Ivana
Starting with Ivana, one our Rescuers on the ground in Macedonia.
Ivana is one of the hardest working women on the planet, who will never turn a blind eye to dog in need, if she's not with her family/in the office you can bet she's out helping the dogs!
We are pleased to share her story with you.
1. What does your day to day life look like, you have a full time job alongside Rescue work right?
- Yes, a regular 8 am - 4 pm job office assistant. So I get up in 6.30 am go out get a round to see everyone, feed the puppies since they eat twice a day, set everyone with clean water and then cook breakfast for my son and take him to kindergarten (now cause of Covid he is home) take a shower somewhere in between and go to work!
When I get back, again I go to see how is everyone (the dogs) if there is some change also give all medicines in the evening for all the erlichia, anaplasmosis, hw or lish dogs (twice a day) they especially need to be monitored for change, all puppies as well...
Poo weight and eating habits if they are putting on weight and correct bone development.
2. Tell us how you started to rescue…
- I got into this from getting my first 2 dogs and a cat I rescued from 2 days old and so I started in rescue when I was 23 active...That's 12 years ago.
My first rescue pup was hit by a car, it had a broken leg we had no social media and our country had only one registered NGO who did nothing but tried to assist in legal cases. So I had to step up and do what was necessary to save her life.
3. Why do you love doing this?
- I love the happy endings most of all, every sleepless night, every wrinkle is worth it when I see a dog sleeping in a bed or walking on a beach vs what they survived here. It's a disease really knowing you can help and you can save it and it CAN have a fabulous life instead eating from a garbage bin.
So being awake and not turning your head a way is a disease in my country, in my broader family, they do not understand because they always think someone ELSE should do what everyone should be doing in a society where there is so much cruelty and indifference. Well so bit that SOMEONE ELSE will be me, as long as I can with every single supporters help and of course above all God.
4. What about your pets?
- Uh...I start from my weak point, pit bulls. I had only 100eu to buy a dog, I said to myself, he will never experience that bad life. I raised him alongside my golden retriever girl and I did train him as best as I could. I can say from personal experience aggressive dogs are trained that way genetics has a lot to do with it BUT if you give that aggression a job it turn into a productive and not a destructive dog.
From him I rescued 3 more females which I kept and rehabilitated to a state of playing with other dogs living with cats and chickens and ducks. Unfortunately, my dogs can never sit on a sofa with me, and I can not sit them all down and make a Christmas photo, except in Photoshop to collage all them together.
My dogs are all seniors from 8 years old to 11 years old.
Marija
This is our wonderful Marija...We wholeheartedly believe she is one in a million, you will never meet someone with such a big heart, so much time to always help all whilst being one of the busiest ladies in rescue!
We asked Marija to tell us more about her and her dogs.
"This is me Marija at the age of 35 now, mom of 5, one 4 year old son named Milan, and four 4 legged fur babies: Hektor - my first love, he opened the view into the rescue world for me, teaching me how to love unconditionally, how to lean to listen, even in situations where is no word spoken; Kasko- the black mamba, I took him from the streets right after he was hit by a car. The first dog that ever bite me, since than I knew he is never going back to the crazy streets; Dzi Dza - taken 3 years ago, basically my husband came home one day holding something in his hands….that something had no fur on it. I knew then straight away when I saw her, that she needed help, and that she was staying with us; Jonny - our latest arrival, came on a freezing showy night, hungry, with lot of wound and you can guess…he stayed with us!
I have a full time job working from 08:00-16:00h every day, I have a 4 year old son, a husband and the pleasure to receive love on daily basis from all the innocent animals that come into our care.
Doing this for 5 years now, I have learnt things that only rescue can teach, I have seen many devastated scenes, lives that were on the edge…which thankfully turned into happy endings. I am a social worker by profession, and a former professional athlete, so many skills I have gained even before joining the rescue team.
I have a dream….a lot actually, but at the same time I have learned that patience is the key to many things, I usually say that we need to dream…but it is best if we dare to dream big…that is how our dreams can become a reality.
I have dreamed about the dump, about helping those poor dogs that had no one…and look at us now…over 60 dogs saved from that horrible place right….
Dare to dream guys….it is worth it"
