Dejan Gacic is an angel in disguise. He noticed all the homeless dogs in Serbia and decided to help them in any way he could. 10 years ago, his mother founded Vucjak Shelter to provide a safe space for all “unwanted” dogs in the area. So after her death, Gacic took over the shelter to continue saving as many dogs as possible. However, he soon realized that it was impossible to refuse any dog in need. This made his shelter much larger than he anticipated. He may not have as many resources as he expected, but he continues to do everything he can to save lives.
Vucjak Shelter
Nearly every day, Gacic brings a dog home. Sometimes he found the dogs alone on the street and other times people released them on his property. No matter how he found them, he couldn’t say no to them. He knew that if he didn’t accept them, they might die.
The dogs have a large outdoor space to run around and a bungalow for shelter from the weather. However, there are now more than 600 dogs in Gacic’s care, so it’s not enough to accommodate them all, especially during the cold winter months. In Serbia, winter weather can last from November until May.
On the coldest winter nights, Gacic does everything he can to keep the dogs warm. Inside the bunker, he has a stove to light a fire. However, the fire can only keep the dogs warm when the outside temperature drops below 0 degrees F. So Gacic often sleeps in the shelter with the dogs. He found that body temperature was the best way to keep them all warm on cold winter nights.
Gacic said: “It was nice to see them snoring and sleeping because I knew we had survived another day.
How to make a difference
Gacic does a lot of things for these dogs on his own. His shelter may not be the ideal environment for them, but it’s much better than having them live on the streets alone or die. Plus, he continues to raise money in hopes of improving his incredible organization even more.
“We need to build a winter shelter. That’s what we needed most,” said Gacic.
The current shelter for dogs doesn’t even have a door. If it rains or snows, the dogs must sleep on the wet floor. Luckily, Gacic had a plan in place for a structure suitable for dogs, but it certainly won’t come cheap. His goal, however, is to eventually figure out how to give the dogs the solid and protected shelter they deserve.
If you want to help Gacic give all these dogs a better life, please visit the shelter Instagram page. In the bio of the site, he provides several links on ways to donate to his shelter. Each donation can make a big difference to the hundreds of dogs he cares for. Gacic will always be by their side to protect and keep them warm, but he still needs every support he can get.
https://www.facebook.com/friendsofvucjak/videos/347662606046560/
H/T: gtgoodtimes.com
Featured pictures: @ friendsofvucjak / Facebook
