ABOUT PAWPERS
Small team. Big hearts. One shared purpose.
Pawpers in the Ruff is a small rescue helping abandoned, abused and vulnerable animals in Macedonia.
From rescuing dogs from the streets and dumps to providing shelter, veterinary care and food, our work is about helping wherever we can — whether that means bringing a dog into safety, supporting them where they are or, for some, finding a loving home in the UK.
OUR STORY
It started with dogs who needed someone to stop
Long before Pawpers became what it is today, Ivana and Marija were already rescuing animals in Macedonia.
Ivana's journey into rescue began in her twenties, when she found a puppy who had been hit by a car and needed help. With little organised rescue support available, she stepped in herself.
Marija's life had also become increasingly intertwined with rescue, taking in animals from the streets and helping dogs whose lives might otherwise have looked very different.
Then a wrong turn changed everything.
While driving a dog to another town for urgent medical care, Marija and Ivana took a wrong turning and came across a rubbish dump. What they found there was overwhelming: dogs and puppies living amongst the waste, hungry, sick and frightened, with some having known little or no positive human contact. They couldn't unsee it. The dump became a major focus of their rescue work, and with the support of the Pawpers community, dogs who might otherwise have had no one began getting another chance.
OUR WORK IN MACEDONIA
Helping them,
wherever we can
Bringing a dog into the shelter isn't always possible. Space and resources are limited, while the number of animals needing help is far greater.
So Pawpers' work doesn't stop with the animals we can take into our care. We provide food for dogs living on the streets and around the dump, help with veterinary care where we can, and continue to look out for animals who may have nobody else.
Sometimes helping means bringing a dog into safety. Sometimes it means treating an injury, providing food or simply making life a little less difficult where they are.
There are heartbreaking decisions involved in rescue, particularly when there are more animals needing help than places available. We can't save every dog we meet, but we do everything our resources allow for as many as we can.
A day in the life with Ivana
SPAY, NEUTER & RELEASE
Rescue alone isn't enough
Rescuing individual dogs can change individual lives. But it doesn't stop more puppies being born into the same conditions.
That's why spaying and neutering is another important part of Pawpers' work.
Where possible, street and dump dogs are caught and spayed or neutered before being released back to the area they know. It isn't always straightforward. Some dogs are extremely wary of people, while others are too unwell for surgery and need treatment or time in care before they are strong enough.
By combining rescue with spay, neuter and release work, we can help the dogs in front of us while also trying to reduce the number of puppies being born into the same cycle.
A NEW BEGINNING
For some Pawpers, rescue leads all the way home
For the dogs we're able to bring into our care, safety is only the beginning.
They receive the care they need to recover and prepare for whatever comes next. For many, that means the opportunity to find a loving family in the UK.
We carefully match our Pawpers with suitable homes and remain there for them after adoption through full rescue backup.
BEHIND THE RESCUE
A small team doing a very big job
Pawpers in the Ruff is a small-scale rescue run solely by volunteers, and without their hard work, dedication and care we would not be able to do the work we do in supporting as many dogs as we can.
IVANA
On-the-ground rescuer
Ivana has been rescuing animals in Macedonia since her early twenties, when a puppy hit by a car needed help and there was no one else to step in. That first rescue became the beginning of something much bigger. Since then, Ivana has dedicated countless hours to helping dogs who have been abandoned, injured or left to survive in the harshest of conditions.
Today, she is one of the familiar faces behind Pawpers' work on the ground in Macedonia. Whether she's caring for the dogs at the shelter, feeding dogs at the dump, helping an injured animal or getting someone to the vet, turning away from an animal in need has never come easily to Ivana. For her, the difficult days are made worthwhile by the happy endings — seeing a dog who once survived on scraps finally safe, loved and sleeping in a home of their own.
MARIJA
On-the-ground rescuer
Marija is one of the driving forces behind Pawpers' rescue work in Macedonia, balancing rescue alongside her career and family life. Her own rescued animals helped open her eyes to a world in which there were always more dogs needing someone to notice them. Over the years, she has helped animals through some of the most desperate circumstances and watched many of those stories become happy endings.
It was while Marija and Ivana were taking a dog for urgent medical treatment that a wrong turn led them to the dump that would become such an important part of Pawpers' work.
Faced with so many dogs needing help, walking away simply wasn't an option.
Marija has always believed in dreaming big, even when the scale of the problem can feel overwhelming. That belief continues to drive her determination to change as many lives as possible.
PAM
Fundraiser
Pam discovered Pawpers almost by accident after seeing one of our posts online. She joined the community, became increasingly involved and eventually took on the role of fundraiser.
A lifelong animal lover, Pam now plays a huge part in generating the support that allows the rescue work in Macedonia to continue. From fundraising campaigns and appeals to rallying the Pawpers community when help is urgently needed, she works tirelessly behind the scenes to help make sure Marija and Ivana can keep helping animals on the ground.
Pam's hope for the future is ultimately that rescues like Pawpers will no longer be needed. Until that day comes, she's determined that Pawpers will continue doing everything it can for animals affected by abandonment, neglect and cruelty.
Meet Ivana and Maria
Hear from Ivana and Marija as they answer questions about Pawpers, the rescue and their work in Macedonia.
PAWPERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Our story has travelled further than Macedonia
📺 Featured on ITV
ITV visited Pawpers to learn more about our rescue work and the challenges faced by dogs in Macedonia.
🎙️ A Pawpers adoption story
Hear from a Pawpers adopter who spoke on a football podcast about their experience of rescuing and bringing home a dog from Macedonia.