Soft brown eyes looking into your own, waiting to get some attention, eyes full of hope. The eyes of the animals from “The Farm” animal shelter in Gorni Bogrov, run by the Animal Rescue, Sofia. This New Year hundreds of volunteers came here to help make the shelter a better and warmer place for the animals. The shelter is financed exclusively by charitable, good people and their generosity. “The Farm” consists of three buildings – one for accommodation on a permanent basis, a clinic and a “Rescue Centre” which houses up to 200 dogs.

What can “The Farm” expect in 2016 thanks to its donors? The answer from the animal shelter’s manager Nadia Stancheva:

“Each dog lives in a cage that has an outer and an inner section. The inner section has underfloor heating. We recently conducted a fund-raising campaign for buying two central heating boilers; one we purchased with the help of thousands of friends, the other was a gift from a donor. The campaign was very successful very quickly. The second building is our future veterinary clinic – repairs there have almost been completed. The animals in need of treatment or quarantine will be able to spend whatever time is needed at the clinic. We plan to construct a “happiness zone” – several conjoined courtyards that include jungle-gyms, different kinds of ground surfaces, places where the animals can enjoy themselves at leisure. This facility will be built in the spring, as soon as the weather permits.”

The donors help make the living environment for the dogs in Gorni Bogrov better, but there is an army of volunteers who do their best to bring them joy and warmth. Every weekend “The Farm” brings together animal lovers who walk, feed and brush the dogs.

12th grader Tsanislav Genchev loves to visit his animal friends and spends hours walking them. Here is what he says about his weekend visits:

“The atmosphere is like nothing else, and every time you go there, it is like visiting an institution for children – it brings out the human in you. You get to thinking about social problems you never even noticed before. These are unforgettable weekends - the people from Animal Rescue, Sofia make them unforgettable. People go there to get a puppy as a pet. People grow fond of the puppy they have been given, so they come back to get another.”

Tsanislav adds that he has taken friends who are afraid of dogs and they quickly overcome their fear and soon befriend the animals. Now they regularly take part in these weekend pursuits with senior volunteers supervising the safety of the activities. Volunteers are welcome here any day of the week, whether they want to adopt an animal, to donate food, money or just to enjoy the animals’ company. The cats and dogs at “The Farm” were mostly rounded up from the streets, animals who are unable to cope with freezing temperatures or were hurt, or were too old to take care of themselves.

What does one have to know if one wants to adopt an Animal Rescue, Sofia pet?

“It is enough to show an ID card to take a dog home with you, but we do not encourage adoptions of this kind, when visitors make a decision on the spur of the moment – often just a few hours later, the dog is back in the streets. That is the reason why we insist on at least two visits to give people time to think their decision over. If the dog has a singular character or special needs – we want to see more than two visits to make sure that man and dog are suited to one another and will be able to cope. People keep in touch with us later so we can be sure the animals are well cared for, even years after adoption.”

Nadia says further there is a huge amount of interest from abroad in adopting dogs. The shelter works with foreign organizations to make sure the animals will be safe in their new home outside Bulgaria.

The people working at the shelter say “The Farm” is a dream come true, a dream that is enriched each and every day. Animal Rescue, Sofia has a project that is new to Bulgaria – a shelter for horses, victims of abuse. The foundation has rescued two foals which now live in a foster facility. A horse farm is expected to open doors at “The Farm” soon.

English version: Milena Daynova