ABOUT

This site is primarily a memorial fund in Vučko’s name. Please read his story, and if you want to help the other suffering animals of Bosnia-Herzegovina who still survive, then go here.

Vučko, how he might have looked

If you want to know how this website came into being and who is involved in it, then read on.

In May 2012 I was browsing my friend’s Facebook walls and clicked on a link that seemed interesting. I did not know what I was clicking on. It took me to one of the petitions created to bring justice to Vučko’s killers. When I saw the photograph and read the story I was in shock. I wept. Although the incident had happened over six months previously and that particular petition had closed – tens of thousands of people having signed – I could not get the photograph of Vučko or his story out of my mind. Against my better judgement I did a Google search to find out more. I watched the video of him at the veterinarian’s office. I could not stop weeping. For many days I wept several times a day and night for the suffering this dog went through. I continued to seek out information. I could not find out if the petitions had achieved anything.

For many days I felt completely helpless and hopeless: hopeless about humanity. That we do such things to animals.

Eventually I discovered who found Vučko. A small group of volunteers trying to help the suffering animals of Bosnia-Herzegovina. I found their Facebook pages and groups, and then saw more photographs of Vučko.

I knew I must do something. I was not sure what. I do not have money – I am an ’emerging’ literary fiction writer and have a chronic illness that means I cannot do normal work. I also knew weeping about Vučko was not going to help him. In fact it seemed pathetic to weep when he was the one who had suffered.

I looked into what the animal activists in Bosnia Herzegovina were doing and realised they needed all the financial support they could get: there were hundreds of dogs and other animals in Vučko’s country desperately needing care and attention. They do everything they can, but they can only do so much. I wondered if there had been enough money, could Vucko’s face have been reconstructed? I do not know.

What I did know was that I had to do what I could to ensure something positive came out of Vučko’s death. I may not have money, but I have some time and the ability to create websites and blogs, and to spread the word about issues.

So I made this website and, through Facebook, began to develop ongoing relationships with animal activists and rescuers in Bosnia-Herzegovina. You can find some of them here: Activists. (Most of the activists in BiH fundraise and spread the word about what is happening by Facebook).


By December of 2012, I met other animal lovers based outside of Bosnia Herzegovina, and a group called AWABosnia, Animal Welfare Advocates for Bosnia Herzegovina had formed to help fundraise.

Sometimes people ask me ‘Why Bosnia?’ I don’t think there is any particular reason other than it was Vučko who I saw that day on YouTube. Perhaps if he had come from China, I’d be rescuing there. And, maybe there is a connection – prior to finding out about Vučko, I wrote two short stories that had Bosnian connections, even though I had never visited the country. And I love traditional Balkan music… so, who knows.

The painting of Vučko is by a friend of mine, Rosemary Taylor, based on a pencil drawing kindly provided by supercolouring.com.

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A little more about me and my relationship with animals:

I have always been an animal lover but only recently have been more involved in animal activism. In some ways I feel it has been a long time coming.

When I was seven years old my family lived for a few years in Greece. I saw many starving and suffering stray dogs and cats. I once found a tiny orange tabby kitten by the side of the road, abandoned. Too young to survive by itself. I was not allowed to take it home. I promised myself that ‘when I grew up’ I would return to Greece and save all the feral cats. Needless to say I did not do this. I have had cats, and now live with Ronan, our beautiful black cat who was also found by the side of the road, a tiny kitten, in Ireland.

Sandra Jensen
www.sandrajensen.net

 

22 thoughts on “ABOUT”

  1. Pingback: Bosnia and Herzegovina: Please Visit the New Site In Memory Of Vucko. « Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

  2. I know exactly how you feel. I read about Vucko several months ago and had the same reaction as you. I decided to start a campaign to hold a national fundraising event in the UK for animals, in memory of Vucko. The aim was to have a similar set up to the Children In Need or Comic Relief programs, which raise tens of millions of pounds each year. Just think how much that would help. I have created a petition here – http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-bbc-and-itv-broadcast-a-national-fundraising-event-for-animals

    • Hi Anne-Marie. I signed your petition. The cruelty to animals just never ends – the more one raises awareness the better. Thank you for caring. Do you have a wordpress blog? I couldn’t find it. All the best 🙂 Emy

      • Hi Emy! Thank you so much. I often feel overwhelmed by the amount of animal abuse going on in the world. But then I think, I can’t just stand by and do nothing about it. Thank YOU for caring too! Together we can all make this happen! The petition is slowly growing, and I’m planning on writing to celebrities to see if they will help.

        I do technically have a wordpress blog but I created it for a Creative Arts course I was doing so it has no animal welfare related stuff on it, sorry.

        Thanks again!

        Anne-Marie

  3. By the way, the funds raised from this would help animals all over the world, not just the UK!

  4. I also love Dogs very much. I was heartbroken when my 18 year old Wenny Dog died. He is in our yard in a peaceful place and a headstone. I just hate it to see all the Dogs killed, eaten, bettered, ETC. in our world. Larry Grazier

  5. Oh, it breaks my heart when I remember a white dog with black spots, border collie mix in Sarajevo who had just had puppies. She was roaming the streets for food for her babies when she got hit by a car and got paralyzed. Her back legs were completely lifeless so she was dragging her poor, hurt, injured body and crushed bones using only her front legs towards her babies to feed them… And nobody to help her…

    I live in Canada but I grew up in Bosnia – I know first hand that Bosnia’s animals are in an extremely bad spot. It’s hard to imagine for any animal lover who grew up in a Western Country how horrible of conditions Bosnia’s animals live in… I’m glad that somebody is taking the initiative to help and bring awareness to the world.

    Yes, the war caused a lot of deaths and suffering to people as well. I’m a Bosnian refugee and I too lost my home like many other people. My life was turned upside down. But I have a voice and people are willing to help if you have a voice.

    Animals don’t have a voice – so they suffer immensely and silently. That is why, if you’re a compassionate person, please speak for animals and help in any way you can. Speak with people, make them aware, sign petitions, donate your time, effort or funds if you can. Do anything! The horror needs to stop, we must end this needless suffering!

    • Thanks for that heartwarming story. You’ve been though a lot and yet you think of others. That’s true compassion. I wish for peace for all. Thank you for giving the animals a voice.

    • O Andrea. No more truer words have been spoken. Not all ppl can donate financially, but in kind. I am so lucky, I am not really in a situation that I can donate financially, however I will eat cereal for a week before I see an animal go without. I know how very spoilt my beautiful animals are, Then I have friends that have no time to scratch themselves, but have plenty of money and practically throw it at me to buy food for the animals, or like last week came home and there was four closed cardboard boxes on my front door step with over 100 tins of cat food and 20 boxes of cat biscuits to help a cat rescue group out in Brisbane, because I shared that group with a couple of friends and they shared and shared and shared and this is what came back to me. God Bless u all.

  6. Thank you, Sandra, for your passion and compassion towards animals. At times this work feels so overwhelming but every bit counts. Although I am putting my energy into banning the abhorrent fur trade, I am concerned about all animal rights issues. We must never, never give up. All the best.

  10. Heads up to you. What you are doing is wonderful. I don’t have any money either, but I always say that if I ever do have enough money, I will help our animals as much as I possible can. All around the world. Just like you I’m also an aspiring writer and hope to make it big one day, for obvious reasons.
    My biggest dream is it to have my own dog sanctuary with several acres of nice green grass and a small pond where the dogs can swim. I hope my dream will become reality one day, especially for the animal’s sake.

    Again, heads up for what you’re doing. You may not have a lot of money, but your heart is worth more than all the money in the world. Your parents must be very proud of you…I know I would be.

    In the name of every suffering animal on the face of this world, thank you!

  11. I just want to say that no matter where you live on earth, there are gonna be some people who will always hate animals and especially stray ones. today only, people in our neighbourhood brutally beat a stray dog just because he was sitting on their car which was parked on the street. and what to say about our municipal corporation, they kill the dogs before catching them by beating them by rocks and people laugh when they do it. sometimes it just seem so unfair that why not god give punishment to them. after seeing all this its hard to have faith on justice .

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