A shelter worse than homelessness

My post today is about the county shelter in Varna, Bulgaria. I don't know the full regulations and details behind the way this institution is being run. But I do know enough to be outraged and heartbroken. And today I feel compelled to shine a light on the reality that pains me so. In the hope that awareness will help lead to change.

There are many thousands of homeless dogs in Varna and many, many more homeless cats. There is one county-run shelter. The shelter only takes in dogs. The animals are transported in this vehicle (or were when I last visited and took this photo).

 

There are two areas of the shelter. One is where the sick animals are housed (who are supposedly undergoing treatment) and where those animals that are post-sterilization spend a bit of time. This area is cold, wet, with horrible cement floors. But at least there are actual walls. 

 

Dogs are taken in for spay/ neuter and then returned to the streets where they were found. The less fortunate few are kept at the shelter in the non-medical section. That section of the shelter has no actual walls. The shelter is located on a hill outside the city and bitter winds and snow are a regular occurrence. Below is what the shelter looks like today.

 

Yes, there are dog houses which dogs of all sizes, personalities, and needs are expected to share. Needless to say, none of them are heated and you can only imagine how big the emphasis on hygiene would be in these conditions. 

 

There is nothing I can do for these poor souls and this knowledge makes me angry and sad. THIS is the reason why Animal Aid International collaborates only with non-governmental, volunteer run rescue groups in Bulgaria. THIS is why we advocate for spay and neuter. THIS is why every day we raise our voices for those who have nobody but us to speak on their behalf.

Black Ace D, Baby, and Boozer

Guest-written by Michelle, here are the stories of 3 special pets

Black Ace D.......

I met Ace @ the age of 13..... He was a Rescued SUPPOSED TO BE Champion Show Tennessee Walker.....

But.. He was stung by a bee in his right eye... And became Blind in that eye..... So... Of Course... The Owner wanted him DESTROYED..... ( Ya know.... He can't WASTE his $ taking care of a USELESS BLIND horse)

(BEING Sarcastic) A family friend Rescued him!!!!

When I met Ace... I was a TOTALLY SCREWED UP 13 year old!!!!!! TOTALLY!!!!!!!

Anyways.....

When I Met Ace.... Mr. Valentine told me..... You can walk him. You can Trot him... You CAN NOT RUN him. And, you can NOT turn him to the right.

Me being me...... Said yes ok....... (Thinking WHATEVER)......

But!!!!!

When I sat on this KING..... I felt AWE!!!! I felt SMALL !!!!!!!!!! ( I've been around horses since I was 3).... Ace put off a....... Sense of POWER!!!!!! COMMAND OF RESPECT!!!! 

Anyway.... We started off on our ride.....

As we're going along... I SWEAR... this horse and I are CONNECTING!!!!!

Well.... He keeps trying to turn RIGHT!!!! ??????  

Finally.... I think... OK.... AND LET HIM.

He turns Right...... And....... TAKES OFF LIKE THE WIND!

SWEAR!!!!! ( I was in HEAVEN & SCARED to death of Mr. V's reaction of me letting him run)..... Well..... WE ran all the way back to the house/ barn........

When we arrived.... Mr. V is WAITING..........My heart SINKS!!!!!

I KNOW I'm in trouble!!!!!

To my surprise...... Mr. V is GRINNING from ear to ear!!!! He told me he saw a CONNECTION between Ace & me immediately .. And he KNEW...... If it was MEANT..... IT WOULD BE!!!!!

I will NEVER Forget that day.....that was my Summer Vacation of 82!!!!

Well.... About 9 months later... ( April 14, 1982) My dad was Murdered @ his Store.....

I became an UNCONTROLLABLE teenager....... Uncontrollable!!!!!!!!!

My mom & step dad were @ there Wits End!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess they expressed their GRIEF/ FRUSTRATION to Mr. V..... And he had the PERFECT SOLUTION!!!!!!

Ace!!!!!!!!!!!

So..... October 20th...... 1983......... ( my 15th B Day) 

Here pulls up this HUGE 8 horse Trailor.     ( we lived in a city/ Residential.... neighborhood)......

And who backs out?????? Black Ace himself!!!!!!

This horse was my SAVING GRACE!!!!!!!!!

He TRUSTED ME!!!!! I LEARNED to TRUST him!!!

He CHANGED me!!!!!! He HELPED me!!!!!!

By 1984......

Ace was the Barrel Racer( Barrel Racing has RIGHT turns)/ Swimming/ English show Jumping STUD of the Barn!!!!!! And...... I was CHANGED!!!!!

:-)

Baby
I LOVE all "animals"!!!

They AMAZE me some times!!!!!

My Oldest "Child" Baby, is completely Blind... Thanks to Diabetes....

Yet.... EVERYDAY....she .. AMAZES  ME @ her ADAPTABILITY !!!!!!!! She KNOWS when to Zig and NOT Zag!!!!!!

She's LEARNED..... when she feels certain things....... I have to DO THIS......move left/right....... 

She might TRIP ME!!!!!!!! BUT...... She's Never once "Missed" the Doggy Door!

Yet..... Some people call Animals STUPID!!!!!??????

I BEG TO DIFFER!!!!!!!

 

Boozer

The AWESOME STRAY!!!!!!!!

I was  9 ears old....... I come out of our door and see this dog.    Standing in our DriveWay..... He was SKINNY!!!!!! Scared!!!!!! But FRIENDLY!!!!!!

I kept feeding him bits & pieces .... To get him closer to me!!!! I Coaxed him into the Car Port...... Then... Into the house!!!!! ( Mom  & Dad were at work) Tee Hee!!!!!! )

When my parents came home....... They were like........ UH! UMMMMMMM! NO!

I kept BEGGING!!!!!! SHOWING !!!!!!!! How SWEET he was!!!!

The 1st night.... Parents were.... OK! But he sleeps outside!!!!!!

Me: OK!!!!!! ( SURE)

Make a LONG STORY short.......

He slept IN MY BED!!!!!! That very night!!!!!

:-)

He was named Boozer.....

Because .... He didn't Lay Down.... He CRASHED down!!!!! Like he was DRUNK!!!!!!

LOL

 

How do I convey this truth?!

I am continually perplexed at how hard it is to convey the importance of the spay and neuter concept. I post a case of a mangled, broken, abused animal, with skin torn and bones protruding from its body and BAM! Donations and support  pour in. It's uncomfortable, nobody wants the poor soul to suffer. I really appreciate this response, don't get me wrong. And I am very grateful that we can heal a number of those animals and find them forever homes. But by doing this, we are only addressing a symptom of the problem rather than its actual root.

And then there are the the spay and neuter funds. (Animal Aid International runs primarily funds for the spay of homeless cats in Eastern Europe where the street cat population is out of control and the government doesn't help in any way. The initiatives are run as TNR - trap-neuter/spay-release). Spay funds always go very, very slowly, counting on a few key supporters to inch them along and getting very few shares, resulting in minimal exposure.

I really wish more people stopped and did the math. A homeless cat can have 10 kittens per year, starting at the age of 4 months old! Then each of those kittens starts having babies of his/ her own! The count grows so much and so fast that it is mind boggling. Every kitten born homeless faces a horrific life: horrible winters, starvation, countless diseases, human cruelty, hungry dogs desperate enough to eat kittens, speeding cars. The list is as long as you care to let your imagination go down this disturbing path. Most of the animals that AAI takes in all broken and mangled, are that way because of lack of spay and neuter! (Some of them were deliberately dumped by former owners). And just think about this: yes, AAI helps injured homeless animals. But do you know there are hundreds of thousands that never come our way because they are not yet injured... or haven't been found and quietly died from their injuries in a bush... or were hit by a car and died right on the spot? Or are simply, quietly, going to freeze to death or die of hunger tonight?

Spay and neuter is amazingly important. It is our only hope of having large-scale, long-term impact. So I urge you to keep this in mind when deciding on an initiative to support. And if you have a few dollars to spare today, please donate to our current 100-cat spay fund. Thank you!

A simple and meaningful life

Guest written by the wonderful Alejandra, this is today's personal story of a journey to rescue. 
 
My name is Alejandra. I’m from Guatemala, currently living in Redmond, WA. I support my husband with his non-profit (People Saving Animals) and by doing so, I’ve learned and grown as a person.

I recently learned about Oscar’s story and he made me reevaluate my life. Now that we are enjoying the holidays and getting ready for a new year, I wanted to share this with you.

“People Saving Animals” (Walter’s non-profit) in partnership with a rescue group, funded a spay/neuter event a couple of weeks ago in a very poor and dangerous community in Guatemala.

This is how I heard about Oscar. He brought his dog and three neighbors’ cats to this event. Oscar is a young boy who takes care of his sister, while their mom works as a security guard making minimum wage.  Only Oscar knows what he has been through, what his young eyes have seen, and what he has lived.

Knowing my country and the area where Oscar lives, I’m sure his house doesn’t have running water or electricity and instead of nice flooring or a carpet, they have dirt. I bet that all of the family sleeps in one same bedroom and even in the same bed (and it’s not by choice).

Sadly, I am not exaggerating. This is a sad reality in many areas in Guatemala.

But what got to me, was seeing Oscar’s picture. You can see innocence in his eyes, you can see that he is happy and you can see that he is proud of taking his dog to this event and getting him neutered.

I am sure Oscar lacks many things in his life, things most of us take for granted; water, food, warmth, safety, education, maybe even love and attention. But his eyes tell a different story.

This is what I learned from the three minutes that I spent getting to know more about Oscar’s story and what I plan on doing with my life:

1.       Have a simple life. Many times we spend so much time and money acquiring things and we never feel satisfied. Today, take a look at your life and your stuff, and make it simpler, make your life “lighter”.

2.       Be thankful for what you have. Sometimes we feel like we need more; more time, more money, more friends. Today, be thankful of the present, you already have more than most people. You already have enough…

3.       Do something good for another person or animal in need. It can be a friend, a homeless person, a stray animal. He/she might need food, warmth, love. Today, don’t be afraid to reach out, don’t look the other way, just do something (even what may seem little to you, might be the world for someone else).

Thank you Oscar for that simile, for making a difference in these animals’ lives and for having a positive impact in my life. The world needs more people like you.