| Your help is needed now to save dogs from the freezing cold in Serbia
Dear friends,
This appeal is written by Animals First Aid, in partnership with Vera Vita Shelter, with deep gratitude — and an urgent call to act as winter settles in across Serbia.
Before anything else, we want to say thank you. Because of you, Vera has not been alone. Your support has brought food, medicine, vet care, and recently, something just as vital — firewood for winter. Vera asked us to share how deeply grateful she is, because even knowing that help exists gives her strength to continue when exhaustion threatens to take over. |
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| | To understand why this appeal matters now, it helps to understand something rarely spoken about. People who care for animals long-term do not collapse all at once. They erode slowly. They give more space, then their savings, then their time, then their bodies. The work expands, but the infrastructure does not. What begins as rescue becomes survival — not because of bad choices, but because there is no system designed to protect the protector. |
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| | | | This holiday season, while many of us sit in warm rooms, let us remember the woman who shares her bed so dogs do not freeze. |
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| This is where Vera stands today. Vera is registered as an animal protection society, not an asylum. Under current law, funds that reach the association account may only be used for food, essential equipment, medicines, preparations, and veterinary services. Heating materials, firewood, and structural repairs — even when animals live inside her home — are legally restricted. The framework does not recognise the reality that the animals live with her. |
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| | | | | That reality is now under threat |
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| After repeated floods and underground water damage, parts of Vera’s home have begun to sink. The foundation has weakened. Walls have separated and cracked — along the floor, the ceiling, and structural joints. These are no longer cosmetic issues. Cold air moves freely through the house. Light from outside passes through gaps that should protect life, not expose it. Heat escapes as quickly as it is created.
Vera tried to address these issues before winter arrived, but because animals live there, no one wanted to take the work. Firewood is scarce. Labour is difficult to secure. Winter does not wait for solutions.
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| | | Still, the animals keep coming |
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| Recently, on her way home, Vera found a two-month-old male puppy. Frozen. Starving. Skin and bones, with a distended stomach full of worms.
She fed him, treated him for parasites, and brought him home. What else could she do? The puppy now sleeps in the pantry with the cats — the warmest, brightest place available. He is receiving calcium, vitamins, immune support, and will need vaccinations. His life continues because Vera once again made space where none existed. |
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| | | Inside the house, fear comes not only from cold. |
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| | | Medical needs continue as well. |
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| Tina, one of the older dogs, urgently needs dental intervention. She cannot eat properly, vomits when she tries, and suffers secondary complications. Vera coordinates every vet visit with precision — arranging drivers, transport, and timing — because she cannot leave dozens of animals without supervision. Food must also be secured in advance. With year-end holidays approaching, suppliers close, deliveries slow, and Vera must purchase enough food to last through long periods without access.
Some of the food currently being eaten was obtained with delayed payment deadlines that are now due. Debts must be settled before the end of the year. This is not mismanagement. This is the cumulative cost of years of uncompensated care. |
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| | | | That is why Animals First Aid is launching a Winter Building & Survival Fund for Vera, with a clear and necessary goal: $10,000 USD ≈ €9,200 EUR ≈ £7,900 GBP This fund is about stability, not expansion. It will support urgent structural reinforcement, insulation, sealing of cracks that allow cold air and moisture inside, and basic winterproofing of the home where these animals live. It is about making sure warmth holds, walls protect, and safety does not depend on one exhausted woman giving her own body heat to keep others alive.
Your past support helped save lives. This next step helps protect those lives through winter — and into the future. This holiday season, while many of us sit in warm rooms, let us remember the woman who shares her bed so dogs do not freeze. Let us remember the puppy who was frozen on the roadside and now sleeps among cats because that is the only warm place left. |
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| | We cannot do this without you. Please consider making a gift toward Vera’s Winter Building & Survival Fund today. Together, we can turn compassion into something solid — something that holds, shelters, and endures.
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| By donating this cause you will be helping
“Vera-Vita” in Serbia. |
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| | | | Phone (US): +1 773 300 2544 |
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| | Animals First Aid (AFA) is a dedicated nonprofit organization committed to saving and improving the lives of animals in urgent need. Through compassionate partnerships and global collaboration, we provide immediate care, shelter, and long-term solutions for abused, abandoned, and neglected animals. Every donation directly supports life-changing interventions, ensuring animals receive the love, safety, and healing they deserve. Animals First Aid is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States (EIN: 99-1042428), and donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Together, we can continue making a difference, one precious life at a time. |
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