PSIA KOŚĆ [DOG'S BONE]

At the University of Lodz we have been running the „Psia Kość! [Dog’s Bone] campaign for ten years. This is the annual November collection of gifts for the Lodz animal shelter.

In several dozen of the University of Lodz points, including:

• at all Faculties of the University of Lodz
• in the University of Lodz Library
• on the academic campus at ul. Lumumby
• in the Rector's Office
• in the University of Lodz Kindergarten
• at the State Secondary School of the University of Lodz
• at British International School of The University of Lodz

we place marked boxes for gifts. You can put into them everything that pets from the animal shelter need, i.e., food (especially specialist pet food), as well as blankets and towels. Accessories are also useful – metal bowls or leashes (not automatic ones).

Throughout 10 editions of the „Psia Kość” campaign, we have managed to collect over 4.1 tons, as well as blankets, medicines, toys and accessories needed by the dogs and cats.

In June 2019, a special edition of the campaign took place, aimed at educating and raising awareness of the adoption of homeless animals, debunking myths about it, and presenting various possibilities of help. As part of it, we organized a meeting with representatives of the Animal Shelter in Lodz, the Bulldog crew and the Kocia Mama Foundation, and our student, who specialises in dog therapy, talked about the impact of dogs on reducing stress in humans.

The greatest need of the animals that stay in the shelter is obviously a responsible home.. Therefore, adoption is a priceless gift, the best gift possible. However, apart from a new home, the first important need is pet food – good quality maintenance pet food. Why good quality? Because it's not true that a dog or a cat that stays in a shelter will eat anything.  On the contrary. These animals are under enormous stress, and then the appetite decreases. In such cases we have to put really tasty morsels under their noses to make them want to eat. It doesn’t need to be explained that the lack of appetite and apathy is the first step to, for example, the occurrence of diseases, and we do not want to let this happen. 

says Marta Olesińska, director of the Animal Shelter in Lodz and she adds: 

Another thing is that some of the animals staying in the shelter have just been at home and perhaps they were fed with delicacies there, so it is difficult for them to switch to low-quality food. And the last thing, but probably the most important one – good food is health, it's nutritional value, but also energy value, it is vitamins and minerals.  That's why it's so important for pets to eat good, nutritious food with high meat content.  For this reason, when giving gifts to our dogs and cats, one should follow the principle: it's not the quantity that counts but quality. It is better to give less food, but let it be good, than to give a lot of food, but of poor quality. In November 2021, there were about 260 dogs and 70 cats in the shelter. With such a number of animals, the daily food requirement is about ... 200 kg! Therefore, any help matters. Animals staying in the shelter in Lodz are lucky that many private people, schools and institutions remember about them and support the shelter regularly, for example by providing food, especially in winter.  This is also the case with the community of the University of Lodz, for which we are very grateful and thankful. Good quality maintenance pet food and textiles (blankets, towels, sheets) – apart from adopting a pet, constitute a very important help.    

sums up director Olesińska and suggests how to help in the time of a pandemic:  

Every day the shelter receives many inquiries – how to support the animals staying in it. We always answer: a new home, good quality food and blankets.  In this order.   
At the moment due to the pandemic, gifts should be left in front of the main gate to the shelter.  Just put it and leave it there. Employees of the shelter see everything thanks to monitoring and only after some time collect the donated stuff.  There is no need to make an appointment or make an announcement. Gifts can be left round the clock, 7 days a week. Many people shop at online pet stores and shipments are delivered to the shelter directly from the stores. There is no problem with it, courier companies come to us every day with parcels.  

We are glad that the community of the University of Lodz can, thanks to the Psia kość! campaign, make a contribution to helping homeless animals.  We know how important this support is and we will certainly continue our initiative. We join the thanks from director Marta Olesińska: 

Thank you very much for yet another edition of the Psia kość! campaign.  We would also like to thank everyone who took part in the campaign and this way supported the animals from the shelter.  Such help is very important and necessary. On behalf of myself and all the animals from the Animal Shelter in Lodz, I would like to thank you once again.

Community of the University of Lodz, our community – amazing people, thanks to whom every year, buses packed full with gifts for pets go to the shelter. We would like to thank our students, employees, pupils from the University of Lodz Kindergarten, students of the State Secondary School of the University of Lodz and the British International School of the University of Lodz for their commitment. We also extend our thanks to the Lodz University of Technology, which joined our campaign in 2020 and collected almost 100 kg of pet food. Well done Guys!

We are very happy that our initiative is developing. „Psia kość” is not only about annual gift collections – we receive signals that the campaign inspires people to adopt animals from the shelter.