Abandoned in a Vacuum Cleaner Box: Shelter Pets Await Loving Homes
«This year I«ve been a very good and kind girl, even following all the volunteers» commands. Please give me at least a small pack of treats,» from Tamakti.
Animals, of course, cannot write letters to Father Frost, so volunteers did it for them. Caring residents of Nizhny Novgorod acted as fulfillers of New Year«s wishes: under the shelter»s Christmas tree, many gifts have already been gathered for the fluffy charges. Ahead of the holidays, we visited the shelter — see what cute tails live there (and wait for their future owners).
The Main Old-Timer
The private shelter for homeless animals is located on Burnakovsky Proyezd. It can be recognized by the fence with painted dogs. Currently, «Sostradanie» has about 150 dogs and 50 cats. The number of charges constantly changes, increasing in cold weather.
— We take dogs from capture — there are about 20–30 dogs in line. To not release them on the street in the cold, we take them for placement. There are many requests from people, writing that here a dog is freezing, there a dog is freezing. We also try to respond, help, so in winter the number always doubles, — said volunteer Alisa.
Mostly, shelter dogs live in enclosures; only old-timers like Tsyganka are let out for unsupervised walks. No one knows exactly how old she is. Due to health problems, the dog walks with her head turned to the side. Nevertheless, the granny «keeps in good spirits» on therapy and pills.
Nepal barks and immediately hides in the house with frozen whiskers. This dog grew up in an enclosure, so he is unfamiliar with the outside world. New people and everything unfamiliar represent fear for him. Next door lives Loreley or simply Lora. Her owner went to the special military operation, and his relatives couldn«t handle her — so she ended up in the shelter. Nearby, Gifa is gnawing on a bowl. As volunteers said, this is a very kind and affectionate dog.
Cat House
Cats in «Sostradanie» have their own room — with beds, treats, and toys. On the windowsill, Achilles and Cupid lie hugging. Both used to live on the street. They were taken from the same place, and since then they have stuck together. Closer to the radiator, Kofeyka and Dred settled. The light-colored cat was rescued from a troubled apartment; his long hair hung in icicles like dreads.
From afar, Volnushka is watching us. She doesn«t get along very well with her roommates, but is kinder to people. Volnushka was dropped off at the shelter»s doors in a carrier. Similarly, Vak ended up with volunteers — we first nicknamed him Deputy (for his gloomy and stern look).
— He was dropped off here in a vacuum cleaner box, placed near the trash bin. A little more, and he could have been thrown out by the employees who come for the trash. We vaccinated him, neutered him. He had health problems, treated for a long time. He is adapting, getting used to it, — said Alisa.
Orange doesn«t leave the guests for a step — a white cat with orange spots. He purrs, affectionately butts, and raises his paws, as if asking to be picked up. He was found on the outskirts of a private sector — emaciated Orange sat in one place for several days. According to Alisa, with such a character, he won»t stay with them for long.
— Usually, those who behave like this leave home first. People pay attention, think: «I am chosen, they came to me.» Of course, we say that he approaches everyone like that, — noted the volunteer.
People often forget that a shelter is not a veterinary clinic. You can«t just come and leave a street cat there. First, it needs to be treated for parasites, vaccinated, sterilized. Otherwise, it will pose a danger to other animals.
Who Else Lives in the Shelter
Dogs are distributed into enclosures depending on gender, character, and health features (animals also have allergies). Through trial and error, they try to find out who will be the best neighbor for whom. Most dogs end up in the shelter from capture, but there are other cases. For example, this year, Nizhny Novgorod volunteers sheltered ten small dogs from Orenburg. Chained, the dogs lived on the territory of a half-destroyed house.
— We understand that it will be easier to place small dogs. Every second person comes to us and asks specifically for a small, compact dog for an apartment, — explained Alisa.
When taking animals from capture, volunteers meet former pet dogs. According to Alisa, such dogs make up about a third. Including for this reason, when giving charges to new owners, the shelter обязательно tracks their fate. Thus, Watson returned to «Sostradanie» — a beautiful dog with blue eyes. The owner first showed himself well, but then started letting the dog roam freely. Volunteers had to take Watson back.
As soon as you approach the enclosures — a loud bark rises. Many stand on their hind legs to get a better look at the strangers. Here, charming Akvata has dangled her paws. She was found as a puppy in garages when she got tangled in fishing line. Gefest with snowy whiskers ran to the cage, and Yarlik cautiously jumped onto the house.
In a separate enclosure sit puppies — with their clumsiness, they resemble bear cubs. They stumble, push, climb on each other. These babies were taken from the street, there was no mother with them. According to the volunteer, placing puppies is not easy, as it«s unclear what they will grow up to be.
Old-timers live right at the shelter gates, we were allowed to enter them. Two black-and-white dogs ran out to meet us. Buritta hid in the house. Kurtz also lay down to rest — the dog is already 15 years old after all. Several years ago, the old-timer was taken home. Later, the owners said they were moving and returned Kurtz to the volunteers.
Animals from the shelter are more often taken by families. But single people also come. Many residents of Nizhny Novgorod help «Sostradanie» as volunteers. They come to walk the dogs, groom them, teach commands (for this, there is a closed area). Some help with cleaning the enclosures.
According to volunteers, in December, people started taking animals from the shelter more often.
— I think it«s also related to the fact that people have days off and the opportunity to spend more time with animals. Plus some internal state that you did a miracle before New Year, — noted Alisa.
True happiness for the shelter«s charges is to find loving owners. Read the stories of animals who found homes read in a separate material.
