’ needs are met, despite doing my best… The economic situation in Serbia has led to a drop in donations and makes it very difficult for me to cover all the expenses, especially vet care and kibble: with ever rising prices, feeding the dogs has become a daily uncertainty! 

Each day, the amount of kibble I manage to get is spent and has to be rationed to feed them all; and it’s the cheapest available! Its lack of quality causes many dogs to suffer from diarrhoea, sickness, weight loss… I need this campaign to succeed so I can sleep peacefully at night, knowing that my dogs can have enough to eat, without impacting their health…”

2. Beba has cancer: the success of her chemotherapy and her very survival rely on this kibble delivery!

“Beba is 5 years old and I rescued her when she was very young: she had been hit with a sharp object on the head and was badly wounded! Although she fully recovered from this injury, she’s sadly been recently diagnosed with cancer: the vet found out she had a malignant tumour… She has to undergo chemotherapy soon and I’m worrying a lot! 

Despite her current health condition, Beba still manages to keep her cheerful spirit, although a bit shy… It is crucial for me to provide her with quality kibble during this time, as it would help her maintain a good immune system to endure the treatment process. Without kibble, the chemotherapy would be futile, and she would be at risk of losing her life!”

3. Danijela also takes care of 25 street dogs: they are threatened by the lack of kibble, too!

“I take care of more than 25 street dogs, located in two different areas: one pack is in one of the neighbourhoods and the other is nearby the landfill site… It's hard not to get affected by their terrible situation: they struggle to find food, living in the cold, in the snow, in the rain… There’s definitely a growing animal welfare crisis in Serbia: during the lockdowns, many people bought or adopted dogs out of boredom or loneliness, only to massively abandon them on the streets once the pandemic subsided! And many stray animals are mistreated or killed… Only a few people care about these dogs.

Hunger puts these dogs at risk, making them search for whatever unhealthy or dangerous thing to eat in the trash… So I do my best to keep them all safe, but without much resources, I can only feed them once a day, with cheap kibble or bread… They don't eat enough for this harsh season and it makes me feel awful! But I never know how much kibble I can get one day after another: with inflation and scarce donations, the amount I manage to buy can only get smaller each time. I’m scared to be completely unable to get kibble!  If this campaign fails, it will be a nightmare: their immunity is already weak and if I can’t feed them anymore, diseases and starvation await…”

4. Little Rita and Lola were abandoned in a box: they're far too fragile to survive without kibble! 

“Rita and Lola are two sisters who have recently arrived in the neighbourhood area: someone had left a box with a litter of 5 puppies in it, among the pack of street dogs. I sadly don’t know what happened to the other 3 puppies, they’ve disappeared… Rita and Lola are the only ones left. They’re so vulnerable, they need all the support they can get during this crucial stage in their lives!

I’m taking care of them in a makeshift shelter; it’s the best I can offer them, as I sadly can’t take them to my shelter. Life in the streets is a dangerous environment for such young dogs, their chances of survival are very uncertain and they would be nonexistent if no one took care of them…   

They’re still growing, their immune systems aren’t built up yet, so they need good nutrition to gain weight, stay strong and healthy during their growth! I wish they could find some warm and loving home soon, but in the meantime, they really just need me and this delivery to survive and make it through the winter without health issues…”

5. Danijela is struggling with debts and a drop in donations: she's out of solutions and this campaign is her last option to feed the dogs! 

“I have huge debts at the vet clinic! It's just one of many expenses I have to deal with when it comes to keeping the dogs in good health. The economic context isn't helping, with the crisis affecting people's basic needs, they don't have extra money to donate, and it's been even harder since the pandemic… I receive less and less donations. 

My recent attempts to raise funds haven't been successful as well, so I'm quite pessimistic about the next attempts… I'm grateful for the support I get from 2 French organisations, helping me with fundraising, but even with their help, I still struggle to buy kibble for all the dogs I take care of… They’re also impacted by the economy! 

I've received some help from a company, a few months ago, which helped me pay off some of my vet debts, but those are very occasional (and lucky) events... I don't have regular support to help me feed the dogs and right now, I feel like I have nowhere to turn to... I can't see any options to get kibble other than this campaign…”

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

“I dedicate my life to rescuing vulnerable dogs on the street. I founded the association in 2013 after realising that these dogs have little chance of survival without help… Since the pandemic hit, the abandonment rate has shot up, which makes my job even harder… This past year has proven to be one of the worst in every aspect! The low adoption rate impacts my ability to care for the dogs: I cannot rescue new ones if none from the shelter gets adopted! The only people who call are looking for hounds, guard dogs or shepherds… I know what that means for the dogs and I don’t want this kind of existence for my dogs!

But the sad irony is that it's better for the dogs to be on the streets than in the local pounds: most of them are cruel, horrible and violent places for dogs… It's a heart-wrenching reality! While it's never easy to see videos of animal abuse (in local pounds, in the streets…), it’s very necessary to raise awareness of these dogs’ terrible fates! I’m glad that more people are becoming aware of animal cruelty and are following me on social media… My work is important, but I cannot do it alone. I appeal to people not to turn a blind eye to animal cruelty and hope for change.”

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

Animal Webaction has a logistics centre in Serbia which allows us to intervene quickly and deliver kibble.

8. Danijela's supporters did everything they could to help her: she desperately needs this kibble delivery to feed the dogs she cares for! 

 "I receive the help of two organisations regarding vet care, adoptions, fundraising or donations… They do their best by publishing my needs on their social media to try and gather funds, but they cannot do more as all organisations are affected by the downturn in the economy. Their help is therefore limited but still absolutely priceless for the dogs I care for… 

I often hear things like “Oh she helps dogs while there are so many hungry children?”... But we, animal rescuers, are helping innocent beings… We’d be the first to help children! This is a sad comparison… Besides, a dog is a being that feels emotions, just like humans… So when one sees an innocent being in distress, how can they have a heart and not help it, if they can?…

I continue my actions in favour of dogs because, if I didn’t, the situation would be catastrophic: the streets would be filled with dogs and so many would not survive! I've somehow managed all these years, but I cannot make it on my own, it’s too hard… I need all the help to keep on rescuing and feeding the dogs!”

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. 

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

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

If you wish to go to the association's shelters to help or if you want to send her directly some kibbles or a cheque, contact Danijela  (note: direct help is done on your own responsibility).

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