Saving Strays Team
Rescued Strays
Saving Strays is small charity working in the UK and Bosnia who aim to alleviate the suffering of stray and abandoned dogs. They are entirely managed by a wonderful team of dedicated volunteers, including UK’s friend of OAT Maria Slough and well known animal warrior and actor, Peter Egan.
In 2018 OAT helped to relocate100 dogs from Bosnia to their forever homes in the UK via their OAT 100 appeal. One of these dogs, Hero, who is blind, is particularly special to OAT. He is now living his best life with the Olsen family in their Surrey home.
OAT provide general support for Saving Strays. This includes supporting The Final Forty campaign which aims to secure the health, wellbeing and safety of forty dogs in Saving Strays lifetime care by establishing a specific facilities for them. The 'lifers' will be given a greatly improved and safer environment to live out their natural lives, and those who are candidates for rehoming will receive help with their socialisation skills to ensure they are confident enough to travel and settle into their new adoptive homes.
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What Saving Strays does
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Rescue vulnerable dogs ​from the streets of Sarajevo​ and dogs abandoned in the UK
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Feed and care for relatively healthy dogs living on the streets
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Rehabilitate rescued dogs to prepare them for rehoming, including registration, vaccinations & passports
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Manage the rehoming process including transport to homes and adoption centres across mainland Europe & the UK
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How Olsen Animal Trust helps
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Contribute to core funding
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Provided crucial funding to create new facilities to enable rehabilitation of dogs in long term care
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Created the OAT 100 campaign that enabled 100 dogs to come from Bosnia to the UK for rehoming
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Provided match funding for the Amazon "wishlist" that provided a variety of practical needs for the project​​
Project Images - hover over for details
OATOKE in Sarajevo
OATOKE Dave, took a trip to Sarajevo with Maria Slough in 2019. Featured here with an adorable rescued puppy.
Reality check
Dave during his visit to a shelter in Sarajevo that was previously known as a town kill shelter where dogs, taken from the streets by the authorities, are housed before being destroyed. The shelter was taken over and turned into a rehabilitation and rehoming centre for street dogs. The reality of the street dog problem suddenly hit home for Dave on this visit...
Greetings
Dave meeting one of the residents
Loading the 'Happy Bus'
As part of a project visit, Dave decided to join the journey of one of the "Happy Buses", that relocates dogs ready for rehoming. He travelled in convoy with one particular bus carrying some of the OAT 100 dogs, all the way from Sarajevo to the UK. Featured here with local inspirational rescuer Milena after loading the dogs onto the bus.
OAT 100 campaign
The OAT 100 appeal was a huge success. It achieved its objective and resulted in 100 rescued dogs being relocated from Sarajevo to the UK to begin their rehoming process. "Just for Dogs" in Derby agreed to take up this mission, and housed these dogs until they found their forever homes.
Tunnel pups
Known as the tunnel pups these fortunate puppies were rescued from an underground drainage system. With help from OAT they were rehabilitated in Sarajevo and rehomed in the UK.
Ozzy before
This is Ozzy before he was rescued from a kill shelter in Sarajevo. He was adopted my Maria Slough, Chair of Trustees.
Ozzy after
This is an "after" photo of Ozzy who is thriving in his new home with Maria and her family.
Maria Slough & rescues
Maria Slough, Chair of the Trustees for Saving Strays. Featured here with Hero (right), a beautiful blind boy who is now a happy addition to the Olsen family, and Tango (left) who also found his forever home in the UK. Sadly Tango fell ill only a few months after he had settled with his new family, but these were happy months filled with love and contentment.
Maria & vet Roger
Maria with Roger Bralow UK vet who kindly volunteers his time and expertise to Saving Strays in Bosnia and the UK.
Doggie playground
OAT sponsored playground for rescued dogs at local rescue and rehabilitation centre in Bosnia.
Dave & Seb
Dave pictured here with Bosnian rescue Seb. After rehabilitation in Sarajevo he is now living his best life with his new owner, Peter Egan, actor and Saving Strays patron.
For further information on the work of Saving Strays please visit www.savingstrays.org.uk