450 Dogs Rescued Off The Streets Find Love And Happiness At A Dog Sanctuary

For some very lucky dogs, heaven on earth is a very real place where they are allowed to run free and play hard at a cage-free animal sanctuary. Four hundred fifty previously homeless dogs now have the haven of this dog sanctuary. Sasa Pejcic started this home when the sight of the suffering animals simply became too much for the animal lover to stand, and he slowly began taking action with a plan to end their suffering in a way that many of these would never have had otherwise.

While there are reportedly over 70 million homeless animals in the United States, there are numerous organizations and advocates that make it their mission to rescue and find loving homes for these animals. However, the U.S. is not the only country that faces these heartbreaking animal overpopulation issues, and this wonderful dog sanctuary comes from Serbia. Pejcic says here, in his home country, he knew that should the dogs remain on the street they would only be facing one of two terrible fates: either they would die on the streets, or die after being captured by a dogcatcher. Pejcic slowly began to take in as many dogs as he could afford and now has 450 dogs in the shelter.

Pejcic operates the sanctuary out of a former equestrian club stable that was acquired in 2010 and is rent free. Sasa ensures that the dogs get the medical care they need, enough space to be free, get plenty of exercise, and most importantly that they have food to eat. Huffington Post reported that the sanctuary has volunteers who help out with the dogs and mainly operates with the help of donations.

The video above gives a brief glimpse into the joyous interactions between the 450 dogs at the sanctuary as they roll in the mud, have water fights and take long runs. The video was uploaded to YouTube on October 16 by Harmony Fund, which is a U.S.-based animal charity that works to provide aid to small animal rescues around the world. Harmony Fund has partnered with the Serbian dog sanctuary to try and raise awareness for the wonderful, lifesaving years of work that Sasa Pejcic and his staff have dedicated to his canine companions. Pejcic says he knows exactly how each dog came to the sanctuary and knows all their names. The founder of Harmony Fund, Laura Simpson, told the Dodo that the 450 dogs also have the opportunity to be adopted.

“Here they are loved and not expected to do anything other than to simply be dogs. Many are adopted out internationally to good homes, and others will spend their remaining days at the sanctuary.”

The charity’s website also gives some more insight into the operation of the doggy haven.

“They fended for themselves on the streets or in neglectful homes and so many of them arrived with broken bones and broken hearts. But HEALING takes place here. The dogs soon learn that they are loved and cared for. Life at the shelter is truly transformational, but there is no local help.”

The video itself explains in the description that approximately $15 per month is needed to take care of each dog but right now only about 88 of the dogs are fully sponsored. Being that they can hardly just pick and choose which of the dogs are fed, the strain that Pejcic and his shelter are under is mounting. The fact that winter is coming means that they now need to try and stockpile food for the dogs and the Serbian shelter is in need of donations. Harmony Fund also has three different methods of donations for dog lovers to help feed and care for the animals on their website.

Help Feed & Care for 450 #Dogs in Serbia https://t.co/wtDAV6KqzW via @harmonyfund

— draakje (@1draakje) October 22, 2015

The YouTube video calls Sasa Pejcic the happiest man in the world, and with 450 adoring dogs at the sanctuary to smother him with doggy kisses, it is easy to see why.

[Photos Courtesy of YouTube video Screencaps]