Hurray! Third weekend in a row this year, all dogs from all cages have been walked!
Admirations to all volunteers who took the courage and came, despite the negative temperatures. Actually, the weather was ideal for walks – sunny and warm J And the mood was, as always, cheerful – lots of laughter, lots of smiles, many new faces, many happy dogs, lots of chatting, and most of all – running.

I believe that I speak on behalf of everyone, when I say that the only thing missing was… a snow-plough! After the two days of constant snowfall, the territory of the shelter was a total hell… snow pits, holes, ice… it was a test, for us, the volunteers, to keep up with the pace of the dogs, to walk in the snow-drifts, to be able to stand, and to somehow remain with dry feet. But how could we complain, when the dogs, compared to us, were more than satisfied by the winter setting. They were wallowing in the snow, eating it, bathing in it, digging in it and playing with such a great pleasure, that we felt bad grumbling, and decided to behave like children as well by making a small snow-ball fight.

And this way, cage by cage, dog after dog, until we reached the cherished last cage number 21 and it was time to go home. And all of a sudden we realized its now even 4pm… we had reached such a fast speed inertia and played with such enthusiasm with our furry friends, that we wondered who else to take out so that we can remain in this idyllic situation J far from problems of life, serious people and the beginning of the new week. But, unfortunately, everything good ends, sooner or later. This is why, we would be expecting you next weekend again for new adventures and fun!

As you know – the dogs who get a chance to go for adoption abroad are the puppies and good-looking youngsters. The older dogs, the handicapped animals, the black dogs are very difficult to place not only here in Bulgaria, they have very little chance and are rarely wanted. This is the reason we are so excited about this group of 22 animals – they are not those tipical attractive ones, this is the group of the outcasts.

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We begin this story with Mata – a sweet-tempered former pet who was brought to us by the Municipal dog-catchers for neutering. When they unloaded her at the clinic we were shocked to find she had a crushed leg. She couldn’t step on it and when we brought her in for x-rays it appeared she had to have an amputation. Thanks to the generous help you sent for another dog in need – Bata, Mata received help immedeatly. Her leg was amputated and just a few days later she was already bouncing about happily.

Mata is a wonderful girl who deserves to have the most loving home. And she will finally be loved!

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We love Baloo, but he will not be missed at all. It has been years of effort to find this gentle giant a good home. Large and aging Baloo has been offered to every single contact we had abroad, but no one deared take him in. He seemed to large, he seemed too old of age, he seemed to unattractive…

Baloo is from the first group of dogs we transferred from Seslavci. He had been locked there for over a year when we took him. This means that the poor boy has spent over 3 years in cages, waiting for love… This wait is over now. That’s it for Baloo. From now on – he will be taken care of!

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Benny, Gora and Lucia are three attractive young ladies – very pretty, very friendly, also very young and very sweet.

Why they have remained in the shelter for a year without any inquiries is a mistery to wich we don’t have the anwer.

What’s more important is that these ladies will be happily rehomed in Germany in 3… 2… 1… NOW! 

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These veterans are not only veterans in the shelter, they are veterans of life itself. Lewie, Thea and Dara are three old dogs who would have most likely spent the last years of their lives in the Old dog Nurcery, slowly fading away without a single inquiry or interest from anyone.

Dara we picked up from Seslavci, where she was nearly eaten by her hungry inmates.
Thea was the dog of an old man – she was discareded by his relatives when he passed.
Lewie has been with us for two years, he was abandoned by his owners at Seslavci.

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Sweethearts Alex and Meggie have been with us ever since they can remember, but they have both seen how cruel humans can be…

Alex was dumped to be drowned in the river as an unwanted puppy. She was the survivor.

Meggie was born in a home and then threwn out, together with her 4 sisters. At the age of 3 months they were neutered at the municipal shelter and were slowly dieing when we crossed paths. All 5 have grown into sweet and good-looking dogs and are now big girls. Meggie is the first one to be rehomed.

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Karo and Nera – can you distinguish them from one another?

You’d be surprised, but these two are not related. Although both have amazing temperaments and are extremely sweet and easy-going they have not been asked for quite a long time now. Why? Because they are black.

Karo is 1,5 years old and he was raised in the shelter. His mother’s owners dumped him in a box together with his siblings, thus “taking care of it”… We can only guess how many more od Karo’s brothers and sisters have had to face the uncertain future of the streets…

Nera is a 3 year old lady. We took her from the municipal shelter of Seslavci where she had been taken in with her puppies. All her puppies had died and she was just a walking skeleton. She has been in Bogrov from the summer of 2010 – noone had ever noticed her…

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These are two of the very first nurcing mothers we took in – Alli and Brava. Both these ladies have been with us since the spring of 2010. All their puppies have been rehomed, but there was not a single interest in the mommies. No matter how good and friendly they are – dogs like them become simply invisible to prospective owners in the shelter environment.

It is a small miracle that these girls have found loving homes – they will be surely making their new families very proud! Because they are truly wonderful dogs.

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Now these three are simply the MOST adorable creatures! How in the world is it possible that noone wanted them?!

Izzy was abandoned on a parking lot as a little puppy. She was the size of a tiny kitten when we picked her up and has since then been with us.
Kathy is the most sweet and loving fluffy girl. She was a pet who had a hard time making it on the street when her owners kicked her out.
Jeanie is a pincher mix – a tiny lady who should have been rehomed a 100 times till now, but… wasn’t. Well, she is now!

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“Shy” – a word that equals a lifelong sentance for a shelter dog. But not this time! Not for Hawk! How this happened is a mistery, really… By all odds Hawk should have grown up in the shelter not knowing anything about a loving home. Instead he will soon be very “glucklich” with his new German family!

Hawk will be thinking of his sweet sister Bettany that he left behind in the shelter. She is a gentle, calm and loving little girl who also deserves a chance…

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Do you know what Sully, Seal and Naomi have in common? They are INVISIBLE!
What do you mean – you can see them? You can see them now, on photos, sure. But we can tell you for sure – these 3 become completely invisible at the shelter.

Sully and Seal are a brother and a sister, they came to Bogrov as tiny abandoned puppies over a year ago. Sweet Naomi also has a dearly loved brother, but he was not among the lucky few, young sweetheart Butch stayed behind.

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Would you be able to recognize Terry’s After/Before photos if you didn’t know it was him?

Terry is one of the 6 dogs we took from the Municipal pound of Seslavci - they were to be euthanised for their skin-desease. After their treatment the dogs have only to hope for loving owners. For now it is only Terry that’s had the good news.

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So, this is it! A group of wonderful dogs who would have most likely never had the chance of a loving home.We are very, very happy to know they are safe and cared for.

Once again we thank the Tierhilfe Sofia team. We also want to thank our boys Peter and Valko for driving the dogs safely to their destination – great job guys, despite the horrid weather.

Unfortunately we couldn’t find a sponsor for this journey, and were still lacking a part of the summe on the departure day. We didn’t want to leave these sweethearts here – it was their chance of a lifetime, so we had to borrow 700E to be able to complete this trip. If you would like to help us pay back the friend who answered our distress call, please donate for “transport” at our donation page. Thank you!

Benny, Gora and Lucia are three attractive young ladies – very pretty, very friendly, also very young and very sweet.

On Sunday we also had a children invasion in the shelter which made our day even more radiant and smiling. Seeing how children communicate with animals, find mutual language and have fun together is precious! And when all this is accompanied with the necessary parental guidance and senile mothers, well… you left us speechless! We hope for more families like these – united, responsible and loving animals.

Thank you, for not forgetting our tailed sweeties! They have only you, and are always with sharpened ears, waiting to hear the steps behind the corner coming closer – a sound that for them means – “They are here! Time for walks!”

Special thanks to Ilina and Metodi, who brought a whole cardboard box of biscuits and stayed until late on Saturday to help with walks, and to Ivaylo Nedkov, for the help to the senior volunteers on Sunday, helping for two.

Despite the expectations for a frosty week, we hope to see you this weekend in Bogrov, so that we can warm up many dog’s hearts together!

The 500 inhabitants of the shelter, however, would not be sad for long, because very soon the students would be back for new adventures and walks. Thank you, dear children! That you grow with love and respect to animals and give a good example to others of your age.
We are looking forward to see you again!

Dear friends, this weekend at the Bogrov shelter was one of a kind! All the volunteers were exceptionaly zealous, energetic and easy to work with. For the first time this year we walked ALL the dogs in the shelter. We also managed to photograph 4 full cages of dogs, had some laughs, spoiled some doggies and warmed up by a made-up fire.

Your four- and three-legged friends at the Bogrov shelter thank you from the bootom of their hearts. Thank you for your love that they feel weekend after weekend, for the ray of light you bring into their lonely days.

Both we and the dogs hope to see you again soon, because every minute spent with a friend is a true gift for our little gog-orphans.

Special thanks to Polly Samokovlieva and Venelin Iliev who made so many photos!
Specal regards and SEE YOU SOON to the volunteers of TIME HEROES, it is fabulous to get organized volunteer groups like this!

See you next week, until then – if you don’t have tails, make sure to wag your smile!

Kind regards to the donor who wished to remain anonimous for bringing us 70 kilograms of food!

And a big WOW! and THANK YOU! to the staff of HEWLETT PACKARD – HP, for the generous donation of 700 kilograms of food!!!

By the way, our website is made and kept alive by a now 5-year old HP notebook that is still a great performer! Well, with all this writing one of the “Shift” keys has passed, the mouseboard looks quite antient, but – the performance is still tops! Yeap, viva HP!

Thanks to George we also have very convenient numbers on the cage doors.

THANK YOU, Joro for making and installing the boards! Thank you Vicky for organizing everything!

The rules are only available in Bulgarian at the moment:

Dear friends,

as you know we work 365 days in a year. So there will be only small changes to our working hours this and the following weekend.

Bogrov Winter Holiday working hours

24.12 – standard working hours 08-17
25.12 – open at 08, closing early afternoon 14-15

31.12 – standard working hours 08-17
01.01 – open at 12, closing after 17

Last week was 10-th weekend in a row when all the dogs were walked for at least 10 minutes by the volunteers. The magic had to end some time, but it was a miraclie achieved, trully! This is how happy the dogs are to get some fresh air and private space:

Last Saturday was also great with the open dog-training lesson by Ivan Paskov. We will do it again in January.

Thank you, Ivan!

So, if for some reason you are not increadibly busy with your holliday life these days – you are very welcome to come help our dogs feel loved and appreciated. This year Santa will not be bringing them anything much, only more hope for adoption.

These sweet little girls and one boy all come from an abandoned litter. There were 10 of them, but only one little lady rameins with us – Amely who needs a foster home to grow healthy and strong. All these little ges will be having a home for Christmas. We wander if they have an idea just how lucky they are? From being dumped by the garbage to being loved in their own homes… yes, this is the hand of destiny!

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Lady Bonita! A girl we have had for almost 2 years now. She was one of the first dumped puppies we admitted to the shelter – just a handful of life. Bonita is a gentle, sweet dog with allot of love to give. Knowing she will be warm and loved fills us with great satisfaction!

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Hero and Hera were found in a sealed box, dumped along with their mother as tiny suckling puppies.  Our friends at Colonel Angels helped us rehome the mother and the puppies stayed untli they were vaccinated and grown. We thought it will be very easy to rehome them here, but instead they found happiness and love in Austria.

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Tashunko and Nikita were both fostered by our CEO Nadia Stancheva and her partner Svetlio Petrov. While Nikita was just a small dumped puppy who grew to be a huge dumped puppy, Tashunko was shot with an air-riffle in his bottocks. He had to spend many long months recovering from hardship and illnes, but is finally ready to go to his happy new life!

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Beatrice and Isobel are both cases of our youngest volunteer – little Betty. 13-year old Betty rescued Beatrice from a garbage bin and kept her till she had all her vaccines and was ready for the shelter. Isobel perhaps you remember as “The drunk” – a puppy we told you about a month ago. Isobel was rescued from drunk vagabonds by Betty. They were giving the dog rakia – the local alcoholic bevarage. When Betty brought the puppy over it was severely intoxicated and the vets were worried it won’t survive. But it did! And now Isobel has gone home!

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Buddy is an abandoned dog. He and his best friend Milow were taken care of by gentle people who found them after they were thrown out on the street.  Unfortunately the neigbours were threatening to poison the dogs, so Buddy came to stay in Bogrov. Shy and gentle Buddy couldn’t fit in and had the hardest of times at the shelter. We are very, very happy he will have a home where he can enjoy the happines of human companionship he craves so badly.
Special thanks to the volunteers who put many hours of hard work into helping him cope with the shelter environment.

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Charlese, Peter Pan and Romul have all been with us since they were tini-tiny babies. Sweet, funny, easy-going and very loving they will be great pets to the people who gave them a chance. Poor Charlese waited over a year to be seen, it is great to know she will never be alone again. And Romul – you know him from our calendar – this good guy comes from Kremikovtzi.

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Finally, the journey is over for Missy and Mecho! The two of them have found peace and safety in a wonderful home in Germany, with a kind, devoted new owner who will look after them and make sure they are loved. Missy and Mecho have went to live in the perfect environment for them. Hats off to Mrs.Makedonska who did miracles with them here. We are very happy to know these poor abused animals will be safe and loved till their last breath.

Mecho and Missy are two dogs that a monster had tried to kill by pouring acid into their ears. Twice.
Thanks to the care of Milena they were brought back to safety and prepaired for their journey home.

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ALL 10 of these jewels are what we call “boxers”. Because they were all dumped in a cardboard box somewhere. As you can see – they are all wonderful, sweet little ones, but it is very easy to imagine them living near garbage bins somewhere…

All these babies were born in someones yard from a mother that wasn’t neutered and then dumped heartlessly to find their own chances in life… These 10 were lucky… but how many more thousands don’t have their luck?

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The wolf mice – that is what Ice and North were called at their fosters. Regards to Zhasmina for taking such a good care of them!
These sweet babies are obvously the unwanted offspring of a pet, they were born from a stray mother who wasn’t neutered. The third brother is now chained as a “guard” somewhere. These two had the luck of leaving Bulgaria.

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Young lady Kara is another lucky fostered dog to leave for a happy new life! Her foster Srebrina took care of her many months and Kara became an easy-going, happy young lady. It is great she will finaly go on her own way with people who will love her much.

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And last, but not least – the lucky cats of the day!

Persian boy Garry is 5 years old. He was dumped by his owners and not quite sure how to handle all the change in his life. All this is now behind him, he will be very happy in his new home. Garry’s friend Panny was something different! Panny is a cat full of life and love, funny, energetic, very lively and sweet. She waited over  months to be found a loving home here in Bulgaria, but somehow people couldn’t recognize her qualities. She will be making an Austrian family very happy!

Black ladies Mimi and Ashley also got a stroke of luck! Mimi was the last one of the Black Pearls without a home. Ashley is a 5-year-old family cat who had to be quickly rehomed due to change in the family circuimstances. The great news is that both will be spending happy hollidays in their family environment.

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OUR THANKS TO:

• the colleagues abroad who help our animals fins the right people;
• teh foster parents and volunteers who make all the effort so the dogs are happy and prepaired;
• Peter, Valko and d-r Rossi for their great professionalism on this long and hard journey;
• our donors who make it all possible by supporting our work!

A generous donation was received at Bogrov, but unfortunately the keepers didn’t write down the name of the donor. Our kind regards to the people who brought 200kg of food and feeding bowls for our dogs!

We also thank our friends at Pfizer for donating 20 boxes of STRONGHOLD to the Bogrov doggies. Flea treatments are always greatly needed at the shelter, thank you!

And our HUGE thanks to our friends of LIDL once more! These are 500 kilograms of canned dog food they gave to the dogs of Bogrov! The help of Lidl is aboslutely priceless to the shelter.