Posted on June 12, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
This is typical of the problems so many animal welfare organisations in Serbia have with authorities. They try to do everything correctly and every time the authorities and government just want to threaten them and take further actions, with the constant threat of closing them down and turning animals back onto the streets; or simply taking them and killing them all.
We are being informed of ongoing updates to this situation. At present we are not becoming directly involved as many supporting groups from Austria, Germany, France, Slovenia and Switzerland are already involved. We will add out voice if necessary.
I am writing you in the hope that you can help us to realize our rights and protect the rights of those who cannot do it for themselves. We have, since 2013, been running a ”Lassie dog shelter” project, designed as a temporary shelter for the most vulnerable dogs without a home, with no intention at all to work in the field of veterinary and utility services of zoo hygiene or anything similar to that, providing emergency accommodation for dogs instead. In addition to that, we have worked on educating the population and spayed/neutered a large number of privately-owned dogs and cats.
During these four years we have been trying to resolve the administrative part of the whole story, we have finally reached the end, the most disputable moment was that of legalization of facilities, we have submitted complete documentation, paid due fees per square meter of facilities, etc. … In any case, the local government REFUSES to issue us a decision on legalization. As to his political opponent, the president of the municipality has, in public, before witnesses, told me that as long as he was in office, I would not get that decision. It is, directly, an obstruction for me in the process of registering the dog shelter with the Ministry of Agriculture, and he knows it.
On the other hand, he keeps sending a municipal inspector who sends us to a magistrate and that goes on in circles. In this way, the local government hinders us from registering the dog shelter although it meets all the legal requirements and we have paid all the fees.
I am sending you this link so that you know what it is that we do.
Austria, Germany, France, Slovenia and Switzerland have participated in this project, we are the only ones in the Balkans who do this.
The Croats and the Macedonians have similar projects, working with cats, and we are the only ones who work with dogs.
Of course, as it often goes in the province, all the local self-government does about the problem of abandoned animals is either done the way it used to be done back in 1946, or contrary to the Constitution, the law and common sense.
The local government has an unlawful contract with “Avenija MB“, a firm from Vrnjacka Banja which is 700 km away from Bač, to provide veterinary and utility services of zoo hygiene. A large number of animals and a lot of money dissapear. My concern is that I would like our project to succeed, so that three or four years of joint efforts of a number of dog protection associations from several European countries do not, just like that, remain burried under a bunch of bureaucratic negligence and forgotten.
Thank you in advance for any advice or contact details of institutions or persons that could help us. Thank you for your time.
Posted on June 9, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Spring is now quickly turning into summer and keeping a cat shelter with around 130 residents going is still a full-time job and then some.
All of the cats are fed wet canned food once a day and then their dishes need to be thoroughly washed and filled with kibble alongside bowls of clean drinking water that are kept full all day long. T
he litter boxes that are kept inside and the two spacious outdoor litter boxes have to be cleaned two times a day, the floors of the cats’ rooms are being washed every morning and all of the kitty beds and pillows are shaken out. The chronically ill cats are constantly being given drugs and require being fed a veterinary diet; moreover, taking the sick kitties to the vet every day has already become a routine.
All in all, the expenses of keeping the shelter afloat are enormous and donations (which are usually few and far between) aren’t able to cover even a significant part of the sum needed every single month. We are forced to ask, beg and plead for help to purchase the canned wet cat food regularly, as we spend around 600 euros on wet cat food alone every month. Also, there is a worker who comes to the shelter twice a day and needs to be paid 200 euros per month, and in the case that we couldn’t afford to pay for her valuable and hard work, there would be no way to keep the shelter as clean as it is right now. We’ve exhausted our personal resources a long time ago, so now the shelter relies on the generosity of cat lovers from all over the world. If we are going to survive, we simply have to raise 800 euros each and every month for the maintenance of the shelter kitties.
Please, consider a donation of any amount and make a difference in their lives today! Every little bit really means a lot!
A couple of days ago, we first learned of Ebony’s existence from an e-mail we received which said that she was a young and cuddly stray that had been hit in the street and had “some broken bones” in the pelvic area, but the person who had found her couldn’t take care her for much longer, so we were supposed to step in.
The first news we received when we talked to the vet wasn’t good, as the X–ray exam showed that Ebony had a spinal fracture, several broken vertebrae and a dislocated pelvis. However, by the time we got to the ambulance to see her, she was able to stand up on all four legs and even took a few unsteady steps. Her spinal fracture is old, caused by either a hard blow she may have received when she got hit by a car or she even could have been kicked by somebody, and it’s highly probable that the same thing happened to her again when her pelvis got dislocated, as it’s usually the result of a traumatic injury.
In order to recover, Ebony will need at least eight weeks of cage rest, high quality cat food (she isn’t exactly in great shape at the moment) and Gabagamma capsules given regularly as a supplement. Luckily for her, she tested negative for FIV/FeLV.
If you could help us cover the costs of Ebony’s care please do so!
This tiny kitty girl and everyone here would be sincerely grateful!
Above – Help us get essential repairs done with a donation please !
Posted on June 4, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
I had a very nice e mail from Erika last week thanking me for putting the videos of the rescues by AAU (India) onto SAV. They are more than welcome for promotion of their great work and I said this to Erika in my response mail. (Mark – SAV)
So here is another couple of videos showing many of the excellent team at AAU – we know you will enjoy it and we hope that it will be a great inspiration to many the world over to get out and do anything they can to help animals.
Watch what it takes! A tribute to the loving caregivers at Animal Aid Unlimited.
You can see the video of AAU work which we posted recently by clicking on the following link – there is also a donation link here so that you can support their rescues if you wish:
You can see a lot more amazing rescue videos by just typing ‘Animal Aid Unlimited’ into the ‘Search’ box upper right on this site – then you should get access to all our old posts and videos relating to the rescue work of AAU.
For the team AAU of India.
If you look at the videos, you can feel a spontaneous admiration on two things:
On the ability of the rescuers to become even with very serious rescue processes. They deal with enormously difficult cases, which in Europe would only be undertaken by qualified forces, e.g. Fire brigade or animal rescue teams. That is the one thing.
The other is the expertise of veterinarians. It is felt that they can save almost everyone. Where are such veterinarians in Germany? We should send some to India, so they learn. Alone when my cat has diarrhea, usually takes a week, until my doctor gets the handle. And the Indian veterinarians even heal with deeply burned skin, which is destroyed to the muscles.
But there is also something else: the incredibly fast ability of the animals to overcome their shock, their trauma, their physical and mental injuries. We humans, in the similar case, would probably never recover from it.
But for this, all animals are capable, not just the victims in India. Animals have a strong mental world, have patience and courage when they suffer. And as soon as they are freed from their suffering, they forget it much faster than we humans and look forward to their new, happy life.
Such abilities we humans have no longer, or perhaps never had anyway.
We can learn a lot from animals.
And also from the innovative working methods of the AAU activists in India.
Posted on May 30, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear Mark,
Rejoice and be proud of the wonderful rescues you helped us achieve during the past two months.
This is a team effort–and as a supporter, you’re behind every smiling face and wagging tail.
Each video you see here has a beautifully HAPPY ending, so don’t be afraid to open them–we know you’re going to find these extraordinary stories of healing and hope absolutely uplifting!
SAV Comment – very sad starts; but every video ends up showing what can be done to help animals in so much need if people are prepared to accept that they are sentient beings just like us – they hurt, they suffer; but with the brilliant work of the team at AAU each and every one of these stories has a very happy ending. So don’t be afraid to watch – see what can be done for animals when the right, caring people come along.
IMPORTANT – Please go to the end of this post and make sure you give a donation to help AAU saving very sick animals – thank you.
Miraculous recovery of a wounded street dog collapsed in a ditch
When we got a call on our helpline to rescue an injured street dog we found an emaciated and almost life-less old dog in a sewage drain. She had a massive wound on the side of her neck infested with maggots and she was too sick to get out of the sewage water she had fallen in. She was utterly hopeless and had we not been able to rescue her just then, she would have certainly died right there in that drain, possibly within just another hour or two.
We rushed her back to Animal Aid Unlimited’s shelter and began her intensive treatment which would continue over the next 6 weeks.
Shanti wouldn’t be alive today if not for your generous help. She would have died alone, confused, in terrible pain and so scared in that awful sewage drain. The suffering she was enduring when we found her was unimaginable and something most of us will never come close to experiencing in our whole lives. Thanks to your help we were able to stop that suffering and replace it with comfort, healing and love.
We won’t let you die! 5 animals rescued from unbelievably close calls
Several of the animals you’re about to see in this video were going to die within hours and maybe within minutes–and in truly ghastly ways. But we got there in time, all hands on deck. And you–donors and supporters–you gave what it took to add people power, machines, vehicles and know-how.We’re pretty sure your heart will overflow for these incredibly brave animals.
The choice to make the world a beautiful place is ours.
Please donate today.
These animals were truly inches and moments from death. It’s hard to imagine their fear and suffering, as
they came so close to tragedy. And their relief when they were saved is unforgettable.
Your heart is sure to overflow seeing these 5 beautiful animals saved.
Love wins after a beautiful dog was attacked with acid
Unimaginable pain seared through her when this sweet girl was viciously attacked with acid. All the layers of her skin down to the muscle dissolved. When we rescued her, we promised her she’d have our love forever.
We worried that such cruelty might have permanently hurt her soul. But watch how Honey responded to love.
Most Indian police are not familiar with animal protection laws because the public rarely reports cruelty to animals. But Animal Aid helped make sure that Udaipur’s police ARE familiar with the laws. In April, we organised a workshop on animal protection laws for police officers in Udaipur, covering how to stop illegal cattle smuggling and slaughter, cruelty to street dogs, wild life poaching, and other critical issues. Outstanding presentations by People for Animals and Humane Society International, India, provided them with information and inspiration. The officers care about animals and Udaipur’s future of region-wide compassion has grown in a profoundly important direction.
Her beauty was locked inside a painful shell
Locked inside what was almost literally her shell, this street dog had such severe mange that barnacle-like crusting was taking over her body. Starving, her pain excruciating and weary from the itchiness caused by mange mites under her skin, this girl was close to giving up.
But that was then.
Healed, spayed, vaccinated, and loved, meet Cherry today.
Hit by a car probably just a few hours before we got the call on our rescue helpline, this little sweetheart couldn’t understand why his back legs just would not work. You can see it in his eyes from the first moment, his profound innocence and confusion. It doesn’t happen very often but sometimes, when nerve damage is caught early and intensive treatment and physical therapy is started right away, there can be reason to hope, and that’s what Georgie did. He hoped.
Well now we have some great news that he has finally left his adaptation facility in Bulgaria and that he is now in his new sanctuary home – feeling grass under his feet for the first time.
Here is the update from the Four Paws team that did the rescue:
Hi Mark,
I recently sent an email (below) about the Albanian bear Riku.
Rescued from private keeping in December, Riku embarked on a long journey from Albania to Bulgaria earlier this month. After his arrival at our bear sanctuary in Bulgaria, Riku remained in an indoor adaptation enclosure until he was ready to move into his permanent outdoor enclosure.
As you can see by the picture below, Riku is finally able to enjoy the feeling of grass beneath his feet in his new home!
A massive thank you for making a donation to FOUR PAWS in response to Riku’s plight.
It’s only because of your kindness and generosity that we can continue give bears like Riku a better life – thank you for making our work possible.
Posted on May 12, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
This story just breaks our hearts into a million little pieces. Lana is a two-year-old Labrador who was given up by her first family in October of 2015. Once again back at the shelter, the photo of Lana looking depressed when she was returned went viral, with dog lovers dubbing her the “saddest dog in the world.”
Lana’s plight touched the hearts of millions, but thankfully due to the success of the story, 4,000 adoption applications were filed and $15,000 in donations came pouring in to cover Lana’s care. Lana was adopted by a second family in Ontario, Canadia and we wish the story ended there. Sadly, this sweet pup was once again returned to the shelter by the second family after just a few months.
Now, to make matters even worse, Lana faces euthanasiaon May 20th at her current shelter due to overcrowding issues. Someone, please help Lana!
Rescue Dogs Match, a Canadian non-profit pleaded on Facebook for a foster or forever home for this sweet girl. “May 14th is Lana’s birthday (she will be three). Please help find her a Foster or Forever home. Lana only has until May 20th.” Look at that gorgeous smile!
Lana loves to be outdoors and not in “tight” quarters. Rescue Dog Match explained, “‘The best environment for her would be a horse or hobby farm where she can be outside most of the time ‘helping’ her person with the chores around the property.”
The rescue team is committed to supporting Lana and aims to find a family with the training and time to ensure Lana’s third home is her last. Rescue Dogs Match said on their Facebook page that they are currently reviewing all of the applications that have been submitted thus far and will provide an update soon.
Fingers crossed for Lana! If you’re interested in submitting an application of your own, click here.
Sadly, Lana’s story is not uncommon and 2.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized every day due to shelter overcrowding and limited funds. If you find this figure shocking, consider the positive fact that by adopting a dog you not only save a life but gain a loyal best friend. Whether you’d prefer a mixed breed or purebred, a young pup or an elder dog, a shelter near you probably has the companion you’re looking for.
If you’d like to get involved with your local animal shelter and help out dogs just like Lana, check out our guide to volunteering. And please, always adopt and never buy!
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 
