What will be the difference between the SOS animal shelter and the SOS animal hut?
SOS animal hut is our first mini shelter (area – 40 sq. m.). It is a small mobile house. Currently it is located in Vilnius, in the backyard of Zalgirio str. 60. The house was purchased using the donations of 2008 from the 2 % from PIT .
SOS animal shelter is the building we are going to build and keep there more animals. It will be an official animal shelter, approved by State Food and Veterinary Service, properly equipped and prepared for housing more animals. After building the SOS animal shelter, the current hut will be maintained as quarantine premises, where newly admitted animals will be kept isolated for 10 days, and their health state as well as behaviour will be observed. After this period has passed, animals will be transferred to the premises of the new shelter: here people, looking for pets, will be able to get to know them. It will be possible to keep animals in groups.
Where will donations go if a promised shelter is not built?
We can assure you that the shelter is going to be built because, obviously, our mission is to help animals. Proper lodgment is necessary in order to receive a status of an official animal shelter, approved by State Food and Veterinary Service. Money, donated for building the new shelter, will not be used for any other purposes (we have no intentions of ruining our reputation by making empty promises).
Do you euthanize any animals?
Our shelter has a “no-kill” policy. It means we do not euthanize any animals. We take care of them indefinitely until we find them new homes. We treat sick, injured animals even when there is a very little chance of surviving. However, there are situations when euthanasia is the only option. No matter how sad it is, when an animal is seriously injured or has an incurable disease, we have to end its suffering.
What do you do with unadopted animals?
"SOS animals" has a good record of finding new loving homes for dogs. However we can not shelter aggressive dogs because it is very difficult to keep such dogs with other animals, they hardly socialize and there is very little to no possibility that somebody will adopt such animal. Aggression is usually caused by improper training and is very hard to change.
Cats, on the other hand, are a little more complicated. Feral cats are very accustomed to living outside and they are afraid of people. Sometimes we successfully help cats start socializing. Others stay in the shelter for a while but still do not get more comfortable around people. Nobody wants to adopt such cats. We spay or neuter them and take them to "SOS animals" farmstead. There cats have food, plenty of space outside and warm huts for winter. Other cats that still remain in the shelter, eventually get adopted.
Why there are so many sick animals in the shelter?
New animals are brought to our shelter everyday – some of them have never been taken care of, never received any veterinary care, never have been vaccinated and many of them have diseases. Moreover, animals are usually stressed out because of the new environment, strange smells, other animals, so their immune system becomes weak. Sometimes that can cause feline URI in cats and kennel cough in dogs. These conditions are similar to a human flu.
