The stories of heroism often are too many to report on. While all of them deserve notoriety, some of them are wild enough to garner the attention of others. Dejan Gacic is one of those people with one of those stories. Dejan was called “an angel in disguise” by I Heart Dogs, and from all accounts, he seems to be a hero!
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The Vucjak Shelter was started by his mom.
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The Vucjak Shelter is in Serbia and is devoted to helping dogs who need homes. The shelter was started by Dejan’s mother and he took it over when she passed away. When Dejan took it over, he didn’t have the heart to turn a single dog away, letting the shelter grow larger than he ever expected. Wanting to carry on the work of his mom, he continued on while hoping for more resources.
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Gacic brings a dog home with him almost every day.
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Usually finding them on the streets or being dropped off by someone, Dejan is always adding to the pack! No matter how difficult or tough a case may be, he just can’t bring himself to turn any of them away! The realization that they are one step away from being euthanized is always at the front of his mind.
He keeps them in a large outdoor space during the day and in a shelter at night.
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With the pack always growing, he is always at a need for space and resources. To allow the dogs room, he lets them out in a large outdoor area during the day so they can burn off their energy. At night he brings them into a shelter to keep warm. It can get incredibly cold in Serbia during the winter, forcing him to be creative.
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With 600 dogs present, it is a massive operation.
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During the coldest winter nights, Dajan does all he can to keep the dogs warm. Inside the shelter, he lights a fire inside a stove for heat. When it’s below freezing, it usually isn’t enough. When the stove isn’t enough, Dejan puts his own body on the line.
When the stove doesn’t cut in, Dejan joins the pack.
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Deciding to sleep with his furry friends, Dejan sleeps bundled up with the other dogs when it gets colder than he is comfortable with. He said:
“It’s nice to see them snoring and sleeping because I know we survived one more day,” said Gacic.
Dejan knows that the shelter isn’t ideal.
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Dejan never tries to argue that the shelter is a perfect place for all the animals. He just realizes the reality of these dogs and their potential for euthanization without him. He has a long term goal of building a winter shelter to get through the cold months better.
“We need to build a winter shelter. That is what we need the most,” said Gacic.
He already has the construction plans in place and is waiting on more funding.
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People donate through his Instagram all the time, but it is an expensive project. Regardless of the money, we know that Dejan is devoted to these dogs like nobody else is. Six hundred dogs have a home because of his generosity.
Check out the video below!
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