Please be warned. Some of these images are distressing. These are photographs of animals animal welfare volunteers have found and tried to help. Many needed immediate medical attention, as you can see. Volunteers paid for medical bills and also tried to find loving homes for the animals who survived. Unfortunately some of these animals had to be euthanized because their injuries and physical state were too severe or it was not possible to raise funds to help them. If no one is willing to adopt the animal or if there is no space at the two shelters in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the animals have to be put back on the street. The situation for stray animals in this country is dire. What happened to Vučko was not an isolated case.
IN MEMORY OF VUČKO
raising awareness and funds to stop animal suffering in Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina
IN MEMORY OF VUČKO 
I have rescued dogs and cats over the years, taking them to a vet and having them spayed/neutered, finding homes so they could continue living, and I was satisfied they’d be safe. When I see the abuse of any living creature or human, my inner spirit shakes me and I’m praying for mercy for everyone. I pray the abuse stops. God knows how much I’m distressed over this situation. I’m disabled and use oxygen and can’t work or drive, and I have memory problems. God wants to heal it all, but people refuse to turn to God and let go of hate. I am supportive in ways I can be from my apt. via the internet and use Facebook to post pictures, petitions, etc. I live on a very tight fixed income and usually go without money for 2 weeks out of each month. If I could, I would adopt all of them and love them, we’d all be happy. I cried myself sick when I had to put my beautiful white spitz dog, American Eskimo, up for adoption, and two of my kitties I raised for 14 years. Fortunately a family with a 10 year old child adopted my dog and my pain eased a little. One of my kitties died and the other took off into a woods and nearly starved to death. I retrieved him, thanks to a good person who coaxed him out of the woods and fed him. One other kitty was badly injured and infected by parasites as well as wounds that were infected, he was so tiny and I could see his ribs and he was desperate for someone to help him. I scooped him up and we went to the vet who was able to save his life. He is very skittish around other people and noises, and hides often. He does lay on me, sit on my lap, meows at me to turn in for the night, leads me to his food dish because he likes for me to shake the dry food before he eats some. My heart is full with the love from my pets and my friend told me once I would move heaven and earth to save my pets. I’m glad to see this page for the animals. Spreading the word and photos is a good way to grab the public’s attention. I will continue to follow along as long as I can get up and onto the computer. Prayers and blessings to you who are helping God’s innocent animals.
Lois, thank you for your words. I am touched that you wrote, what you wrote. I’m in a similar situation, disabled by chronic illness and with very limited funds so like you I do what I can via the internet. I have a ‘foundling’ cat too, he was a kitten left on the side of the road, so hungry. he took weeks to understand he would always be fed and now he doesn’t even meow for food as he knows it will be there whenever he needs. But he too is very skittish around other people but follows me around everywhere and although he isn’t a ‘lap cat’ in the early mornings he climbs in beside me and snuggles into my neck and insists my arms and hands are ‘just so’… preferably so he can sleep with his head in my hands! He will sleep like that with me for two hours or more, it is so sweet. and he talks all the time. Thanks for your support, sending love to you.
Thank you for sharing with me and for having a heart for our animal companions. We may be small but every word and opportunity to show support for abolishing abuse helps. My guy Prince Freddie Freeloader is 12 now and his fur on the backside toward his tail is thinning so much I can see patches of skin. As long as he is happy, safe, well fed, loved and cared for it makes me happy. He was so starved I could see his ribs and he was crying and kept coming toward me until I had to scoop him up and take him to the vet.
Pets have endearing personalities. I “talk” with mine and they “talk” back. My older cat is 15 and slowing down. He wants me to hug him in the bed and he has to get both paws on my neck and my arm so he can rest his head while he kneads. He has been drooling too, so I keep a cloth for him on my arm to minimize the wetness to my sheet. He looks right into my eyes and it is as though he’s telling me he loves me!!!!!! I also have 2 cockatiels with different personalities. They whistle and call until I get within eyesight and keep up the noise because they want to talk and occasionally I let them out…. not too often as they leave their calling cards for me to clean up.They enjoy being petted, getting a drink and bath from the running water in my kitchen sink, eating snacks and taking little drinks from my coffee once in a while.
It is marvelous how pets love us and nurture us. My husband passed away last August, and I was trying to regain my lost health after nearly dying a year ago the end of April from this lung disease. My pets have been my “hands on” support group to help me want to keep going forward and not giving up. It is my joy to take care of them and spoil them terribly, just like a grandparent does for a grandchild!!!!!
I appreciate your note to me and your support with your love. I send you support and love also. I’m so glad to meet you and hope we’ll stay in touch. Blessings to you.
I’m so sorry to hear about your husband, and about your own health. But I’m happy you have such a lovely animal family around you, giving you love. I’m utterly devoted to Ronan so I totally understand how you feel.
why help animals and then this people put back on the street the animals !? is not point to help animals if you after put back n the street this poor animals ,is cruel and they will die for sure with no food.! is possible there nobody can help this poor animals !? this things happen always and because people abandoned animals !
where there are hearts so caring and pure, there is hope for a better tomorrow.
Sandra, louis what is this …i dont belive this but have not mentiond i to am disabled,have good days and bad live on a limited income also,i use my wheelchair when needed. Is it the fact that becose we are disabled that we know deep down how lonley life can be and just love animals so much that we will go without in order to try and help.
Ladies its been a plesure,god bless u both<3
them. I may be wrong but maybe vuko has had a paw in this ladies,i wish u both the best of health and im sure that the lord watches over two lovley women withenormuse
Thank you for sharing about your own status, being disabled, while tapping into the love of God. I too wish you the best of health while living a full and rich life, and for God to keep watching over you. God guides our steps when we trust Him and obey. God also brings good out of seemingly bad situations that give Him all the glory. Although I’m living with seeming limitations, I know my life is blessed of God. I’m amazed at how God has brought me through when I was at deaths door, a few times. I long for righteousness to reign in the earth, where people, animals, the environment and all that concerns life to prosper and be healthy. I learned nearly 30 years ago that I’m never alone…. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in my heart and life. There were struggles with loneliness that I learned to overcome. I turned to God to fill my life with richness, joy, peace, and He has abundantly met my needs. I’m a new creation with thoughts that line up with scripture, and I have emotional freedom to open my heart to what God brings to me. Getting past fear isn’t easy, but to grow in a spiritual relationship with God has been the greatest reward I could have ever hoped for.
I originally felt fear when I read the story of Vuko as the photo was dreadful to look at and I didn’t think I’d be able to take it. I managed to get to a place where I could do so, and the grief was difficult to cope with but I’m glad I can have such a reaction…. I do care and that is vital to living.
I pray that God will stop the abusers of people, animals, air, water, land and do what I can from home to raise awareness.
May God bless you and provide for all your needs. It is a pleasure to receive your note.
My name is Lynn. I to am on disability and a very limited fixed income. I had a small Thih-Zue named Holly. I was forced to give her away because my 86 year old Mother FORCED me to. I am still grieving her going to someone elses home. I still cry for her. She became to costly in the grooming department. And then there was food and she ate my cats kibble.
I still have my cat, but it is not same around here
without Holly, the puppy. I was never mean to her and I played with her all the time. I want to get another dog from the Humane Society. One that does not require grooming 4 or 5 times a year. I bought Holly and paid in the hundreds (money I had saved up for a year and a half) Now she is gone and the money also!! It is sad to see an animal go for the matter of money or lack of.
That is what is also cruel to me. God please stay with Holly no matter where she goes. Respectly: Lynn S.
I’m so sorry to hear what happened, dear Lynn. At least she is safe, I’m sure she is safe.
You are all such wonderful people! I get torn apart seeing the evil in the world.. but when I meet people like you, I feel my heart filling up with love. You deserve all the love in the world!… If I could share this joy for you that I’m feeling… Trust me, I send you a billion of the best thoughts possible! Love you!!
i think people who suffer and endure difficult experiences, whether they be physical or emotional, can relate to the suffering of the most defenseless among us. the sadness, loneliness, and despair that is felt, reflects our wounding. animals give unconditional love and on a certain level, allow for healing. our disabilities, feelings, appearance and so on do not matter to animals as long as we are kind to them. animals allow us to tap into our compassion, drop our defenses and experience love. for those who know isolation, love and companionship is the greatest gift. it is no wonder we are perceived as sacrificing so much. we know the truth. what we gain through helping animals is immeasurable. the sacrifice is small in comparison to what is given in return.
I’m going to raise money for your foundation! Why would people do such careless things to innocent animals? Then they probably don’t even care it’s so sad! 😭
Oh thanks so much Mady, we need all the help we can get. And winter is a terrible time for the strays, the activists go out in -20 degree temperatures, deep snow, etc to feed the strays (over 11,000 in Sarajevo alone)… so money for food is much needed. One friend is going to work with a pet store and make a table for fundraising for these dogs, that’s the kind of thing that might help. xo
I have sent you a donation this evening after having read Vucko`s story, and looked at the photos of many other of the poor animals you have helped. Thank you so much for what you do. For every one of these poor creatures, it means everything.
Mette, thanks so much. xo
There u r again Ms Mette. Sandra is this Karma or what. I too have a disability. Have severe back problems and already have had my neck totally rebuilt but will have to have the lower part of my back rebuilt also. Is there some other way I can donate money thru a money order or something, as I hate to see any of it being lost thru pay pal. I know u r extremely busy but maybe there is some way u can send me a private message via my email address for me to send this money somewhere else to u or Jalena. Angie.
Angela — Paypal is probably the cheapest way to send money to Bosnia, unfortunately. Just so long as you designate it as a gift. To do a bank transfer it’s much more expensive.
Yeah finally found this reply. Thank u Sandra.
Dear Sandra, I’m an Italian volunteer for abandoned dogs for 8 years. I’m a jounalist to make my own living. I mainly focused on old dogs with problems (blind, three-legged) caged in horrible kennels of my country. Now, after 7 years of helping old dogs, I feel I have to help puppies. I also helped a group of wonderful girls that operated in Prijedor to save as many as bosnian dogs and adopt them in Italy. I did not know you until a volunteer sent me the link on the site inmemoryofovucko. They say I’m very good at writing description and stories of abandoned, dogs able to touch peoples’ hearts and make them adopt them. May I do this work for your bosnian dogs? The ones are in this page have all been rescued? Are they adoptable? Thank you Giorgia Rozza
Giorgia, it’s two years since you wrote this message, I’m so sorry not to have found it until now. I think I ‘found’ you on Facebook and have sent a Facebook friend request…
since i have read about vucko and the fate of other dogs in bosania i have been in tears. there are so many dogs on the streets all over the world people take care but i have not seen the horror which i have seen in bosania and romania. why certain people think the earth belongs to them .it belongs to every body.the way human are treating animals one day they will also be treated in the same way then they will realize because they don,t have heart to love what is pain and suffering.what do the dogs ask? no fortune but little bit of compassion and love but certain people don,t understand this because they themselves don,t know how to love the way animals loves you unconditional
My fiance and i rescued a very sick cat in Pocitelj last summer. She was so skinny, full of fleas and ticks sitting at a cafe in the 40 degree heat. We gave her some water and she was so thirsty. We spent half and hour cuddling her. I am an owner of two very cuddly and spolt cats but this bosnian stray was unlike any other. We fell in love. That night we started looking into the process of rescuing her and taking her back home to australia. QUARANTINE laws stopped us but we still wanted her safe. Im pretty sure we contacted jelena and she led us to fransican monk to then led us to a young couple fostering animals. We organised for them to pick the cat up from pocitelj. we came back the next day in hopes we would find her again and she found us. We gave her some proper cat food, and plenty of hugs. I went back to visit her on my next trip back to bosnia a few months later, and the different was so amazing. She was fuller, healthier and happier. Now she enjoys her life in Vienna, has two other cats to play with and a family who loves her. The kid named her PATCH. We miss her everyday but knowing we saved her and made her life good is the best thing ever,
so wonderful to hear!
Hi there.
I am a young traveller from New Zealand. I am a veterinary nurse and run an animal rescue organisation in my local village. I would like to offer my help and skills while I am travelling in Bosnia, however I may only be here a few days or up to one week. I am currently near Una National Park for two days, then I will travel south. I do not have public transport. Please can anyone tell me where I can go or who I can speak to in order to volunteer at any rescue organisations or help in any other way.
Thank you in advance.
Isa