‘Adopt a pet from a shelter’: festival of homeless animalsbeing held in Kazan
The first day of WOOF charity festival for homeless animals started on 20 May in Ak Bars Arena stadium. “Adopt a pet from a shelter” is the slogan on the banners, which fully reflects the idea of the event. Thirty dogs were represented at the exhibition on the first day, and the next day, 60 cats participated in the festival.
Curators, shelters and pets on the same site
The festival has been held in Kazan for the first time, its organisers are the Charity Fund for Homeless Animals NIKA. Since 2016, thanks to the event, 1,227 pets have found their home. Earlier, WOOF was held only in Moscow, in the last two years, the organisers decided to expand the geography of participation and involve the regions. For example, the festival was held in St. Petersburg and Rostov. This year, not only Kazan, but also Novosibirsk have joined the list of cities.
“People need to find new home for animals, but not everyone understands how to do it correctly. We, an organisation with quite a lot of experience, unite people who find home for animals on the site: curators, shelters, foundations, and, of course, people who want to take a pet for themselves," said Vera Golikova, one of the organisers of WOOF.
Not only shelters, but also private initiatives
The shelter “Help a Mutt” is a participant of the festival, they have 260 pets. On average, about 100 animals find a new home a year, so the festival is a great opportunity not only to introduce dogs to potential owners, but also to give them to a new family. On the first day representatives of the shelter brought seven dogs.
“Dogs need more help. Few people take them, because they are harder to keep than cats. Therefore, of course, we are very worried when we give them away," said Elena Zakieva, the founder of the Help a Mutt Foundation and head of the shelter of the same name.
However, dogs were brought to the festival not only by such official organisations as shelters, but also by private individuals, pet volunteers. The latter are initiative, caring people who help animals in trouble.
Strelka is one of nine dogs rescued from the basement. It was rescued by volunteer Dina Khusnutdinova. Strelka lived in a pet boarding kennel, and that day it came to the exhibition to look for a new home.
How to take a pet home?
All dogs are healthy, sterilised, and socially adapted. Having chosen a pet, Kazan residents can immediately issue all the necessary documents. But first they need to consult with the veterinarian and zoopsychologist of the festival. This is necessary for the adaptation of a pet in a new family to be successful.
However, if it is not possible to take an animal home, but you really want to support a good cause, you can bring ammunition, food, diapers and bowls to the organisers of the festival. All this will help volunteers to find home for homeless dogs and cats.