This Man And His Mother Started A Shelter More Than Two Decades Ago, And Now He’s Caring For Thousands Of Dogs

"It is my road to heaven, and it's the legacy of my mother."

Stephanie

• Published in Animal Stories
• October 17, 2021

The world we live in is far from a perfect place. We are all deserving of love, kindness, and compassion; however, we are not all lucky enough to get these things.

And it's not only people that are doing it tough. Sadly, there are also myriads of animals in need of help all over the world.

Thankfully, there are still some incredibly kind people left in the world who want to make a difference. Mother and son, Svetlana and Dejan, are the perfect example.

The duo from Serbia started a shelter for homeless dogs more than 20 years ago, and since then, they have rescued over a thousand dogs.

Svetlana and Dejan began their endeavor by feeding the strays in their village of Cumic. They quickly developed a good reputation with the locals and started gaining more resources which enabled them to increase their efforts.

In 1997, the Vucjak Shelter came to fruition. Sadly, Svetlana passed away several years later, but Dejan has kept their legacy going.

But it wasn't easy. Not only had Dejan lost his beloved mother, but the shelter started housing more and more dogs - hundreds, sometimes thousands at once!

"My mother started all this in 1997," Dejan said. "It was not planned; there was no specific reason."

"We found one puppy in an elevator and took him home, and that is how everything started."

Dejan says his mother was a very compassionate lady. "She just wanted to help a dog who needed help," he said.

"My mother was a strong personality, strong character. She left everything in her social life and went to the village to live with the dogs."

"My mother and I were best friends," Dejan said. "I'm still talking with her and telling her all the problems and challenges I am facing every day."

The shelter has been known to house hundreds, if not thousands of dogs at a time.

"I don't know how many dogs we've rescued and how many dogs we've had over the last 20 years, but right now, we have about 1000 dogs," Dejan said.

But caring for so many dogs in need is not easy.

"At the moment, we're struggling and trying to prepare the dogs for the winter," Dejan said.

Sadly, Dejan says there are many homeless dogs in Serbia. "The situation with stray dogs in Serbia is not good."

"People leave their dogs every day. I receive several calls every day from people who want to get rid of their dogs."

In 2014, the shelter secured some land in Gledic Mountains, where they built a sanctuary for wolves.

Why did they decide to expand on simply focusing on domestic dogs? Well, the wolf is the national animal of Serbia, and unfortunately, it is facing extinction.

Dejan has dreams of building further dog houses and putting up more shelter for winter. However, relying on donations for funding is difficult.

Running a shelter solo can be problematic.

But Dejan has dedicated his life to the shelter and is in it for the long haul.

"I want to say that I will fight for animals until I die," he says.

So many beautiful dogs in need of love.

"It is my road to heaven, and it's the legacy of my mother," Dejan says.

Dejan is carrying on the legacy his mother started.

There is no doubt Svetlana would be extremely proud of what he has achieved.

The world needs more people like Dejan and Svetlana.

With so many dogs needing help.

It's clear that Dejan loves the dogs and shares a special bond with them.

Beautiful puppies dumped.

Vucjak Shelter provides food and shelter to thousands of dogs.

Dejan also provides veterinary care where needed.

Relying solely on donations, the shelter is struggling to keep up with the expenses.

But Dejan is dedicated to saving every animal.

He also hopes to raise awareness about the importance of treating animals with kindness and dignity.

We think what you're doing is amazing, Dejan!

Today, the shelter is home to over one thousand dogs, cats, and other wild animals. Many of these have been abandoned in front of the shelter.

Other animals have been surrendered by their owners. And some have been found injured or sick and living on the streets.

Life on the streets is a sad reality for so many animals, and Dejan is making a massive difference for as many as he possibly can. He believes in treating all animals with respect, love, and the utmost dignity.

I couldn't agree more, Dejan! Thank you for all that you do, and please don't ever change.

Stephanie