We cannot the 70 dogs living in Vesna's shelter starve!

1. In Bosnia, Vesna will soon run out of kibble to feed the 70 dogs at her shelter. They will starve if no one helps!

"We currently look after 70 dogs in our shelter. That's much more than our average, and there are 20 more at my father's who will soon have to be transferred here. Our adoptions are down sharply, and there are still a lot of dogs on the streets... Before the pandemic, our adoptions averaged 20 dogs a month. Today, we consider ourselves lucky if we adopt 2 or 3 dogs a month; some months there are no adoptions at all.

I do my best to provide good living conditions for the dogs at the shelter, but I have a big problem with the kibble supply. There are so many dogs and I don't have enough food for them all! I have no choice but to reduce the rations, and at the moment I'm only able to give them one meal a day...

The kibble I have left won't last even a week. I'm under constant pressure; every day I think about how to raise the money to buy kibble for my dogs. At this point, I really have no choice but to ask for your help... My dogs' survival is at stake!"

2. Vesna fears the looming kibble shortage will lead to deadly fights among the dogs!

"My biggest fear about the impending kibble shortage is that the dogs will fight each other and hurt each other because they're too hungry. That's my worst nightmare. Sick and weakened dogs would be the first to be in danger, as they don't even have the strength to defend themselves...

If that happens, I might have to close the shelter so they can try to find food on their own. I can't keep dogs and watch them attack each other or starve to death... It's an unbearable prospect.

As for stray dogs, if I can't feed them, they won't survive, that's a certainty. We help a lot of dogs in the Brcko district and take in many from the streets. Ultimately, without this kibble, all the dogs under our protection will be doomed... I'm afraid to think about it, it's so hard to deal with, mentally, physically..."

3. Amputated, anemic and underweight, Daisy has no chance of surviving if Vesna runs out of kibble...

"Daisy is about 1 and a half years old, we rescued her mother who gave birth to a litter of 7 puppies at the shelter. Daisy was born with a malformation in her hind leg, she had to be amputated. She's also anemic and underweight... When we spayed her, the vet noticed that her uterus hadn't developed properly while she was growing. Daisy is such a sweet, cuddly girl, but she has a lot of handicaps, frailties and health problems. She's one of the shelter's most vulnerable dogs, and will be the first target if the looming kibble shortage becomes a reality..."

4. Vesna has more dogs in her care than ever before, veterinary debts are mounting, she struggles to stay afloat and can no longer buy kibble! 

"Our main problems at the shelter are lack of kibble and veterinary debts. We always put our dogs' health first. If we have sick dogs - they have to go to the vet and get all the care they need. That said, since we don't have enough funds available to cover everything, our debts are piling up... They have reached unfathomable levels. We are also obliged to buy lower-quality kibble to compensate for our lack of funds, but cheap food always ends up costing us more in veterinary fees...

I try to develop sponsorships as much as possible. As soon as sponsors are found, I maintain regular communication with them in groups, sharing photos and updates, including post-adoption. This creates a special bond with the community that follows me and encourages people to renew their sponsorship, since the results are visible. However, the pandemic has led to a drop in our adoption rate, which means we have fewer happy stories to share, more dogs in our care and more expenses... This has put a strain on our already limited resources. 

The crisis seems to be affecting everyone, even some of the UK organizations that used to help me with adoptions have had to close their doors. It's simply impossible for me to finance everything myself, I'm not rich! If only everyone contributed 1.00 euro per month, I could pay off our debts, and not have to constantly worry about running out of kibble..."

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

"There are very few people in my town who are willing to help abandoned dogs. For example, I have to get up early in the morning (6 a.m.) or travel late at night (after 10 p.m.) to feed the dogs I care for on the street, because I have a problem with a man who lives in the neighborhood. He doesn't want me to feed them, so every time I meet him, we argue. Many people in Bosnia still believe that dogs are dirty, that they spread disease and shouldn't live inside houses, or that sterilization is a sin. It's very difficult to reach people and convince them to start caring for animals. But that's how I'm bringing up my children, so I hope the next generation will change something!

Even so, I think our association is having a considerable impact. When we started in the city, there were 2 vet stations, now there are over 10, there are also 4 grooming salons, 3 pet boarding facilities, which means we've had an increase in dog owners since 2016. Many people have actually adopted dogs from our association. I hope this number will continue to grow, despite the current economic environment.

I've also managed to find an organization that offers us free spaying and neutering, so I work hard to catch street dogs and make sure they get this crucial operation! My greatest reward in all my work is seeing an asocial dog in its new home. For example, I fed a dog on the street for 5-6 years without being able to catch him. When I saw him running in a park in Switzerland, I was ecstatic... It's things like that that motivate me!"

6. If this campaign succeeds, Vesna will not receive any money but 1360 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. 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. 

8. In Bosnia, stray dogs are tortured and killed illegally without anyone looking...

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 with each other.

If you represent a Foundation or an NGO for animal protection, please help Vesna's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

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

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