Certainly, the problem of homeless animals exists in many countries. And, unfortunately, the beautiful Montenegro isn’t an exception. The uncountable quantity of homeless animals on streets of the cities became a pressing public issue.
There are a few reasons for that:
Difficult financial situation of the population in general, lack of education for children and youth on responsible treatment and love towards animals in families and educational institutions, the disinterest of the state makes most people indifferent to this serious problem.
Statistics shows that the majority of homeless animals were domestic pets in the past. Animals are adopted when they are small and cute, and then thrown out on the streets when they grow up or get sick. They can be handed over to a municipal shelter, even simply left on the street when owner moves to another city or if they disturb the visiting tourists. Thoroughbred dogs often share the same fate, especially if the dog got sick.
The main problem is that many locals don’t know elementary rules of animal ownership, like the need for vaccination, training and care. Sick dogs and cats aren’t treated often even if their diseases are curable and don’t constitute danger to people. Veterinarians of local clinics confirm that “it is easier for many owners to take a new cute puppy or kitten than to treat the one they have”. As a result the streets of Montenegro are full of sick, severely disfigured animals, doomed for a lonely, hungry death.
The uncountable quantity of homeless animals is also caused by a lack of culture of pet sterilization for prevention of undesirable posterity among locals. In Montenegro the tradition dictates that sterilization of animals is a “sin” and “against nature”. Then, in order not to take the sin of murdering week-old kittens and puppies upon oneself, it is accepted to simply throw them out in garbage cans or leave along the roads in dense bushes.
The state doesn’t show any interest in this problem. The animal shelter promised by administration of the city Bar has never been opened. There are no precedents of criminal prosecution or administrative sanctions on accounts of animal abuse. There are no programs of sterilization of homeless animals, no obligatory chip implantation for pets, no public service advertising aimed at development of humane and responsible attitude towards domestic pets. Aresult hundreds of dogs and cats, including thoroughbred, are compelled to survive on their own and feed from trash cans.
In some cities they are caught and brought to municipal shelters, but in those cities where municipal shelters don’t exist (for example, in vicinities of. Bar), dogs and cats are simply poisoned with cheap yet effective pesticides. Numerous complaints to such facts of poisoning and appeals to police in search of perpetrators had no result. Cases of mass poisoning of homeless animals closely before and after the tourist season are especially frequent. Unfortunately, even domestic “home” dogs often get into these millstones.
It is difficult to make big changes in a country alone without support from society and the state.
So for this reason we ask for your help. Only together we will be able to change this world which now doesn’t give much hope and chance to these abandoned and lonely little faithful hearts.
Reasons for creation of a private shelter
The municipal shelters existing in Montenegro (which are only three in the whole country) are often similar to small prisons for animals where they are put to sleep, or “mercy killed”, after 30 days if a new owner has not been found. And nobody actively looks for new owners. These final 30 days of their life they often are not fed at all, sleep on concrete, are entirely covered with pincers, and during winter season of rains when shelters get flooded the unfortunate four-footed darlings are compelled to huddle on the remained small dry areas without so much as a roof over their heads. Puppies here simply don’t survive because of the high level of ninfections and viruses. It is noteworthy that all dogs in shelters are, as a rule, friendly and people-oriented, they long for caress and attention from everyone coming in. Aggressive dogs that don’t trust humans seldom end up in shelters because they practically never get caught. It’s mostly the trustful and kind animals that aren’t expecting anything evil from people get into a shelter, and it is so hard for them to survive in such conditions of full isolation and loneliness.
The story of a private shelter
To help all these unfortunate animals Zhanna Kaganovskaya, the volunteer from Moscow, and her few assistants plans to open a private shelter in the city of Bar and to call it “Faithful heart”. Zhanna has spent nearly two years delivering food for homeless animals around the city and 2014-06-25 16.45.35leaving it near city garbage cans, finding new owners for puppies and kittens, providing medical treatment for street dogs and cats including hopelessly sick. But as always there is a pressing question – where to keep all foundlings before they find their new owners?
At the moment Zhanna Kaganovskaya rents the land plot which, with a lot of effort, was allowed for use for purposes for keeping homeless animals. We managed to put a fence in which, however, uneasy pets make holes every night and run out. The shabby shed doesn’t protect animals from rains. Every time after heavy rains both the shed and the site, being in the lowland, get flooded. Little puppies and kittens practically float in water, which reminds rather of sewerage plums and is a serious threat to health of unfortunate pets. It is impossible to look at it without tears.
That is why we need your help so much.
We want to create the first in Montenegro real private animal shelter.
Why private shelter?
Because it will become the only chance for survival and new happy life for many homeless animals in Montenegro.
The private “no-kill” shelter will save lives of several hundred homeless animals and help them find new loving owners. The private “no-kill” shelter will provide animals with decent living conditions, comfort and medical treatment, including the necessary vaccination and sterilization.
Goals of our private shelter:
– reduction of number of homeless animals on streets of the cities of Montenegro;
– developing humane and responsible attitude of local population, especially youth, towards pets;
– decrease in risk of distribution of diseases, dangerous to humans, carriers of which can be homeless animals
Tasks of our private shelter:
–catching and sterilization of homeless animalskeeping them for the purpose of finding a new home and owners;
– consultation of new owners keeping and training adopted animals during all their life;
– medical treatment of homeless animals for the purpose of preventing distribution of diseases, dangerous to humans;
– search of former owners of the lost animals;
– carrying out PR actions for the purpose of finding new home for homeless animals;
– carrying out educational actions to raise awareness among local population, primarily youth;
– increase involvement of the state in the problem of homeless animals in Montenegro (including by lobbying of laws for obligatory chip implantation for pets and creating a universal database, introduction of taxes for unsterilized animals);
– drawing attention of the public (including joint efforts with non-governmental public organizations and volunteers) to the problem of homeless animals in Montenegro by means of public service advertising, etc.
The planned financing sources
We hope to draw attention to the problem of homeless animals and financing for solution of this problem not only from local organizations and people, but also other foreign partners and charity organizations and funds. Certainly, the work of a private shelter will depend generally on private donations. However we also plan to open a small pet-hotel for dogs in which owners can leave the pets when they go on trips and vacations. The profit of this pet-hotel will be spent on needs of the shelter for homeless animals.
The private “no-kill” shelter is a new step to change attitude of the public towards homeless animals!
We believe that our project can improve the people’s attitude towards homeless animals, right all the wrongs and make the world kinder for us and our children!
We owe our existence to support of a large number of caring people who help us by all means possible. If you believe we are doing the right thing — help us! Bring your contribution to development of our project by any means you like or donate an amount convenient for you. We will be infinitely grateful!
Financial aid
The “Faithful heart” animal shelter exists only by virtue of charitable help of kind people. Certainly, we very much need your financial support. At the moment we need money to build a shelter, we constantly need money to buy animal food, parasite remedies, medicine, sterilization remedies, we always need supplies (disinfectants and cleaners, diapers for cubs, insulation materials).
We started the process of registration of non-profit organization (fund) in Montenegro, but unfortunately, it will take a lot of time and efforts, therefore currently all donations can only be transferred into the account of the founder of the project, Zhanna Kaganovskaya:
In Montenegro (foreign currency account)
ATLASBANKA 505-3010330049080-07
SWIFT: ATLMMEP2
Kaganovskaya Zhanna
All information on acquisition and spending of funds is in public access in the “Reports” section of the website.
You can also buy animal food for us in “101 Dalmatians” pet-shop in Bar, just ask the shop clerk to mark it “For Zhanna Kaganovskaya”. Be sure to tell Zhanna that you left animal food for her in the shop.
Financial support
You can help us with various kinds of financial support. We need animal food — both dry and canned, medications for animals —ticks and fleas remedies, vaccines, demodekosis and sarcoptic mange medicine, vitamin supplements, antivermiculars, disinfecting bandage and disinfectants, wound healing ointments, ear-drops and eye drops.
Help in adoption and advertising
Of course our main goal is to find new loving owners for our animals. We search for their caring hands in the most different corners of the world – in Serbia, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, France. If you or your acquaintances want to rescue a four-footed friend – come to us! We will do our best to prepare the necessary documents for transportation over the border to help our poor darlings have a new loving home!
And finally, you can simply share the information about our website with your friends and acquaintances!
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