What would you do if someone’s dogs mulled yours as you were walking it on a lead?
Can you imagine the horror of it?

You go out for a walk with the two adopted dogs you love so much. Quiet and sweet elderly ladies, leads in your hand. You’ve been together for over a decade – the routine is a calm joy. As you walk in the summer morning – everything seems wonderful. You haven’t walked 50 meters from your house when the huge dogs of your neighbors run from behind. One of them lashes forward… and the lead in your hand sags – with your ripped-up girl at the end of it…

This nightmare happened to Olya Nikolova less than a month ago.
After years of terrorizing the neighborhood’s dogs – in the park and on the street, 2 GSD and 2 Rottweilers finally took a victim – her dog.
Little Shirley died hours after one of the Rottweilers bit her savagely – let off the lead and in the presence of his owner.

Rest in peace, Shirley…

You can read everything about the incident HERE.
You can see a report from the spot HERE.
We will only tell you that after so many witnesses and previous complaints, after so many letters to every possible institution, the only consequence for the owner of the aggressive dog will be a 50 Euro fine, by the Sofia municipality.

And for Olya… only the tears and horrid memories remain.
Many people would crawl into their shell, they would give up. They would say “I cannot have a dog anymore”. They would cling to the remaining pet as a drowning person would to a straw. They would hate the whole world. But not Olya.

Olya decided to rescue another dog.
Olya came to the Farm.
To be fully honest – her first visit was a little awkward. Everything seemed fine, the answer to each question – just as it should be… but why does this lady say so little? Why is she hiding behind her glasses? And why does she want to adopt Trudy so much? We have many better-looking, healthier, more cheerful puppies in the shelter…

Trudy. You know her well.
She is that little angel from the litter of abandoned puppies picked up in the forest who had a badly broken leg – you gave her a surgery. She was operated and the recovery was going well. Meanwhile her sisters didn’t wait for her – they left Bulgaria for new, Dutch families.

Let’s not stretch this unnecessarily.
Once you see all the ingredients it’s easy to work out the magic:
– Kind person with a huge heart – 1 pc;
– Sad puppy in trouble – 1 pc;
– A meeting in the Farm – 2pc;
No need for more explaining is there?

We’re not superstitious, but we also don’t believe in coincidence. Trudy and poor Shirley do not only look alike – the two of them also have surgeries on the back left leg.
 

Olya adopted Trudy as she was – a limpy, sticky, smelly puppy from the quarantine. With a big external fixture and surgical interventions ahead. She signed a contract, brought her home and gave her the name that worms her heart – Shirley.

Olya gave to Shirley-Trudy a new life, but even that wasn’t enough for her. She made a donation for the rest of the babies at the shelter and even decided to support us every month… What else can we say except – bless you, dearest Olya! Be happy, be healthy, let every day with Lizzie and Shirley be a joy for you! And may misfortunes stay away from you, so that happiness is a permanent resident in your home!

We are really happy to inform you that the three girls you gave orthopedic surgeries to have been operated and are already recovering nicely. They were difficult surgeries, each one had a complicated damage, but d-r Hristo Nikolov managed to fix the legs of all three of them.

The toughest one was Baby’s – because of the bad brake and her absolutely miniature size. It wasn’t sure till the last moment how it can be fixed, the sedation was really hard, but we hope Baby will grow up to be a healthy, happy puppy on four legs.

Mootsunka’s surgery was also very impressive – d-r Nikolov used a huge drill to fixate her joint in place. The poor girl’s joint was displaced completely, she is facing a long recovery, but you can already see in her eyes that the pain is gone. Hopefully in a month we’ll be seeing her run around happy and smiling like she used to be.

Ronja is recovering fastest in this group. She too had a bad brake, just over the knee joint, but just a few days after her surgery, she is feeling great and is using her leg a little. Such a cheerful and lovable girl, come see her, she will make you smile!

These here are only the orthopedic patients. Otherwise, the clinic is full and overflowing as usual. Here are our other difficult cases at this point:

The paralyzed angel Muffin

Muffin came to us unable to move his back legs and with a broken back. A gipsy boy had dumped him like this in a packed neighborhood. Soft, kind, gentle – he is full of life and energy, but paralyzed.

We x-rayed him and the pictures showed there is hope for him. The spinal tissue hasn’t been ruptured, there are no broken vertebrae… D-r Nikolov came to the shelter to treat him urgently – he performed a laminectomy, but the results were not as magic as we hoped they would be – the trauma turned out to be too old.

So, Muffin got to have his own wheelchair. A little by little he is getting used to it, he is cheerful and energetic, always hungry. We love him a lot, and he still has chances of walking. But he needs special care and attention, which we cannot provide in our crowded shelter. We really hope there is a Pekingese friend somewhere that would give him a helping hand. Muffin really has a chance of getting better…

Lora – ill with heartworm

We’ve been writing of the risks of heartworm so many times that you’ve probably already become experts. Giant Lora is here for a long treatment, we’re fighting the worms in her heart, putting on weight, resting from the horror she went through alone outside. She is a lucky girl – Lora has friends who support her with the expensive medication, the people who found her will stand by her.

One-eyed Silver Zorry

She had two eyes when she came here, but one of them was damaged beyond repair. We took her to the ophthalmologist who told us nothing can be done, and d-r Marincheva amputated the ill eye. Along with that, we also neutered her, she has been vaccinated as well.

Zory lives in a difficult environment – a tiny cage in our warehouse. She is much more trusting to people, very close to becoming a pet kitty. We will be really glad if a foster home is found for her, so she can recover and become a confident, beautiful cat. If you would give her this chance – please, get in touch!

Paralyzed Dessy

We’re fighting for the life of poor paralyzed Dessy. She was found in this state, completely helpless. D-r Marincheva ran all the possible tests, we even took her to a skanner, but in the end – she doesn’t have a certain diagnosis.

Before all – Dessy benefits from physiotherapy. By moving her limbs 6 times in a day, we managed to get her to raise her head and even step a little with her back legs. Dessy needs very special care that is nearly impossible to provide for her here. She needs a volunteer friend to help her out regularly, so she can deal with the paralysis…

Heidy

Dumped very far into the woods (just under the highest peak in the region), old lady Heidy is a dog with a great, great luck.

The sweet granny is recovering her strength in our clinic right now, she needs to go to the ophthalmologist too, we are hoping it’s not too late to do something for her, so that she doesn’t lose her sight completely…

Life goes on

August has begun. Traditionally – the hardest month for the shelter. A time for smiles and a good rest, under the sunlight and if possible near loads of salt water. And this is great! We wish everyone a great restart from the mundane problems, feel happy in their bodies and sense the kiss of summer on their skin.

We will be here, the dogs and us, waiting for you – if you happen to think of us, or feel like donating, we’re here. Because in the world of dog suffering there are no holidays. In it, each day is a day for pain, so we remain here holding our grounds – with our silent friends, who wouldn’t get a vacation even if they knew what that is…

The story of Transport X/2017 is somewhat magical.
Because when we were organizing the papers for it, we didn’t really have the money that were needed to carry it through. What we did know was that on the day before the planned departure – 20.07, Diana Romanova and her friends at Sofia Airport Center were doing a bake-sale for the dogs of Animal Rescue Sofa. And since we are hopeless dreamers, and Diana is a logistic wizard, we decided to risk it and hope the money will be raised. And it did!

A million hugs and tons of happiness for the people working in the SAC building – in just a day, and with the use of approx.20 kilos of exceptional bakery, they raised 2200 BGN for the dogs at the Farm!

This money was not only enough to pay for the whole transport, but we also bought 340 kilos of dog food for the souls that didn’t have the luck to travel to a new life.

We’re speechless to express our joy of how things developed. Here they are – the lucky souls already enjoying their new lives in Holand thanks to that great bake-sale at Sofia Airport Center last Wednesday:

Trudy’s sisters

We’ve already told you about them. Found deep in the woods, 4 puppies in a really desperate condition. Half-naked, walking skeletons who had half of the parasite population of the planet crawling on their backs. They were terrified and starving.

Here they are – Serenada, Sanya and Symphonia (yes, keep the boys, abandon the girls) – all three of them now loving their new Dutch destiny. And the fourth sister – Trudy (the one that you gave a surgery to) was adopted in the most wonderful home here, in Bulgaria. But that is a different story.

Sonja’s babies

Sonja was brought to us very pregnant for urgent neutering in the beginning of April. She arrived in the evening and we left her hungry overnight – to perform the surgery in the morning. But as we opened the shelter and checked on Sonja, there was not one, but six dogs waiting for us. Something happened that had only happened before – puppies were born under our roof!

Sansa and Daenerys

Drogo, Davos and Stark

Our babies grew up as giants! Sweet and lovable black pearls. But as smart and as playful as they were, the truth of the matter is they would be very difficult to rehome here, if it weren’t for the chance they got in Holland, they would be stuck in the cage for ages…

Deidre and Nicky

They aren’t siblings although they look so much alike. Nicky is the last of Moyra’s babies and Deidre is Simonique’s twin-sister.

Deidre and Nicky

It so happened that the two sweeties couldn’t travel with their families and we’re now really happy to see them get the happiness they deserve.

The highway kittnes

Dumped on a highway stop-pit still with their umbilical cords on, 6 new-born kittens found salvation in the heart of Lubo – the man who raised them like their own mother couldn’t.

Carry, Lusta, Griz, 
Blacky and Orange Tobie

One of them – Leo (Messy) will stay with him forever, and the other 5 angels left for their new Dutch homes with the help of our awesome friend Selma.

Maxy and Mopsy

Two adorable abandoned puppies – found in the street, grown up in a foster home and absolutely lovely. They didn’t stay here long, although they are big babies. No wonder! Their eyes have a magic ability to look straight into your heart.

The Tail sisters

We call them that, because some nutcase must have practiced on them – to try to make them look like pintchers so that can be sold at the market. One has a low-cut tail, the other is cut in the middle, and the third is just as it were. The sadist with the scissors must have had enough with the first two.

Ava, Ada and Deva are lovely souls, with a kind and delicate temperament. We found them on the highway, and yes – they too are the unwanted girls of a litter. And in Holland – they will be cherished and loved pets!

Daro and Dara

These two angels (and another two who found a home in Bulgaria) were raised from a week of age with the huge efforts of a someone who never had a dog – Marinetka Todorova.

We are inspired by her effort and cares, and also really happy this story got to have a happy ending. Daro and Dara are lovely puppies and will become awesome dogs, no doubt about it.

El Quarantineros

5 babies who came to us in the same day – 2 larger and 3 smaller, not older than 10-14 days old, we raised them as a litter that we called El Quarantineros. Unfortunately it happened that these babies spent almost 3 months in isolation.

First time had to past until their first vaccine, then it was the shelter lock-down of May. We opened in July, but these guys were in the same ward with Benjamin, who died of distemper – pow! Three more weeks of quarantine – just in case. In the end we put them in one of the walking yards, it was just too much for them to be kept locked-up like this.

Layla and Dalila

Roxana, Paul and Ringo

As soon as they grew stronger and felt better they sailed off to Holland – to be loved, hugged and spoiled the way they should have been all this time.

Mona and Lisa

Can you tell one from the other? We can barely! Mona and Lisa are two sisters, found abandoned in the street and raised beautifully in a foster home.

Angels like them find homes abroad easily and become the pride and joy of their owners. We often get e-mails from Dutch owners of Bulgarian dogs asking what their breed is. And when we tell them there is no breed, they are always surprised.

Mathilda’s babies

4 of 7 abandoned pups were saved by the gentle Rottweiler Mathilda before distemper took her from us. Although she had lost her puppies, she nursed and saved the lives of:

Mateo and Matis

Mathilda and Mistique

You can see for yourself – they are the sweetest creatures. Dogs that really know how to smile. Soft, gentle, kind… the four lucky babies sailed off together to the same foster home. Click HERE to see how they’re enjoying themselves with their foster’s dog (along with Davos, a boy from Sonja’s litter).

In Holland!

And look at them now – our unwanted babies from the pit, our mutts from the trash cans – happiness suits them best, they were born for it:

We hug you all – donors and volunteers, foster parents and helpful colleagues, we’re really happy to put a big fat HAPPY END to this story of 29 dogs and 5 kittens, who were sad and unwanted once upon a time in Bulgaria…

UPDATE 03/8

The girls are successfully recovering after their surgeries! 

UPDATE 26/7

Dear friends,
the funds needed for the surgeries of the three angels have been raised!

We hope we will be able to give you good news on them as early as tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for the babies, these are complicated surgeries, especially the one of tiny Baby who weighs 0,7 kilos…

Original post 25/7

So many things are happening in the Farm right now…

1. We’re building a Puppygarten!
   Thanks to you and the help of In Time, the construction begins! We were going to start pouring the concrete, but had unexpected problems with the canals and sewage. We will be able to finish them on the 27-28-th and hope the rest of work will not take long. We will inform you all about it first chance we get.
2. We managed to send TRANSPORT X/2017 to Holland!
   With the absolutely amazing help of the people who work at Sofia Airport Center we sent 29 puppies and 5 kittens to their destination Happiness! They already arrived, and we still haven’t had the time to tell you the story, we’re very sorry…
3. We’re launching AnimAle!
   This Wednesday – 26.07 is the premier of our super-cool dog beer – AnimALE. It’s an awesome initiative that we’re able to put through thanks to 100 BEERS. Doggies from the Farm, who have waited for their owners for a long time now, will smile at people from the labels of a special ale. We will see you THERE. And keep your fingers crossed for them!
4. We’re swamped with animals – healthy and ill…
   The shelter is in great distress with too many dogs. But the biggest issue is with the ones who need urgent orthopedic surgeries which we cannot provide for them. Here we introduce you to the most urgent cases – the dogs that cannot wait for a better day, in risk of losing their legs, if they are not treated by orthopeditian Hristo Nikolov immediately.

Ronja

Ronja was found on the road near the shelter, with a broken leg. We found out she was abandoned on Saturday night, right next to our fence, along with her sister. They got out of the box. Ronja was hit by a car, and the other baby fell victim to the homeless dogs of the area.

We have no words, but have to take care of little Ronja. She has a broken hip bone, and just like Baby, it is close to the joint. D-r Nikolov will have to put a needle into her bone to fix it. If that doesn’t happen, the leg will heal in a wrong way and cause her pain every day, for the rest of her life.

The price for Ronja’s surgery is 250 BGN (125E).

Mootsunka

Gentle Mootsunka comes from Nadejda 6 district. She was hit by a car outside of 635B. We admitted her with a pneumothorax and a luxated hip joint.

Mootsunka s a lovely, quiet, lovable and kind animal. She is in a great deal of pain and cannot get up. The surgery she needs is very complicated and has to take place immediately if she is to keep her leg.

The price for Mootsunka’s surgery is 400 BGN (200E).

Baby

We admitted a litter of 7 abandoned puppies, under a month old. A handful each, terribly frightened and really, really small. One of them was screaming in agony. And no wonder – the little Baby has two broken back legs.

One has a broken tibia, very close to the hip joint which makes the surgery quite complicated (because she is so small). The other can be healed without surgery. Baby is really tiny and if she is to keep her leg, she has to be treated right away.

The price for Baby’s surgery is 250 BGN (125E).

Help

If you have any possibility – however small it may be – please, help them. The surgeries have to happen as soon as possible, as the patients are young, in a great deal of pain and their chances for recovery grow weaker every day.

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Every dog in the shelter has different chances of adoption. It’s not the same if you’re small or large, a puppy or a veteran, fluffy or bald. And it definitely matters what color you are.

Two colors are doomed for a life behind bars by our human aesthetics. They are those brownish-gray dogs we call color “homeless” and of course – the black guys. Especially the large ones.

Shelters abroad call them “sticky cases”. The meaning comes from the fact that they seem to be stuck in the shelter. Being a large, black, homeless dog is something like a regular prescription. Pure and simple – no one wants you.

Generally, we would swear on this.
It’s just that the recent adoptions at the Farm prove it wrong!
We don’t know what kind of magic has happened so that these exact animals were chosen. But we can only hope for it to last…

Noble Berk

Berk came to us a long time ago. When we admitted him, he had already went through a month of treatment in a private clinic. Although he had improved from his initial condition, he had an unclear diagnosis, was very thin, hairless and fragile:

We treated him for a long time, symptomatically. Supplements, baths, medicines…

But there is no medication greater than love. And Berk started to gradually improve on it. Until he became a huge, hairy, strong dog – with a wonderful, kind temperament.

He would chase balls and sit on command. He would walk perfectly in line and look you in the eye. He would stand quietly by the fence, not to scare the adopters, giving them a paw to shake. And they would pet him “sorry, dear boy, you’re just too large”…

Stefan and Renny Todorovi came to the shelter looking for a medium-sized female dog. But they were kind enough to ask us first – if we knew a dog that would suit their lifestyle. A dog to follow them around faithfully, sleep by the foot of their bed and love them.

We Brought Berk to the office. For a moment he hesitated at the door. And then he sat by Renny and put his huge head in her lap. And they whispered something to each other, promises were made. Although we couldn’t hear so well, the conversation was about love and loyalty, about protection and kindness, we heard “forever” and “waited for you” being spoken.

Berk has only been home for a week now, and Renny and Stefan cannot stop praising him. When we talked on Friday, the three were just having tea under the pine trees. With cookies for the best boy…

Joyful Pancho

Pancho comes from School 144, he is about 1,5 years old. Little kids found him limping, but full of love and found us to help him. When he arrived, it turned out he had an old, badly recovered fracture to his tibia and couldn’t walk. Thanks to you, Pancho got the surgery he needed to be able to walk and recovered completely.

We were worried that Pancho might turn out to be another unwanted black Farmer. But the Petrovi family didn’t let that happen. Three generations – a grandmother, a mother and a daughter came to the Farm to choose a dog. With a very specific request – that it would be white. And these same three generations of Petrovi, liked and loved our dear black Pancho from his very first kiss.

All the best to you, dear ladies. We know your good boy Pancho will love you from all his heart!

Poppy the prisoner

This is not the first time we’re admitting a small dog who had lived in a people-made prison cell. Blind Anton, naked Nando and now – tiny Poppy, from a car dealership. Just a tiny little girl, why did they have to isolate her? We don’t know. A quiet, calm little girl… she was put in some dark room, in a self-made confinement box, no sunlight, no people, just some food being dumped on her from time to time.

A kind person saw her by accident. And it accidentally turned out her “owners” didn’t want her. Accidentally we had space for her. And in this total accident – she was lucky to find her happiness. Poppy hadn’t left quarantine when Valentina Belkina came to look for a little baby for joy and company.

The little angel went into Valentina’s lap and… became her dog right away!

Proud John Doe

The shelter’s pure-bred dog came here in the first day of winter. Well bred, well raised, the boy had started to cough and he was brought to the vet. The situation was unclear and he was left there for more tests. When the vets called to tell his owners the dog is infected with heartworm and will require a long, expensive treatment – they simply stopped answering the phone.

And that’s how John came to us. You donated for his treatment which took three months, but the boy made it. And the wait began. They say GSD is one of the smartest breeds. But John never realized loud barking and ecstatic jumping isn’t the fastest route to adoption. Another three months passed.

Until Katy and Svetoslav Ivanovi came to the shelter! Today John is living happily under the reign of their daughter in Poduene!

Sweetheart Aver

Ochko’s awesome friend, the little giant we here call Utred or Nico turned out to be a loved pet dog. We too were amazed – how such a cheerful, healthy boy appeared in the street. And he was a run-away!

We hadn’t posted an ad for him, as this is the first time someone bothers to come looking for a lost mongrel dog. But we didn’t even have to. Zvezdan Ralev – his owner – came to look for him at the Farm. It turned out the pretty boy also has a pretty name – Aver (friend). And you cannot imagine how happy he was to see his owner again after the separation!

A Puppygarten for our puppies

You have probably heard of this already – we’re trying to raise money to build 4 baby-yards, so we can help more puppies at the same time, and also have a space in the sun where our puppies can finish their quarantine.

YOU CAN FIND ALL THE INFORMATION AND FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT HERE.

Please, if you can help, even very modestly, join us!

Grum, the boy from the power substation

They were brought by two electric-workers. Grum and Malnia (thunder and lightning), two tiny gray mice someone had managed to squeeze into a tight opening of a working power substation. They were dehydrated and very frightened, but nevertheless – alive. We needed about two months to get them ready for adoption and they even got people who wanted to have them in Holland. But it so happened, that just before take-off, Grum started to limp and had to skip the journey, his sister left alone. It was almost immediately after that we realized it’s a tiny problem on his paw, but it was too late and no one was waiting for him at the other end of our Life-Line.

We were very pissed, but it was for the best. Some months later Grum was found by his people here, at the Farm. They are Radostina Georgieva and Georgy Varbenov – two kind-hearted young doctors who devoted a lot of time to choose the right dog to be their best friend in the years to come. And they did:

“We really want to thank you for the care you provided for Grum! We have no difficulty walking him – he is wonderful with people, dogs and even cats. He doesn’t pull on his lead, does all of his business outside and is even quickly getting rid of the fear he had of stairs.

We never expected things to be so easy and problem-free. We will be forever grateful to you for giving us this great happiness!”

Peaty – mommy was a Pitbull

A wise puppy, nothing less, such a stable and balanced guy! Peaty lived with us for 2 months – and he had plenty of reasons to feel abandoned and confused. Not Peaty! Quarantine, vaccinations, neutering, new cages and cage-mates, volunteers, doctors… nothing can shake-up clever Peaty.

Today the Cleverman is the pride and joy of Joro Ivanov, his wife and daughter at their home in Mirkovo village. It worked out great for Peaty, he now has a dog of his own as well – a tiny sweetheart who takes turns to play the pillow in their amazing friendship. Best of luck to you!

Jekyll Junior

Sweetheart Jeckyll spent his whole quarantine time peeking out of a vary-kennel in the hallway. He might be a tiny little fly, but there was literally – no space available. Minding his small size and the way he appeared, it’s most likely someone got him for a pet and then decided they do not want him. Weighing 3kg, “making it” alone outside was out of the question…

Altunnay Boshnakova and her family came to the shelter several times. We always have plenty of puppies, but no one was right for them. Until this tiny fellow was released from quarantine. As soon as they met – it was clear they were made for each other. And now our sweet guy is a loved family dog in Tserovishte!

Roshka, who had heartworm

Abandoned outside for no apparent reason, Roshka found support in the dog-people of her new neighborhood. She was not coping, they started to feed and protect her, looking for a way to get her off the streets. This is how Roshka reached the Farm, and on entering – we gave her something of her own. A diagnose, one of the worst, heart-worm.

Thanks to the great help of the donors, we managed to purchase the expensive medicine she needed. She went through a month of pre-medication and was already in the small box we have for dogs with heartworm (they need to be immobilized for quite a while after the shots), when Irina Giocheva and Rumelin Marinov came to the shelter. We don’t know how they managed to see Roshka in her dark corner, but they saw her right through!

Irina and Rumelin have always had rescued dogs. Their last lady – Roza, just passed of old age and they decided to give happiness to another soul in need from our shelter. This way Roshka got the most wonderful family and a chance to finish her treatment in a loving home environment.

Sweet Simonyc

The two kids of Borislava and Georgi Nedelchevi are now the proud owners of a rare black pearl! They made no mistake by choosing Simonyc for their best friend – such a gentle and clever little girl of 3 months.

The big family waited for Simonyc to be all ready for adoption and all headed off to their summer home. They will stay there until it’s time for school again and then they will come back to their Sofia apartment for the cold months. We wish them many sunny and happy summers together!

Dalmy, 5 years in a cage

It was in the cold beginning of 2013 when we admitted Dalmy barely alive to our old shelter. He had a severe urinary infection and was heading to the place of no return. Back then he was a stong guy, at his prime – strong and good-looking. And back then we were the naïve volunteers who were sure his resemblance to a Dalmatian will bring him home.

As you can guess – it didn’t. What is more, he basically set roots in his cage. Thank god for his best friend Jeckyll who helped him by sharing the burden of boredom by barking and always being there. Day after day and month after month… Until October last year when a special person entered Dalmy’s life – Jilly from the UK. She didn’t know him, but she did something great for him – pubishing his profile in the British Dalmatian rescue website.

And through that website Dalmy was noticed by Karen Agate-Hilton – a wonderful person who has given happiness to many Dalmatians in need through the years. Many emails were sent in both directions, but to be sure – Karen decided it would be best to come meet him. And she did! And when she came – it was love at first sight! So it was decided – Dalmy is going to the UK!

We will not burden you with long stories of logistic mayhem. The important thing is that now our boy has his place under the sun. On the black couch by the TV in Karen’s living room, alongside her, her husband and their other Dalmatian – Meg! Dalmy is happy, Karen is happy and we are thrilled!!!

Oh, joy! TRANSPORT IX/2017 – successful.
The bus travelled another 2300km to Holland (and just as many back) – this time with 20 angels on board – and everyone is safe and sound!

Of course, it didn’t go without problems – each and every journey is a nightmare of administrative and bureaucratic problems. The ARSofia transports have to be the most inspected thing since Lehman Brothers, but… at least this keeps us in shape. The fact that we rescue dogs and work instead of the government with money from donations is our problem. The government doesn’t care.

But however much we whine and wreck our nerves, and promise to never, ever do a transport again, so help me God, it takes just a couple of photos from our colleagues to focus our minds on the happiness our little babies will have in their lives from now on. Because they deserve it:

Ricky, Dicky and Donna

Three of Mommy Mayra’s babies – a sweet beagle mix that was abandoned pregnant in the winter and gave birth in the home of a lady who sheltered her. They grew up in our quarantine – so sweet and funny, we wish them luck!

Mayra is already home, with a German family living in Sofia. The third brother – Nicky is still with us, although he has Dutch adopters, he has cryptorchidism and will have to wait for his neutering before he travels to them.

Litter D

Another bag of abandoned puppies – 7 identical boys and girls – so gentle and loving, but… dark and large. It is the “breed” subscribed to our cages for years, they have to be rehomed as early as possible.

Born in someone’s yard, they were allowed to suckle from mom until starting to eat on their own. As soon as that happened – they were put in a box and driven away. Becoming no one’s responsibility.

You’d probably find this strange, but this is a side-effect of the better treatment animals get in Bulgaria. People cannot force themselves to drown the babies as newly-bourns as they used to. But, sadly, they haven’t learnt to spay their females yet.

Renny

We asked our colleagues in Holland to take Renny (Rayna’s daughter), although she was shy. We hoped a home environment would help her show her real self.

Reny’s foster mom Danielle sent us a message when they arrived: “Do all your shy dogs follow people around begging for hugs?”

The shelter really isn’t suitable for every dog.
And Renny really is very happy in her new environment.

Joya and Lucy

There are two newly-German ladies on this transport to Holland – two lovely sisters. Raised by kind people who tried to do the best for them. Vaccinated, socialized, friendly… but still, unwanted by anyone here.

Lusy and Joya have a third, equally sweet sister who has a fungal infection and had to stay behind for treatment. And these two are feeling great and wagging their tails under German sky!

Bianka, Neshka and Durga

Bianka and Neshka are two soft hearts, raised from new-bourns in the home of wonderful people. You can always recognize the puppies with human “moms” – so gentle and lovable.

Their best friend Durga who was like a sister to them at the shelter, is also raised in a foster family. The three were inseparable and we’re really glad they got to be fostered together in Holland.

Blaga and Blagoy

Lovely little angels – clever, friendly, curious – two out of four puppies, abandoned to die in the middle of nowhere.

Kind people found them and brought them in. They were making drone photos outside the city and stumbled upon this:

The puppies in Sofia and about it aren’t born outside to stray mothers anymore. Now the babies come from the yards of people who have un-spayed females giving birth twice a year.

Sivcho

We’ve been together since his third month, and he is now two years old… When we met for the first time Sivcho had the biggest black eyes you could fall into. He also had a severely broken leg and it took months before he could start using it again.

Back then the Farm didn’t have a clinic and everything we did happened in what we call “the office” today. Surgery tables, boxes of patients, papers, people, and above all that… the ringing of Sivcho’s enthusiastic barking!

Our black-eyed boy spent his childhood in a cage, but it was worth it. Now he is running on green fields and learning about the world in Holland, with his new owners.

Lucia

Sweetheat Lucia lived at the Lukoil gas station. She never hurt a fly, but someone reported her as aggressive and the municipal catchers came for her. We couldn’t have that and took her to the Farm.

5-year old, gray, homeless – not exactly the dog that gets tons of attention. She has our friend Selma to thank for her happiness. Lucia is already with her new family in Holland!

Curry

Found abandoned in the middle of nowhere, Curry didn’t turn out as the poodle-mix we thought he was at first. He must have had a Bobtail parent, because our boy will grow to be huge! And that is something his new Dutch family to enjoy.

Here you can see the first moments after the van arrived in Holland – our babies in the yard of Danielle, with her awesome Pyreneans – the huge baby-sitters of an endless flow of Bulgarian babies for re-homing:

And some more photos – from the foster homes of our sweet babies, for you – the people who have made all this possible for them:

“At first I was afraid. I was afraid they might be ill, that some may die. I was afraid that it will be too hard. And most of all – I feared the time of separation would bring suffering both to them and to me. I thought their little hearts would be broken if I brought them to the shelter after a month at home.

And finally, I realized, it is my heart I am worried for, not theirs. They were happy – exploring the world with their new owners, playing all day in their new homes, spreading love. And me, I was alone with my eaten-up furniture and a sadness in me…

It sounds selfish, but I kept on with my foster parenting for the joy of the fact – all of them, each and every one of these angels is happy because of me. They are playing, because I thought them how to. They’re exploring the world, and I am the reason they are still in it. They are spreading love, because I gave it to them.

And I’m not saying it’s easy, because it’s not. And every time I’m at the “Farm”, I feel like telling them “that’s it, this puppy is my ultimate and only friend and I’m keeping it forever!” They just smile at me and answer:

“Yes, of course you can keep it. And you will be its rescuer and you’ll be happy. But, the truth is you have already saved it, and it can be happy elsewhere too, it will forget you in a week or two.”

And so I cry and send my beloved puppy off to its new home. And then I take on the next litter of helpless babies. And I teach them to play, to explore and to love.

It’s only been two years since I first met the Farmers. And I always take breaks for a month or two after fostering a litter. And still, today I can proudly and happily tell everyone that I am the reason 86 puppies are still alive and healthy, loving and loved.

And I am not writing this to boast. I am writing it, because I rescued 86 puppies. What would happen if 9 more of us would join?

And so I invite you: dear friends, have no fear, become foster parents!“

We are posting the letter from I.Z. with a hope: not even 9, it would be enough if 3 people tried, even if only 1 of them decides to remain with us… then tens of abandoned babies that we wouldn’t be able to help otherwise could get the chance of life and health they deserve.

The duration of stay for the puppies is about 30-45 days, which is the time between their first and third vaccine. The time to build an immunity and a connection with people. The vaccines and de-worming are done freely at the shelter, if necessary, we can also help with the food.

Sadly, we have to turn back abandoned puppies every day – we do not have enough space in our quarantine ward for all of them. A single foster parent can save hundreds of lives. But even if it is only one life – it is still priceless. If you would like to help, please, send us your contacts by mail or on Facebook, so we can get in touch with you.

D-r Hristo Nikolov worked in the Franziska clinic surgery till late last night. All the surgeries were successful, and the little patients have begun their recovery.

Hugs for you and d-r Nikolov, and here is a short report from the dogs:

Trudy

It was a complicated, double surgery to make and external fixture to tiny Trudy. It has been more than 7 days since the damage and the hip bone has begun to heal incorrectly. D-r Nikolov spent over 2 hours with Trudy, but in the end – the results were excellent!

Trudy will remain with the fixture for a month, and in the meantime we will do our best to improve her overall condition – put on some weight, get rid of the skin issues, hopefully also begin her vaccination plan alongside her litter-mates.

Nera

Second-time surgeries (as is the case of Nera who has developed osteomyelitis) are always difficult. Nera too has an external fixture, but also a drainage – d-r Nikolov cleared the infection and it now needs to be regularly disinfected.

The girl is in for quite a recovery time, but the pain will greatly subside in the days to come.

On the photos Nera always looks very frightened and sad, but she is a very sweet dog. It’s just that she has been through too much and really, really wants to leave the hospital already.

Archie

Lovely giant Archie was also in the surgery last night, although for a small intervention. He had to have his implant removed after a successful osteosynthesis to the hip bone.

This is Archie’s second stay in our clinic for the last 2 weeks. He saved the life of a little beagle – Sarah, who came in with severe blood-loss, fighting for her life. Our darling Archie is a rescuer!

Dessy

There is no veterinary scanner in Sofia, so to have this test done for a dog, you have to make an appointment after hours in a humane clinic. Dessy has an appointment booked for this Friday.

With the help of our young volunteer vets from Holland, Dessy gets the physiotherapy she needs 4 times in a day and already there is improvement – she can lift her hear a little, and at moments you can see her tail wiggle softly. We only pray something can be done for her…

Thank you

We live in a civilization of objects. Everything around us screams “live carelessly!”, “have fun!”, to speak of friendship, duty and responsibility is so… old fashioned.

Today it seems people are being born to take bank loans, drink coke, eat McDonalds, wear Adidas, rest in Slanchev Bryag and drive a shiny car… Relationships seem to evolve around sex and benefits, benefits and sex, and nothing, really – nothing is more important than “having a good time”.

Thank you, dear friends, for staying in touch with the Good. That you are generous and compassionate, that seeing pain you do not change the channel, but decide to help. That you’ve been giving the saddest creatures all the health and chance they deserve.

We love you. And we continue on.

UPDATE 28/6/2017

The girls have had their surgeries!

ORIGINAL POST

Summer. Adopters, volunteers and donors are on vacations, but the dogs needing rescue are here. They come carrying their pain “help me, friend” and don’t know that people are on or saving for a brake, and sunny days are not for sad dogs.

Dear friends, the clinic has so many ill animals and so little funds that we’re currently unable to provide help to all of them. Desperate patients are waiting for urgent surgeries, unpaid bills for medications are piling up, disabling us from ordering more, and we’re not even able to buy the disinfectants we need…

These friends are not getting the help they need in urgency:

Trudy – with a crushed leg

Tiny Trudy is from a litter of puppies abandoned in the forest with a skin infection. Very frightened, skinny and full of parasites, the puppies were and still are in a very bad condition.

It’s worst for the tiniest of the litter – Trudy. She has a broken tibia and hip bone on her left back leg. She was maybe kicked or lifted harshly by the leg, we can’t know what happened to her. But the fact or the matter is that her leg is destroyed.

The little girl keeps her leg tied all the time and has severe pains. The worst thing about it is that at this age, she needs an immediate surgery, otherwise her leg will heal in the wrong way, causing pain till her last breath.

Trudy has to have surgery right away. But it will be a very complicated one, and even with all the discounts we get from d-r Nikolov, it will cost 460 leva.

Trudy is only 2 months old, but she already knows more about pain than most of us. Would you help her grow a happy and healthy girl?

Dessy – paralyzed

Fully paralyzed and in a bad condition, Dessy has anaplasmosis and most probably polyneuropathy.

We’ve had the girl for a week and she needs intensive, constant care. We have to turn her every 4 hours, she takes strong medication and physiotherapy 5-6 times a day. She is a very gentle and kind soul, grateful for every touch she gets.

To be able to treat her properly, Dessy needs an urgent MRI scan, which costs 200 leva… What can we do?

Nera – with complications after surgery

Nera needs to be operated immediately, otherwise she will lose her leg.

Found hit by a car two months ago, she was treated in a private clinic, but her recovery didn’t go right. She arrived at the shelter with a deep fistula and the x-rays we made showed she’s also suffering osteomyelitis. No wonder she is so sad and unhappy – Nera is in very, very big pain.

If she is to stay on all four, Nera needs a new orthopedic operation. The implant she has must be removed, an external fixture has to be built, she needs antibiotics and washing of the wound through a drainage.

Unfortunately, the girl also has anaplasmosis – a disease spread by ticks which causes a bacterial infection in the blood – which she is also being treated for.

But only her surgery costs 480 leva… Will we be able to provide it for her?

Help…

Please, if you have the means, send them a bit of help, they desperately need it:

[donate]

101 patients

Tens of dogs and cats found medical help at our Franziska clinic during these last weeks, it was like an avalanche hit us when we lifted the quarantine. We introduce you to some of them:

Kind Deddy was most likely dragged by a car. He has deep rope wounds on his neck and a huge peace of tissue missing on one side. To his luck, he has friends who haven’t left him feeling alone during the long treatment.

A litter of babies that came with a combination of Calici- and Herpes-virosis are now finally healthy. The treatment was very long, but we’re really pleased that everyone survived and not even one of them has gone blind from the illness. It’s time to vaccinate them, but we don’t have vaccines…

Cyril and Methody are two little brothers that were getting eaten alive by worms. Shaved down and with a first vaccine, the two little guys have the privilege of being treated in a foster family.

Benny, a lady with a skin-disease is one of the nicest dogs we’ve come to now. She suffers from pyoderma and demodex and is facing a long treatment ahead of her.

Little Buddy has negative skin samples, but is an obvious case of demodex. When he arrived, his whole body was covered in scabs and naked, but now he’s feeling much better and occupies one of our yards – as the sun is doing miracles for him.

Your friend Tinkerbell was operated, but had a strange high fever. It turned out she too has anaplasmosis, we’re treating her with antibiotics and they’ve already kicked in. We can say she is away from harm now and recovering well after her osteosynthesis.

Warm regards from Teddy, the baby suffering a huge head wound, as well as our amazing, brave little Steffie. Both are now fostered by d-r Ilieva where they can get all the attention they need.

Tiny baby Johnny came in with pneumonia and was hanging by a tread for nearly a week. Today she is in a much better condition – playful and eating. Unfortunately his blood work shows he still has a massive infection, so his treatment continues.

Although we have no way to look after them properly, we’re currently the proud mothers of 2 litters of abandoned nursing pups. We bring them home, then we bring them to work… We’ve talked about this monstrous act many times before, so… Let’s  just hope they make it.

Puppies, never ending puppies, like always… Only now we have just 2 fully vaccinated babies. There are 38 more – in the shelter and in foster families – waiting. What will we do with them? These are 850 leva just for their vaccinations…

Friends, will you help us help them?
It’s a lot of money, but then – we are a lot of people.

If 1 in 10 people reading this decide to help out just a little – everyone will get the treatment they need and the Farm will continue to work full speed for the dogs in trouble, like it always has…

Every adoption is a magic, born in a kind heart. A miracle made possible by the generous thought: “I want to save my best friend’s life”.

Dogs come into the shelter in every possible way – some from a ditch and others from a box, but whether they are injured or abused, they are in the Farm, because they’re unwanted. And despite all our efforts to turn them into healthy and loving pets, their true salvation lies with the adopters.

We wish you good luck, dear kids. Stay loyal to your people, they are the ones who changed your story from a horror to a happy new beginning…

Babies Foxy and Fitz

Although we really cannot look after nursing babies, a litter of 4 new-bourns was dumped at the shelter grounds. Keeper Dimka made a choice to become their mother for a month – sacrificing her sleep and bringing them to work every day. A huge effort, but with a great result – four lives saved. Two of the babies found homes in Holland, and the other 2 were rehomed locally:

Foxy went home with Victoria Georgieva and is now called Raya.

Fritz is now Alexandra Alexandrova’s loved boy and lives in Tarnovo.

We wish you long years of happiness together, dear ladies!

Shy Rossen

Alexander Blagoev and his wife Maria came to the Farm looking for a small-sized puppy to fill their days with joy. They looked into every cage at the shelter and opened their hearts to the melancholic Rossen, one of the puppies that came with mommy Rayna, a female we took in with a severe bite wound.

Alexander and Maria worked hard with Rossen and he is now a different dog. When trainer Elena visited them at home, she found him walking well on a lead and having a great connection with his new owners.

We wish them a continued progress – with the way they are going, soon the little guy will have no memory of his sad past. He also got a fabulous new name to suit his new life – Krum!

Playful Serena

Sweetheart Serena is a little baby that found itself abandoned one night at the Post Office at Bogrov, along with her 2 siblings. The two found families in Holland, but she didn’t have to travel so far:

She was chosen to be the companion of Stanimir Peev, and the two are already taking long walks in the Western Park here in Sofia. She also has a lovely new name – Amara, which means “loved”, and that is exactly who she is…

Mommy Moyra

Abandoned in the cold at the end of this winter, little Moyra found shelter in the home of a lady who had already taken in 3 ill street dogs. Without noticing her pregnancy, a few days later she found Moyra had given birth and the dogs in need at her place were already 8…

We admitted Moyra to the shelter nursing, at the beginning of Spring, and it was a long fight to prepare the colorful family for adoption. Today Moyra’s babies are in the hands of their Dutch families, and she is in her cozy home here in Bulgaria, but with a lovely German family!

Irmina Wendling and her children waited 2 months until Moyra reared her babies, got all her vaccinations and was neutered. During this time they came to visit her every week, brought her good food and took her on walks, and she came to love them even before they started their life together!

Playful Ayra

The new home of cheerful Ayra is in Nadezhda district, in a big, happy family where she is treated like a princess!

Ayra’s adopter – Mariella Georgieva works in the Municipality, and when we said goodbye to them we all had the same thought: “If more people like Mariella worked at our municipalities, we’d be living in a better place”. We wish them both to keep smiling always!

Billy, doomed to live

We’ve known Billy for a while now. He was the live door-bell of an empty warehouse right next to our Farm. Tied up to a worn-down wooden house through winters and summers, he spent his days barking, hungry and thirsty, but always on guard. Until the security guy was fired, and Billy was set lose. This way, he became one of the dogs living in front of the shelter.

We do our best to keep the homeless dogs around us vaccinated and dewormed. But before vaccinating Buddy, d-r Ilieva decided to take his blood for testing. Sadly, the good bear turned out to be infected with the worst of parasites, the heart-worm. And so Billy came to the Farm – one more patient with a horrible diagnosis.

Thanks to you the boy began his treatment immediately. And although he is not young and attractive, the good bear won the heart of his human – Svilen Stoykov from the first moment they met.

Billy stayed with us for his pre-medication and Immiticide shots, and then Svilen brought him home for the final month of recovery – the time necessary for the parasites to be absorbed into the blood flow, without clogging the heart. It takes a month and the dog has to be as calm and quiet as possible. And what better place to be immobilized than on your own couch with people who love you?

Be happy, Svilen and Billy!

Greetings from Bubka

Where would be sweet Bubka today if Dimka Stoeva hadn’t appeared in her life like a magician? Most likely she wouldn’t be able to send you these gentle regards from her warm bed in Belgium…

The “Franziska” clinic is working full speed, d-r Marincheva and d-r Ilieva cannot sit down for 5 minutes in their hard working days. We start with a report on the heroes whose treatments you provided last month.

Steffie is doing well

The amputation is a fact, but Steffie still has high leucocytes in her blood count and the vets will continue her antibiotic treatment for a few more days. She will soon be all right and ready to start her vaccination scheme.

We will wait for now the last leg we haven’t treated – there is some crepitation in the joint, but it’s possible she will grow out of it in the coming months. Right now it’s most important to take her out of her box so that she can start to walk little by little.

Tinkerbell is walking

Tinkerbell’s surgery was successful – d-r Hristov performed an ostheosynthesis on her shoulder bone. Unfortunately she came up with a high fever the day after. All the tests we ran on her are negative, she is on symptomatic treatment as the vets try to figure out the source of infection.

There’s no way we will let her go like this, she has too much love to give and she must make it.

Best regards from Ochko

The wonderful Ochko is in the end of his recovery after the complicated knee surgery you gave him. He still needs to be easy on it, although he is one bouncing character. But he is doing very well in general.

John Doe, Grant, Billy and Roshka – the war on heart-worm

John, Grant, Billy

Our boys’ hearts are all now beat freely. Everything is all right with them, they’ve all finished their therapies successfully – ready for a new life ahead.

Only Roshka left. She finished her pre-medeciation and will be taking in her dose of immiticide (the drug that kills the adult worms in the heart) in three doses next week.

Poor little Teddy

For a second day now Teddy is in the foster home of d-r Ilieva. Not because our 8-month pregnant doctor doesn’t have tasks in her little personal time. But because he feels and eats better when he is with her.

He is still critical. And if he makes it, he will need surgery on his badly broken front paw. He is too young and fragile for any of that now and needs to concentrate on surviving the head injury.

Mathilda’s puppies

They aren’t exactly her puppies – she never gave birth to them, she nursed them as hers. She gave them a second life… and maybe that means she truly was a mother to them. Distemper took our dear Mathilda, but the puppies she cared for survived.

Today we have 4 healthy, happy heroes. They are still in quarantine, but have already started with the vaccines and it will soon be their turn to go out in the sun.

Thank you

Our warmest regards to all the guardian angels who donated for the treatment of these sweethearts! We will introduce you to the new patients in the clinic this month in our next post.

Meanwhile – the senior volunteers will be expecting you for walks this weekend. Welcome!