See link for more information about Belka's background: http://gspsa.org.ge/en/belka-mongrel-female/

This is Belka, one of the three-legged shelter dogs living at the GSPSA shelter in Tbilisi, where I was volunteering during my time in Georgia.

Georgia is a country with enormous animal welfare issues. The sheer rate of abandoned, starving, sick animals you see on the streets of most cities in the country is appalling.

As I struggled to cope with this reality – I decided to try and make a difference. A quick Google search later and I had found the Georgian Society for the Protection and Safety of Animals (GSPSA), they are an organization trying to improve the animal welfare situation both by reviewing legislation and conducting advocacy campaigns, but also by running a shelter for traumatized dogs.

I started off by fundraising for the operational costs of the shelter and managed to collect £450 via JustGiving, which was handed over to the organization on 12 June 2019.

After a couple of weeks of volunteering, I decided to adopt a dog. Knowing the Swedish animal welfare laws, I knew this would be a difficult task. However, I felt that I simply could not leave one particular dog behind – Belka. She was found as an abandoned stray puppy in 2016. Her leg was severely wounded and rotting away on her body, with cuts deep enough to display the bone. GSPSA rescued her by ensuring she got appropriate surgery, where the front leg had to be completely removed. Belka is the type of dog that struggles to adapt to life at the shelter, as she is scared of other dogs and spends her days on top of a cupboard on a concrete terrace, hiding from the energetic dogs underneath.

Belka is turning 6 this year and has lived in distress all her life. She has been a part of the adoption programme since 2016, but as disabled dogs are rarely adopted, Belka has spent her years waiting - until now. In Georgia she has almost zero chance to being adopted. We want to give her the chance to have a feel for what a dog life could be like running around in a garden and going for walks, but mostly finally showing her the life she deserves as a deeply loved family member.

The costs of taking Belka home are displayed underneath and represent just a bit less than my monthly salary, hence why I need your help!

Vaccinations

1. Deworming – £17

2. Complex vaccination – £17

3. Laboratory Studies (Blood, fur) – £28

4. Vaccination of rabies – £6

5. Blood test laboratory analysis (from Germany, Limbach laboratory) – £132

Dog

1. Guardian from a distance fee for six or eight month. – £225

2. 4 package food (special food for good analysis results) – £168

Transportation

1. Tickets for dog and price for weight – £269

2. Goods for dog (leash, Undergrounds for crate) – £42

3. Travelling crate for dog – £168

Health certification before 3 days of departure from Georgian vet department – £14