Wednesday 9 January 2013

Serbia's Lost Paws.....and how we can all help




Now Ralph's looked at a few good causes but this is one that's really close to his heart as it's about dogs and well, I am one.  I'm lucky as I've got a nice warm home, well fed,  a coat to put on when it's cold and get loads of treats so despite the pathetic look I've got on my face in the picture I'm pretty lucky really.  Oh yeah and I've got my own laptop so I can write blogs.  As most of you know I spend a lot of time on Twitter too and it was just today that a Tweet appeared asking me to join and help Serbia's Forgotten Paws.....so I did join and I wrote this.....maybe after reading it you'll help too? 



Hana looking for her Forever Home

Serbia's Forgotten Paws aim to improve the lives and welfare of the dogs in shelters and cats in foster care in Niš, Serbia.

Jelena and dogsgroup was formed in January 2012 by three unpaid volunteers from across the UK brought together by their love of animals and the impact of the powerful images and distressing stories found online regarding stray animals and animal shelters in Niš, Serbia.  


The shelter they're supporting is run by Jelena Kostic, who has over 350 dogs in her care.





Food from Belgium, Austria & The UK
Other groups and individuals already assist with providing food, vaccinations, kennels and general care for the dogs and cats in Serbia, however they felt strongly that they could make a huge difference in improving the quality of life of these animals.

Achievement of this aim will require focus in many areas; they primarily aim to re-home as many animals as possible through adoptions in the UK and  throughout Europe however, there will always be some who will never leave these shelters. 
Maybe they're too old and scared, maybe they're just too damaged from the terrible lives they led before Jelena rescued them... For these dogs they must try to improve their lives through improving their living conditions. In order to do this they must also raise funds to purchase land for the 2 shelters to allow them to build warm, safe permanent enclosures and provide socialisation and opportunities to interact with other dogs and  their human carers.




see what the nice people have sent us!
There is little awareness in the UK & beyond of the terrible cruelty faced by animals in Serbia . They have access to many pages of reading material and links and stories which they feel it would not be appropriate to publish on this blog due to the incredibly disturbing content, including torture and abuse but if you wish to find out more about the life of a stray dog in Serbia, please contact them and they'll forward you the relevant information.

Perhaps most distressing and  unforgivable is the lack of will from the authorities to improve the situation. Although some Politicians are now making the right noises, as yet there has been nothing positive seen on the streets of Nis. 



ouch - vaccination time!
Serbia's Forgotten Paws are a positive and determined group of like-minded volunteers who simply refuse to sit back and accept the lives these animals are forced to endure. They have stood together, shoulder to shoulder with their friends in Serbia to say 'We care and we will help you!' 

As always with Ralph's blogs all the coloured words are nice links...please feel free to use them and find out more...but in the meantime please watch this video...



No comments:

Post a Comment