Those of you who follow Nune Mehrabyan and the dogs at her shelter, Save the Animals-Armenia, know that most of the shelter dogs are old. Most have lived at the SAA shelter for much of their lives. At the high point, the shelter had about 220 dogs. About a year ago, 160 dogs lived at the shelter. Now, the shelter houses only 61 dogs. So many of the dogs have died, mostly of old age.
They are the lucky ones. Most dogs in Yerevan don't survive to old age. Most aren't given nutritious meals and a warm place to live during the winter. The SAA dogs have that and more.
Since 2010, SAA has been an AKI Partner Organization and with your help, we have been assisting Nune to purchase dog food, get vet care, purchase meds and other shelter supplies, pay shelter staff, and pay for shelter renovations.
Nune has given up so many things in life to provide for her shelter dogs. Nune gave up her career as a pianist; she then gave up teaching piano lessons; and now, with no one else to work day-in and day-out at the shelter, Nune lives at the shelter with the dogs (some of them, pictured below).
Most recently, Nune used AKI funds to pay an US$818 debt for dry food that had accumulated from purchasing dog food on credit. She also used funds from AKI to purchase more dog food (pictured below).
Nune not only takes care of the 61 shelter dogs almost single-handedly, she also feeds 17 dogs who live on the street, not far from the shelter, who have no one else to care for them. It costs US$850 per month to feed the 61 dogs at the shelter and the 17 street dogs!
Recently, Nune also used AKI funds to cover vet expenses (check-ups, blood tests, various treatments), which can be pretty substantial for the older shelter dogs. Mange has been a big problem lately, and among other meds, Nune purchased Bravecto to treat the shelter dogs for mange.
Here's the break down of how Nune spent your donated funds in 2019:
Nune's main concern is the dogs. With every bit of her energy and money, she ensures that SAA dogs live happy lives, feel loved and safe, and have as normal an existence as possible, with regular exercise, good food, and buddies to play with (see the video of SAA dogs).