Thursday, January 8, 2009

Dogs on Thursday: 250+ and counting...

Meet Katja, who lives on a strip of land about 12 x 80 meters (approx. 39 x 263 feet) outside of Belgrade with over 250 dogs that she cares for by herself and with the help of a few occasional volunteers. Katja has a heart of gold, and cannot refuse a dog. Some are left at her gate, some are thrown over the fence (yes...) and some she finds while walking to buy her bread. Conditions are pretty bad, and worse, it's almost impossible for these dogs to find homes, for few people would want to brave entering to choose one. Katja knows all the dogs by name, and they respond to their names. By law, she has to have them vaccinated and neutered, though accidents happen. She feeds them largely through donations of bread, bones, and fat. Believe it or not, this place was Bibi's first home. She was abandoned here with her two sisters as puppies, and an old female developed milk to nurse them. Then along I came, and the rest is history.

Some say these dogs would be better off fending for themselves on the street. (Belgrade has a stray dog problem, and there are many strays.) What do you say?


FOUR WOMEN

 Four women near an outdoor market downtown.