News about the Alma shelter

Today I devoted the whole day to helping the shelter. From 12 o'clock to two in the morning I drove around, visiting everyone who wanted to donate food, money or warm clothes.

Basically, people were at work and were handing over money. Unfortunately, I lost count of how much money they gave me. I added everything I had to them and handed it over to Lyudmila Vasilievna, which turned out to be 31 thousand rubles. I also unloaded everything I bought at Metro last night.

I met Lyudmila Vasilievna. Unfortunately, she was very busy, and I decided to postpone communication with her to the next day. I asked the women looking after the animals about the life of the shelter. They said that in fact there were a little more than two hundred dogs, and about 60 cats. They said that after the stories were published on television, radio and in various newspapers, a line of people lined up to help them. In fact, when I arrived, cars were coming and going, people were bringing bags of food, the shelter’s chief worker, Alik, was carrying cans of canned food in a cart.

Alik suggested that I go to the cat breeder. Poor skinny cats. They would be happy to give affection, but there is no one. They caress, rub against their legs, against clothes, purr, look into their eyes, as if asking: “Do you have someone to give your love to?” Tears well up in my eyes. And very beautiful. If I didn’t live in a rented one-room apartment, I would definitely get myself more cats, and not necessarily kittens.

Dogs are not like that. They are obliged to be distrustful of strangers, so they bark in unison at passers-by, although in their eyes one can read universal melancholy and a plea for life in other conditions. They are also very, very sorry.
I encourage you not only to bring help to the shelter, but also to come and adopt a pet. Read happy stories of taking doggies home.

So, today I traveled to several places in the center of Moscow, at the same time the girl Iya called me and volunteered to help intercept help from people. So the three of us came to the shelter: me, Iya and Karina. Then the girls left, and I spent another two hours hanging around in the shelter, trying to find out in more detail the needs and other information.

Then I went to the evening promenade. Even more people asked to come to them for warm clothes, newspapers, food and money, but then go home. The results of this trip were unexpected for me. I not only didn’t have time to meet several people simply because it was already half past two in the morning, but I also packed the car to capacity like I’m sure no laptop has ever been loaded before. The side and back doors were used by me and my girl Katya Bykova (who brought 150 kg of feed) as a press. They locked the car with great difficulty, and I had to drive with my head bowed, since a rolled-up carpet was resting on my right ear :))) Tomorrow I will take this help to the shelter.

Finally, Alma has created more convenient ways to transfer money than just a savings bank account. Therefore, do not transfer me more money, transfer it to the shelter .

Lyudmila Vasilyevna has telephones, but usually no one can reach them. They sit down, and even if she answered all the calls, it would completely paralyze her work. Unfortunately, people ask questions that can be found out without bothering the hostess by looking on the Internet: how to get there and what to bring.

As I already said, LW there is an assistant Alik, his phone number is 89257111921. By nationality he is Tajik or one of the friendly nationalities, very adequate and kind. It’s better to call him if you want to ask for directions.

On Tuesday, after PR for the shelter in all kinds of media, a lot of food was brought there. People mainly bring dry food for dogs, but they are less in demand, since dogs are fed with them in the warm season. In cold weather they are fed porridge with canned food, and cats are fed dry food and canned food. Therefore, four types of food are needed: dry food for cats, canned food for cats and canned food for dogs, all kinds of cereals for cereals.

It is better to concentrate your efforts on bringing clothes, old clothes, mattresses, carpets, blankets, newspapers, paper, cardboard, in general, everything that can be used as bedding for dogs.

You also need building materials: foam insulation for walls, boards, nails, plywood, chipboard, roofing felt, large nets to delimit enclosures.

Hands will be needed to put together enclosures, but only after building materials become available. I hope that by the weekend the LV will take care of these things, and it will be possible to relax usefully in the fresh air, putting together houses for dogs.

Links:
A very convenient Googledoc for coordinating those who have something to convey and those who can convey : https://docs.google.com/a/antonukhanov.ru/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsyFbmxpsmpBdEdSbHdsd2w4eDZ5cENBbkNJU2Y3TlE#gid=0 . If you want to send help, but don't plan to go there, this is a great place to find transportation.
And its VKontakte version: http://vk.com/topic-34217427_27270576
Topic on Pesikot.org: http://pesikot.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=221530
Shelter group on VKontakte: http://vk.com/club34217427

I would like to simultaneously express my personal opinion about some injustice.

After Alma’s involuntary PR, people frantically rushed to help the shelter, and that’s wonderful. It is a pity that before, most of these people did not know about the shelter or that there are homeless animals that can be helped.

And the injustice is that because of the fire (it was very modest, it’s a pity that there were casualties) and media coverage, “Alma” receives many times more help than other shelters where nothing happened, but where homeless animals are also sick and want to eat. Tomorrow I will ask Lyudmila Vasilievna if she is going to share it with other shelters, although I assume that the answer will be “no,” and this is logical: the shelf life of the food allows Alma’s animals to eat it, if not in winter, then in summer.

I decided for myself that now I would periodically visit Alma or other shelters, bring food or money and pet and scratch the cats and dogs there. In addition to food, they also want attention and affection. By the way, just come and look after the animals, they won’t feel so unwanted.

First, some photos from my iPhone. Guess which one comes with pet food? :)

This is how cats are kept in a cat house. In principle, they have everything they need, but there is little space, or rather, none at all, to frolic. They are forced to sit still and sleep :(


Beautiful cat. Very.


Two affectionate little black ones :)


This is a masterpiece pair of cats! They need to be picked up!


And so, imagine, everyone is affectionate and willing to give their feline tenderness.


This is what my four and a half hours out of fourteen looked like today. Thank you!


These are already evening plans for collecting blankets, clothes and everything else.


Here I only visited three people out of the planned eleven.


To understand the scale of packing things)


This is not the final option yet :) In the end, there is another 150 kilograms of feed.


Here are 60 of them.


And now the photos from the DSLR. I am glad that people came to the shelter in expensive cars and high heels.


And special shoes.


One of four dogs that don't try to run away :)


Shelter assistant


Corner with dry food. There are the most of them and they are the least needed.


Insulation seems to be


Adorable cats


That very cute kitten.


Lyudmila Vasilievna.


And her car, in which she goes to the canteen for hot porridge for the animals, for food and everything else.


Young doggie


With such hope he stuck his muzzle into the hole :(


Corner with canned food


Corner with cereals.


Poor people, they sit in a separate cat house and no one comes to them. They meow and crave attention, affection and food.


Two cats who really want to be petted and fed. People distracted the shelter workers and they had no time to care for the animals.


The second of four dogs.


Fire location.


Rescued dogs.




They have such, such, you know, eyes?








Cars that people abandon at the entrance to the shelter. By the way, this is what the turn to the shelter looks like; after finishing the blue fence, turn left.


Burnt walls of the enclosure.


And dogs still have to live in them. The new ones haven't been built yet.








It's nice that people help, albeit little by little. During the day there is a continuous flow of people.


This is what the wall of the enclosures looks like; in fact, it is the road inside the shelter.


In the dark, I thought it was a puppy, but it turned out that it was a grandfather - the dog is 16 years old, she has a bad heart and no hearing.




It got dark.


A couple of businessmen brought a mountain of foam in a Lexus and promised to help with building materials.


Another pile of feed. The blue ones on top are mine.


There is a line of people wanting to contribute to helping animals.


And I'm talking about cats again. You can’t get very close to the dogs, tomorrow I’ll try to take more photos.

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