Just 70 extra dogs for Kemal.

Loyal readers know that an asylum in a country like Macedonia cannot be compared with the asylums we know in the Netherlands or even in Spain.

Nothing, no structure, no fixed times, no lunch breaks or done at 5 o'clock. It is literally buffalo, 24/7.

There are no volunteers who continue cleaning if you are on the way to a vet with an animal for a long time.

Everything then remains and you are constantly behind the facts. And then when you want to go home tired, dirty and cold late at night, you get an urgent phone call:

“There is a dog or cat injured by the side of the road.” And then you go again…

It happens more often than you think that we hear that loyal helpers indicate that they really can't handle it anymore. “I am so tired of all the worries, financial problems, the hard work and the endless stream of new animals in need.

I hardly sleep, don't know how to go on, I can't take it anymore. But what should I do? I can't just leave the animals to fend for themselves?"

And sometimes… a well-known and previously reliable rescuer has already gone over the edge… For 10 years she has fought for the animals in a lousy country like Macedonia and really gave everything. Then she got burnt out and just couldn't take care of her 100 dogs properly anymore. In the end, it broke her mentally.

The Dutch foundation Happy Together for Dogs has been shocked and has found help. Kemal Neziri's shelter near Skopje was willing to take over the care of the dogs. Tribute to this man!

At the end of January, Kemal visited Daniela's shelter together with a vet. What they found there was too sad for words. Obviously, the animals hadn't been properly fed or cared for in a long time. Neighbors said they sometimes didn't see Daniela for days.

20 dogs had passed away… And at least 30 to 40 dogs looked terrible with very serious skin problems, all animals were clearly malnourished and in urgent need of medical care.

The first images we saw brought tears to our eyes. The animals turned out to have lived on bread alone for some time. As a result, there was no resistance to all kinds of diseases. Many animals were almost bald and some had not survived the winter cold. Sheer horror.

Kemal and his volunteer team now face the biggest challenge of their lives. He already took care of 130 dogs himself and now 70 will be added… And unfortunately no healthy animals that he can easily place in his own pack. To properly examine all dogs, they must be tested 1 by 1 for diseases and / or problems.

Some of them are already known to require surgery, a large proportion require medication and all dogs must gain strength through other, good nutrition. And many dogs immediately had to put on a jacket to prevent them from succumbing to the cold.

Due to a lack of space, not all dogs can go to their new home at once. They are gradually quarantined, go through all the investigations and only then can they be carefully introduced to their new pack.

Some animals are sweet and fairly social. They were the first to go. A handful of kibble in the back of the van and the hungry dogs will jump right in. Of course, those left behind are now fed and cared for as best as possible.

Gradually it becomes more and more difficult to catch even the most frightened and aggressive animals. The terrain is large and panicked animals are lightning fast. Often Maca, Kemal's wife, lures a dog to approach for an hour, but the very last animals were still there until mid-March. Only a few days before the appearance of this project, the last dog was also transferred and the site is empty.

The Dutch Mark van Zuiden from Happy Together for Dogs went to help and he keeps us informed of the progress.

Of course Kemal is not going to manage this financially alone! That's why we decided to give him and the pitiful creatures priority. They urgently need you and us.

The pictures speak for themselves... Please help these poor people forget their traumatic experiences.

Give them a chance for a healthy body and a new - hopeful - beginning.

You can help these animals directly by transferring an amount to:

NL16 INGB 0004 7841 60 Attn. Stichting Dierennood and quote: 'Aid project 166'

And we ensure that your donation will really only be used for this aid project.

With us there is no deduction for salaries, housing or unnecessary frills.

Or donate via the button below: