The history of the organization began in 2001, when the Charity Fund "Assistance to Stray Dogs" was registered in St. Petersburg. In 2007, the Charity Foundation "Help for Stray Dogs" was accepted as a member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals of Great Britain WSPA.
The shelter is intended for animals that need urgent help: animals in need of veterinary care; animals with car injuries; animals that have suffered from human abuse; animals left alone due to death/illness/refusal of their owners; animals whose lives are in danger of being caught and euthanized...
The principles of the shelter: We firmly believe that an ethical attitude towards animals is one of the basic conditions for the moral health of human society. We make no distinction between the sufferings of any living being capable of feeling. The life of any living being is valuable to us, and we fight to the end for each of them.
Faced with a cruel choice of who to help first, we first help the most defenseless, the weakest; the one who needs it most. We are united by a common worldview and common goals; in our activities we give absolute priority to the welfare of animals and do not compromise on issues related to their interests.
Shelters contain a large number of elderly animals, because one of the principles of the Foundation is "to do the maximum to save the life of an animal."
Shelter pets are frequent clients of clinics, as many animals entering the shelter need veterinary care. Therefore, in 2009, veterinary specialists began working at the shelter on Bolshoy Smolenskoye, who provide assistance to the pets of our shelters and animals from other shelters in the city.
The shelter is equipped with ultrasound and X-ray diagnostic rooms, an operating room, a hospital, and a laboratory. Animals in need of veterinary care can receive it in the required amount without leaving the shelter. If specialist advice is required, we contact partner clinics.
Upon admission to the shelter, a personal card is created for each animal, where data on vaccination, sterilization, reasons for admission to the shelter, data on physical condition and character are entered, and a mark is placed with the date of transfer to the family. All animals in the shelter are under the supervision of staff and veterinarians around the clock.
Feeding animals is a very important and responsible process, because each pet has a special diet, depending on individual characteristics. Some animals require special/therapeutic food for health reasons. Along with the feed, the animals receive medicines and essential vitamins with trace elements.
Shelter workers keep special diaries to monitor and track indicators such as feeding time, number of meals, serving size and weight of the animal. There are about 350 dogs and 230 cats in shelters and feeding such a number of animals is a serious challenge!
The shelter operates through donations. Someone supports you with money, someone supports you with various things. As they say, everything will do in the household. The volume of incoming aid is huge, and it takes a lot of time and effort to sort and sort things.
Animals are like children and the elderly: without the right to choose, they are not to blame for anything and are often not needed by anyone. — Yanna Serkova.
It is very warm in the room where cats live. As it turned out, for a reason. Cats really like it when the temperature is above average. They are happy, well-fed and sleep a lot. Once you enter their territory, they instantly surround you with communication and affection. And now it's time for dinner...
When dogs go out for a walk, they behave like puppies. For them, a walk is an opportunity to throw out the energy that has accumulated in the aviary, and shelter workers have to keep order in any weather. According to employees, sometimes it is especially difficult to walk with dogs in heavy rain or frost.
Work is work, especially since dogs will not understand human fatigue.
They don't have enough communication as it is.
Some pets do not approach people, they are afraid. They look with frightened eyes, run around and try to stay away. They are humanly sorry, they grew up in harsh conditions, without love and affection. The shelter's dog handlers work with all the dogs. Therefore, most dogs are well-mannered and do not rush at a person without a reason.
During a walk, dogs are encouraged with cookies for good behavior. This is a kind of currency that dogs really love and expect from humans. But for health reasons, not everyone can use this delicacy. In the photo below, you can see how a pet named "Svetik" eats cookies, and the neighbor on the right looks and licks his lips.
I can say with confidence that animals are loved in the shelter, but there is not enough love for everyone. And they, like small children, want communication, affection, care and to be faithful to their master. It depends only on the person whether the pet stays in the cage today or goes to a cozy house with a new owner.
Someone will be lucky, like, for example, Zigzag the cat, who recently left for a new owner. Unfortunately, not all pets find a family, but for everyone a shelter is a second chance at a new life...
I express my deep gratitude to Nikitina Kira Anatolyevna, Sheina Tatyana Anatolyevna and all the employees of the shelter. Special thanks to Dmitry Alekseevich Toloknov!
