By the end of 2022 Dutch organisation Angel’s Choice has been supporting rescuers of cats and dogs, mainly in North-Macedonia, for seven years and eight months already. Worldwide 2022 has not been an easy year for humans and animals due to various reasons like war, natural disasters and shortage of food and energy. Prices for necessities have gone up. People have less money to spend. It’s a struggle to provide the wounded, ill and abandoned animals with all they need to heal, survive and live a good life on a daily basis. This takes its toll on the rescuers but they keep on fighting for the sake of the animals. They do an amazing job no matter what the consequences are for them personally. All Angel’s Choice can do is help them and their animals by fundraising, collecting donations, collecting necessities and shipping them to the rescuers, giving medical advice and networking. And by giving moral support when needed. We cry and mourn together and we rejoice and laugh together.
It’s up to the individual rescuers to rehome their animals abroad, because Angel’s Choice stopped rehoming animals several years ago. Fortunately a lot of adopters still give updates on their dogs or cats and some of them have become friends and loyal supporters of Angel’s Choice and the rescuers.
Angel’s Choice raised funds for transport of handicapped and special needs animals to Hungary (dog Garo), France (dogs Rusty and Coco) and Germany (cats Bubi and Morris).
And in 2022 the first FIP cats were treated successfully with an experimental drug: Clio and Finny.

Organisations supported
In 2022 Angel’s Choice has structurally supported the following rescue organisations:
– Angelcats Sanctuary, Skopje, North-Macedonia, run by Maja Popovska, mainly cats, supported since the beginning of 2015
– Dog Rescue Gastarovska, Skopje, North-Macedonia, run by Silvija Gastarovska, mainly handicapped dogs, supported since the beginning of 2015
–  Masha’s friends, Skopje, North-Macedonia, run by Tatjana Atanasova, cats and dogs, supported since 2018
– Save the Stray Angels, Krushevo, North-Macedonia, run by Ruzhica Parsons, supported since 2018
And on a non permanent basis:
– Friend of Animals, Prilep area, North-Macedonia, dogs and cats, run by Vlatko Zatkoski – mainly focussed on fundraising for neuterings
– Anima Mundi, Skopje, North-Macedonia, project to prevent blindness in kittens, run by Melita Ivanova
– Animal Voice, Bitola, North-Macedonia, run by Leonardo Sokolov, ad hoc fundraising for new shelter and medical advice
– and some individual rescuers for individual dogs or cats.

Co-operation
Angel’s Choice is a big supporter of joining forces. Rescuers should work together and help each other. Fortunately this is happening more and more. Sometimes this means that medication, special food or other necessities are given to other rescuers when they urgently need them. Sometimes a dog or cat goes from its original rescuer to another rescuer who has more space and experience or better facilities. E.g. Handicapped dog Puturus rescued by Animal Voice went to Dog Rescue Gastarovska, handicapped dog Sunny went from Friend of Animals went to Dog Rescue Gastarovska and cat Potsie with a huge wound went from Friend of Animals to Angelcats Sanctuary.  

Neuterings
In 2022 689 cats were neutered thanks to the neutering project run by Angelcats Sanctuary in co-operation with several vets. These 689 cats included newly rescued cats by Angelcats Sanctuary (very limited number), stray cats in Skopje (trapped, neutered and returned to their area), stray cats looked after by other rescuers other cities in North Macedonia. The neuterings were paid for by donations from individual sponsors, auctions organised by Angel’s Choice and donations from Stichting Dierennood. 689 neuterings at 20 euro per neutering means 13,780 euro!
Furthermore Angel’s Choice raised money for the neutering of about 30 dogs at Friend of Animals and Animal Voice.

Rescue 2.0
In the fall of 2021 Angelcats Sanctuary got a grant from Civica Mobilitas. It is the first grant ever in North-Macedonia for the welfare of cats only! The title of the project was: ‘Through civil activism to systematic solutions for homeless cats’. This project is about influencing the authorities to take more systematic measures to prevent the problem of uncontrolled breeding of the stray cats. Civil activism as a very important tool for raising awareness among people who due to superstition and cultural mentality refuse to neuter pets, leading to uncontrolled growth in the number of stray animals. After one year the project ended officially and a report was given to Civica Mobilitas. This does not mean at all that Angelcats Sanctuary will stop all civil activism, because the goal has not been reached yet by far.

Leishmania
Sharko was one of the first dog known with leishmania in the history of Angel’s Choice. He was treated for active leishmania in North-Macedonia but when he came to the Netherlands in 2017 it became clear that his leishmania was active again. Therapy started and it was not easy to get his leishmania under control, but it has been under control for several years now. This was a huge learning curve and a lot of expertise was gained by Adrie Beyen (who runs Angel’s Choice). Because many vets in the Netherlands have no experience with leishmania and other Mediterranean diseases a lot of dogs with leishmania or tick diseases are not diagnosed and treated in time causing them to suffer and die unnecessarily. That’s why she became an active member of the Dutch group ‘Mijn hond heeft leishmania’ and shortly after she was asked to became one of the admins. Since then (for several years now) she has helped many dog owners in the Netherlands and Belgium and also rescuers in North-Macedonia with information, advice on therapy and more. In critical cases she supports individual dog owners on a daily basis.

Finances
All rescuers depend on donations to do what they do: taking care of animals in their neighbourhood, taking in the ones that need medical and other care because they will not survive on their own on the streets, and preparing them for adoption (vaccinations, chipping, documents, neutering). Because North-Macedonia is non-EU and PayPal does not provide services to receive money for people in Nort-Macedonia Angel’s Choice facilitating the fundraising by the rescuers and also does its own fundraising for food, medical care, neuterings and more. There are some loyal supporters who donate every month a fixed amount for one of the rescue organisations or for a specific animal.
Angel’s Choice received a percentage of proceeds from sales via sponsorkliks and has a small number of teamers who donate 1 euro per month. Not a huge amount, but every euro counts.
Once again 12 monthly auctions were organised with the help of Hans Toorneman and Monique Stavast. A lot of people keep on donating items (from books and DVD to jewelry, knick-knacks and household utensils). And fortunately a lot of people from the Netherlands and Belgium place bids on a lot of items. In total the 12 auctions raised just 9,878.85 euro and this money was used to pay vet bills, medication, supplements, special diet food and neuterings.
Shipping costs of sold items were sponsored once again by publishing company A3 boeken.
Two lotteries were organised. Never Huus in Germany donated one week stay in their holiday apartment and 62 tickets at 10 euro each were sold. In total 620 euro became available for the new shelter of Animal Voice. For the second lottery artist Renate Verhagen donated a mini portrait of a cat of dog and 30 tickets at 5 euro each were sold. The raised amount of 150 euro was used for neuterings.

Donated necessities
Various people in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany donated necessities to Angel’s Choice: deworming tablets, spot on anti-flea treatments, medication, diapers, puppy training pads, blankets, towels, dog coats, collars, leashes, harnesses, vitamins and other supplements, snacks, toys, cages, baskets, carrier bags, bandages, gauzes, medical cones, food bowls, clothes for the rescuers and more.
In total 25 parcels of 20 kilo each were sent to the various rescuers and rescue organisations in North-Macedonia by mail (shipping sponsored by publishing company A3 boeken).
In addition two car loads (about 400 kilo each) of necessities were driven to Skopje by Jessi from the Netherlands. Very grateful for this!
This year about 220 tubes of Terramycin and Thiocilline for they eyes were donated for the kitten project of Anima Mundi. Also about 50 tubes of Terramycin for the skin were donated to be distributed amongs various rescuers and vets.
Three times heart medication (vetmedin) was sent to Iva Zafirovska for senior dog Granny and once two jars of l-lycine for some of her cats.
Items that could not be sent to North-Macedonia because of size, weight or contents (e.g. big bags of food, cans of wet food, other food, medication and more) were distributed amongst various private sanctuaries in Belgium and the Netherlands. In total 7 parcels of 20 kilo each and 2 car loads.

Thank you
Once again Angel’s Choice (founded and run by Adrie Beyen) wants to express its gratitude to all rescuers who spend a huge part of their lives for the well-being of many animals. Their never ending efforts are greatly admired and respected.
Everything mentioned in this report was made possible thanks to many people who have contributed in various ways, e.g. by donating money, sponsoring individual animals, donating necessities, donating items for the auctions or bidding on them, collecting coupons, sharing ideas and expertise.
Thank you to all from the bottom of our hearts and on behalf of all the animals who were lucky enough to be rescued.   

31122022

By the end of 2021 Dutch organisation Angel’s Choice has been supporting rescuers of cats and dogs, mainly in North-Macedonia, for six years and eight months.
The year 2021 has a very big black border because Angel, the dog that gave her name to this organisation, died at the age of 13.5 years. She was my soulmate from the moment I took her from a Dutch public shelter and has been my joy and inspiration ever since. Her spirit will live on in the activities of Angel’s Choice.
Several cats and dogs that were mediated by Angel’s Choice in the past and adopted in The Netherlands, Belgium or Germany died. Some of old age, like Mona who was probably 18 years old, some of medical issues. We also lost too many cats and dogs that were rescued by the supported rescuers/organisations in North-Macedonia. Some shortly after being rescued, others several years after being rescued and still with the rescuer because they never had a family of their own for various reasons. The rescuers only take in the ill, wounded, handicapped, starved, dehydrated and helpless ones, because they do not have the space and facilities to take care of all strays they come across. All these animals knew love at the end of their lives and got the best medical care possible, but I can’t shake off the feeling that they would not have suffered if they had not been born. So once again neutering will remain top priority for the next year.
Other activities were focussed on fundraising, collecting donations, collecting necessities and shipping them to the rescuers, giving medical advice and networking. Also moral support is an important part of the job, because rescuing animals can be a very tough job: emotionally, financially and practically.

Organisations supported
In 2021 Angel’s Choice has structurally supported the following rescue organisations:
– Angelcats Sanctuary, Skopje, North-Macedonia, run by Maja Popovska, mainly cats, supported since the beginning of 2015
– Dog Rescue Gastarovska, Skopje, North-Macedonia, run by Silvija Gastarovska, mainly handicapped dogs, supported since the beginning of 2015
–  Masha’s friends, Skopje, North-Macedonia, run by Tatjana Atanasova, cats and dogs, supported since 2018
– Save the Stray Angels, Krushevo, North-Macedonia, run by Ruzhica Parsons, supported since 2018
And on a non structural basis:
– Kane Korze from Skopje, North-Macedonia
– Friend of Animals, Prilep area, North-Macedonia, dogs and cats, supported since March 2019 but in 2021 activities for Friend of Animals were mainly focussed on fundraising for neuterings
– Anima Mundi, project to prevent blindness in kittens, run by Melita Ivanova
– and some individual rescuers for individual dogs or cats.

Help for specific animals
The rescuers are responsible for the dogs and cats in their care and make decisions about their (medical) care and hopefully adoption. In some cases Angel’s Choice is involved because of specific medical issues. Then medical information or advice is given and if needed a fundraiser is made to raise money for (expensive) therapies or surgeries. In 2021 Angel’s Choice helped raise money for Rico (Save the Stray Angels) so he could be sent to Sofia, Bulgaria, for surgery to his leg that could not be done in North-Macedonia. The surgery was successful. Money was raised for several dogs from Friend of Animals to get surgery in Skopje. Money was raised for treatment of leishmania for several dogs at Save the Stray Angels. Money was donated for paralysed dog Candy rescued by Leonardo Sokolov to get Xrays, blood analysis and therapy. These are just a few examples.
With the help of people from The Netherlands and Belgium Angel’s Choice managed to collect almost 300 tubes of Terramycin, eye ointment for kittens with eye infection. When treated in time with Terramycin the eyesight of these kittens can be saved.

Neuterings
In 2021 504 cats were neutered thanks to the neutering project run by Angelcats Sanctuary in co-operation with several vets. These 504 cats included newly rescued cats by Angelcats Sanctuary (very limited number), stray cats (trapped, neutered and returned to their area), cats looked after by other rescuers in Skopje and other cities. The neuterings were paid for by donations from individual sponsors, coupons collected by Angel’s Choice and auctions organised by Angel’s Choice. 504 neuterings at 20 euro per neutering means 10,080 euro!
Angel’s Choice raised money for 57 neuterings of cats and 20 neuterings of dogs in the area of Prilep, co-ordinated by Friend of Animals. In total 3,755 euro.

Civil activism
Neutering stray cats and dogs is one way to reduce the number of stray animals and prevent animals suffering. Raising public awareness is another way. In the fall of 2021 Angelcats Sanctuary got a grant fort his from Civica Mobilitas. It is the first grant ever in North-Macedonia for the welfare of cats only! The title of the project is: ‘Through civil activism to systematic solutions for homeless cats’. This project – in addition to cooperation with other organisations – is intended to influence the authorities to take more systematic measures to prevent the problem of uncontrolled breeding of the stray cats. Civic activism as a very important tool for raising awareness among people who due to superstition and cultural mentality refuse to neuter pets, leading to uncontrolled growth in the number of stray animals. The proposal of Angelcats Sanctuary provides several creative suggestions on how organisations can further implement activities to raise awareness among citizens. This project will involve various stakeholders, including young people who are enthusiastic and committed to be the change in this society. The project incorporates several creative actions, which have not been implemented in North-Macedonia before and as such have the potential for impact. Finally, in addition to cooperating with other organisations, it is planned to influence the authorities to take more systematic measures to prevent this problem.

Finances
All rescuers need to raise funds to take care of the animals in their care and the animals they look after on the streets. Therefore one of the main tasks of Angel’s Choice is facilitating their fundraising and doing its own fundraising for food, medical treatment, supplements, neuterings and vaccinations. Some of the rescue organisations and Angel’s Choice itself have a small number of loyal supporters who donate a fixed amount each month. Some individual dogs and cats have sponsors of their own and their donations cover (part of) their medical and daily care.
Angel’s Choice received a percentage of proceeds from sales via sponsorkliks. Not a huge amount, but every euro counts.
Coupons from supermarkets collected by various individuals were also a source of income thanks to Kitty Maijer who knows how to turn these coupons into euro’s. This money is earmarked for the neutering project of Angelcats Sanctuary.
Once again 12 monthly auctions were organised with the help of Hans Toorneman and Monique Stavast. All items sold were donated by individual supporters from the Netherlands and Belgium. In total the 12 auctions raised just over 11,500 euro and the proceeds were used to pay vet bills, medication, supplements, special diet food and neuterings.
Shipping costs of sold items were sponsored once again by publishing company A3 boeken.

Donated necessities
Various people in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany donated necessities to Angel’s Choice: deworming tablets, spot on anti-flea treatments, all kinds of medication, diapers, puppy training pads, blankets, towels, dog coats, collars, leashes, harnesses, vitamins and other supplements, snacks, toys, cages, baskets, carrier bags, bandages, gauzes, medical cones, food bowls, clothes for the rescuers and more.
In total 28 parcels of 20 kilo each were sent to the various rescuers and rescue organisations in North-Macedonia by mail (shipping sponsored by publishing company A3 boeken).
Also the already mentioned hundreds of tubes Terramycine were sent to Melita at Anima Mundi (Skopje) for the kitten project.
Items that could not be sent to North-Macedonia because of size, weight or contents were distributed amongst various private sanctuaries in Belgium and the Netherlands. In total 8 parcels of 20 kilo each.
Thanks to Ingrid van Herpen Zoetis donated test-kits and medication for Save the Stray Angels and Angelcats Sanctuary.

Special projects
The main focus lies on the animals and giving them the care they need: medical care, food, vaccinations, etc. Living conditions and facilities are also important, but not priority number one unless the well-being is at stake. In 2021 money was raised for renovation of the yard at Dog Rescue Gastarovska to make it possible for the handicapped dogs to walk around in their wheel chairs safely. Also money was raised for a new washing machine, because the old one broke down and every day blankets and towels have to be washed to provide the dogs with clean beddings.
Also at Save the Stray Angels renovations had to be carried out in the house to provide proper housing for the dogs.
In the summer of 2021 Angel’s Choice was contacted by Dutch artist Barbara Meihuizen. Several years ago she found an abandoned kitten while on vacation in North-Macedonia and thanks to Angelcats Sanctuary (and a little help from Angel’s Choice) this kitten could travel to the Netherlands several months later. Now it was her turn to do something for the cats at Angelcats Sanctuary. She made a beautiful statue of a cat and 10 copies were going to be cast in bronze. All ten buyers were asked to donate a fixed amount to Angelcats Sanctuary. Maja was asked to make a wish list and to be honest, it was shocking. Imagine her being without proper heating in the apartment, no washing machine, no vacuum cleaner, no fridge, no freezer. The old wooden floor had so many crevices and holes that she could not keep it clean very well. Linoleum was needed in all rooms. The walls needed desinfecting and a fresh coat of paint. The balcony and terrace needed better fencing. By the end of 2021 all statues were sold and a lot of renovation was done, many appliances bought. This would never have been possible on her salary, which is hardly enough to pay the rent and electricity. The fridge itself costs more than one month salary. So this was a very positive and happy project in an otherwise very grim year.

Thank you
Angel’s Choice (founded and run by Adrie Beyen) wants to express its gratitude to all rescuers who spend a huge part of their lives for the well-being of animals in their living area. Rescuing animals is not something you do for just one hour every day. It is a way of living and all the rescuers who are supported by Angel’s Choice are fully committed and at the service of all those precious souls who suffer a lot at the hands of ‘humans’.
All the activities and support mentioned in this report were possible thanks to many people who have contributed in various ways, e.g. by donating money, sponsoring individual animals, donating necessities, donating items for the auctions, collecting coupons, sharing ideas and expertise.
Thank you to all from the bottom of our hearts and on behalf of all the animals who were lucky enough to be rescued.   

31122021

Officially founded in May 2015 Angel’s Choice has been supporting rescuers of cats and dogs, mainly in North-Macedonia, for 5 full years and 8 months. 2020 is the second year Angel’s Choice no longer mediated dogs and cats for adoption. Activities have been focussed on fundraising, collecting donations, collecting necessities and shipping them to the rescuers, giving medical advice and networking. Also moral support is an important part of the job, because rescuing animals can be a very tough job: emotionally, financially and practical. The total lack of co-operation from locals and governmental institutes and more often their opposition is hard to deal with. In 2020 they also had to take the effects of Covid into consideration when organising transport for the animals that had a foster or forever home waiting for them. Lock-downs and closed borders sabotaged many transports.
Even though Angel’s Choice no longer mediates animals for adoption after-care still has to be provided for the animals that were adopted in the past. In this context Angel’s Choice provides behavioral and medical advice. One dog that was adopted four years ago had to be rehomed.  
In total hundreds of dogs and cats in North-Macedonia depend on donations (money and necessities) collected by Angel’s Choice and sent to the rescuers. Because their shelters and sanctuaries have limited capacity the animals they rescue are always animals in need: ill, weak and injured dogs and cats from the streets. Kittens and puppies trying to survive without mother, dogs and cats that were poisoned, attacked, hit by a car or otherwise injured. Dogs with medical problems due to leishmania or diseases caused by other parasites and ticks.
As always we had our very sad moments, when dogs or cats died at shelter or sanctuary in North-Macedonia or happily adopted animals crossed the rainbow bridge.

Organisations supported
In 2020 Angel’s Choice has structurally supported the following rescue organisations:
– Angelcats Sanctuary, Skopje, North-Macedonia (mainly cats) – supported since the beginning of 2015
– Friend of Animals, Prilep area, North-Macedonia (dogs, cats and also some birds and rodents) – supported since March 2019
– Dog Rescue Gastarovska, Skopje, North-Macedonia, supported since the beginning of 2015
–  Masha’s friends, Skopje, North-Macedonia, supported since 2018
– Save the Stray Angels, Skopje, North-Macedonia, supported since 2018
And on a non structural basis:
– Kane Korze from Skopje, North-Macedonia
– and some individual rescuers.
At the beginning of 2020 Friend of Animals run by Vlatko and Save the Stray Angel run by Ruzica joined forces. The plan was to build a shelter near Prilep, mainly for dogs. At the beginning of August there were about one hundred dogs in this shelter when Vlatko backed out for mental and physical reasons. Leaving Ruzica to deal with the dogs on her own. On top of this villagers started a petition to close the shelter and the veterinary inspector told Ruzica to move all the dogs before October. A huge task but Ruzica made it. In October she moved from the caravan next to the shelter to a real home of her own elsewhere. A home with rooms for dogs and cats and a small yard. She could buy this property thanks to donations and two substantial 0% loans Angel’s Choice and Angelcats Sanctuary helped to secure. After Ruzica left Vlatko resumed his activities at a small scale. Angel’s Choice will try and help him with neuterings.

Individual animals
In 2020 the last foster dog in the Netherlands, Fina (rescued by Animalia Ohrid), was adopted by her long term foster family.
In general Angel’s Choice is not involved with individual dogs and cats from the various rescue organisations unless something specific is going on. Most of the times this means handicapped or gravely ill animals. In those cases Angel’s Choice provides medical information, sends medication or supplements, tries to find sponsors to pay for the daily necessities (diapers, wet wipes, desinfectant, supplements, good food, etc) and medical care, or fundraising for transport to their forever homes abroad. Some of these animals are Wulf (paralysed dog, shot), Bayley (paralysed dog), Malecka (three legged dog), Crni (dog without front legs, run over by train), Bibi (paralysed dog), Miss Teddy (paralysed dog, shot), Pluto (dog, pelvic trauma), Leo (paralysed cat), Max (paralysed and badly abused dog), Tracy (dog with mammal tumors), Lucky (dog with ehrlichia and leishmania), Lara (dog with leishmania), Han (dog with ehrlichia and probably leishmania), Brownie (paralysed dog), Fido (paralysed dog).

Neuterings
Neutering is the best way to save lives. Therefore Angel’s Choice continued the neutering project with Angelcats Sanctuary. In 2020 the miraculous number of 543 cats were neutered: new arrivals at Angelcats Sanctuary, stray cats (trapped, neutered and returned to their area), cats looked after by other rescuers in Skopje and other cities. 200 of those neuterings were paid for by a donation from Dutch organisation Stichting Dierennood. The remainder of the neuterings were paid for by donations from individual sponsors, Dutch organisation Stichting Mr Darcy, collected coupons and auctions organised by Angel’s Choice. 543 neuterings at 20 euro per neutering means 10.860 euro!
There was no neutering project for dogs. The various rescue organisations took care of the necessary neuterings on their own. Angel’s Choice did raise money for a dozen neuterings at Friend of Animals.

Finances
One of the main tasks is raising money for food, medical treatment, supplements, neuterings and vaccinations. Some of the rescue organisations and Angel’s Choice itself have some loyal supporters who donate a fixed amount each month. Some dogs and cats have sponsors of their own, mainly the handicapped dogs at Dog Rescue Gastorovska. Angel’s Choice received a percentage of proceeds from sales (Charity Solid Shampoo Bars, artist Lidwien Rouweler, sponsorkliks). Coupons from supermarkets collected by various individuals and sent to Angel’s Choice were also a source of income thanks to Kitty Maijer who knows how to turn these coupons into euro’s.
In addition Angel’s Choice organised 12 auctions in 2020 (thanks for helping out Hans Toorneman and Monique Stavast) and the proceeds (9.975 euro) were used to pay vet bills, medication, supplements, special diet food and neuterings. The items sold on these auctions are donations made by individual supporters such as books, CD’s, DVD’s, art, jewellery, utensils, clothing items, knick-knacks and so on. Shipping costs of sold items are sponsored by publishing company A3 boeken.

Donated necessities
Once again Angel’s Choice received many necessities from people in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. E.g. deworming tablets, spot on anti-flea treatments, all kinds of medication, diapers, puppy training pads, blankets, towels, dog coats, collars, leashes, harnesses, vitamins and other supplements, snacks, toys, cages, baskets, carrier bags, bandages, gauzes, medical cones, food bowls, clothes for the rescuers and more.
In total 26 parcels of 20 kilo each were sent to the various rescuers and rescue organisations in North-Macedonia by mail (shipping sponsored by publishing company A3 boeken).
In 2020 we were lucky because in total 270 kilo of necessities (120 kilo for Save the Stray Angels and 150 kilo for Kane Korzo) could be sent with dog transporters on their trip back to North-Macedonia.
Over 100 tubes of eye-ointment Terramycine were sent to Melita at Anima Mundi (Skopje) for their kitten project. Many kittens are found with infected eyes and left untreated they will go blind. Terramycin is not available in North-Macedonia hence our campaign to collect as many of these tubes as possible.
Items that could not be sent to North-Macedonia because of size, weight or contents were distributed amongst various private sanctuaries in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Thank you
Angel’s Choice (run by Adrie Beyen with moral support from Angel, adopted from a Dutch public shelter, Belco, adopted from North-Macedonia, and Oezie, former Dutch stray cat) wants to thank all the people who have contributed one way or another: rescuers, sponsors, loyal supporters, people who donated necessities, people who donated items for the auction, people who collected coupons, people who shared their thoughts and ideas, vets who offered their opinion and advice, people who bought at the auctions, and everybody I forgot to mention.

31122020

This is the fourth full year Angel’s Choice has been supporting rescuers of cats and dogs, mainly in North-Macedonia. It is also the first year that cats and dogs were not actively promoted and mediated for adoption due to personal health problems of the founder and only member of staff of Angel’s Choice and new developments in legislation.
Even without the activities dealing with adoption and transport it has been a very busy year. In total hundreds of dogs and cats depend on donations (money and necessities) collected by Angel’s Choice and sent to the rescuers. Because their shelters and sanctuaries have limited capacity the animals they rescue are always animals in need: ill, weak and injured dogs and cats from the streets. Kittens and puppies trying to survive without mother, dogs and cats that were poisoned, attacked, hit by a car or otherwise injured. Dogs with medical problems due to leishmania or diseases caused by other parasites and ticks.
As always there were moments of big despair and grief, and also moments of relief and utter joy.
Five animals that were adopted in Belgium or the Netherlands died this year: dog Mimi and cats Civki, Dushi, Charlie and Jasmin. Thanks to their rescuers and adopters they knew love and got the best possible care in the last part of their lives.

Organisations supported
In 2019 Angel’s Choice provided full support for:
– Angelcats Sanctuary, Skopje, North-Macedonia (mainly cats) – supported since the beginning of 2015
– Animalia Ohrid, Ohrid, North-Macedonia (mainly dogs, but also some cats) – supported since June 2015 till May 2019.
– Friend of Animals, Prilep area, North-Macedonia (dogs, cats and also some birds and rodents) – supported since March 2019
Full support means trying to raise money for medical treatments, food and other necessities for daily care, networking, providing information and second opinion from vets and specialists, moral support, et cetera.
– Full support of Dog Rescue Gastarovska, Skopje, North-Macedonia, ended in March 2017, but in the course of 2018 Angel’s Choice started supporting this organisation again by facilitating fundraising for the handicapped dogs and sending necessities. This support continued in 2019.
Because it is not possible for residents of North-Macedonia to have a PayPal account (instrumental in fundraising) Angel’s Choice facilitated the fundraising for the following two rescue organisations. Both are run by rescuers Angel’s Choice has been in touch with for several years. They also received necessities.
– Masha’s friends, Skopje, North-Macedonia
– Save the Stray Angels, Skopje, North-Macedonia
Incidentally the following organisation and private rescuer were supported:
– Kane Korze from Skopje, North-Macedonia  – sending necessities.
– Biljana Lazorova from Kochani, North-Macedonia – sending necessities and neutering cats.

Individual animals
– Dog Sharko with leishmania was adopted by his foster mom almost 2,5 years after his arrival in the Netherlands. He was rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska and treated for leishmania in North-Macedonia. On arrival in the Netherlands it was evident the leishmania had flared up. He was treated for leishmania with Milteforan, Glucantime, allopurinol, vetinmune, BaiFen and now he is on Impromune. He had extensive bloodtests done every six months. He was treated successfully with chemotherapy for a sticker tumor (TVT). Even though he is adopted now he remains under the medical supervision of Angel’s Choice. His medical expenses are mainly being paid from sales of unsold auction items at a commercial website (Marktplaats).
– Dogs Oscar and Bina were rescued by Animalia Ohrid and were very scared. Nobody knows what they have been through. In October 2018 they arrived at a foster home in the Netherlands and in December 2019 they were adopted by their foster mom.
– Dog Ado followed his siblings Alice and Alba to the Netherlands in September 2018 and was adopted by his foster family in January 2019.
– Dog Baby (rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary) came back from adoption and was rehomed in the Netherlands.
– Dog Rina (rescued by Animalia Ohrid) came back from adoption and was rehomed in the Netherlands.
– Doris, handicapped dog in Argentina, facilitating fundraisers for medical expenses.
– Dora, handicapped dog rescued by Animalia Ohrid in 2016 and in foster care at Dog Rescue Gastarovska since autumn 2016. Angel’s Choice facilitates her fundraising.
– Zoro, blind dog rescued by Friend of Animals, fundraising for medical care.
– Lara, dog with leishmania rescued by Friend of Animals and after that in the care of Kane Korze in Skopje, fundraising for medical care
– Tracy, dog with huge mammal tumor rescued by Friend of Animals and after that in the care of Kane Korze in Skopje, fundraising for medical care
– Pluto, dog hit by a car and in need of orthopaedic surgery rescued by Friend of Animals, fundraising for medical care and stay in clinic during treatment for parvo and after that for rehabilitation
– Cezar, handicapped dog, finding a forever home for him after three different foster homes in the Netherlands and Belgium (not organised by Angel’s Choice), plus facilitating fundraiser for wheelchair
– Boy, handicapped dog from Skopje, private rescue, a little help with organising transport to his forever home in Belgium
– Cat Cappuchino, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary, help with organising transport for him and his adopter to their home in Belgium
– Mimi, dog left to put to sleep at a clinic in Skopje and taken from there by a private rescuer, help with finding it a forever home in Belgium
– Onix, handicapped dog rescued by Friends of Animals, fundraising for medical care and transport to his forever home in the Netherlands, and finding him the forever home
– Vuk, husky dog rescued by Kane Korze, help with homecheck and finding rescue back-up.
– Cat Zeta, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary, finding her a forever home where she was reunited with her kitty friend from Skopje
– Fina (rescued by Animalia Ohrid) is the only dog in foster care in the Netherlands at the end of 2019.
– Cat Angelina, private rescue in Bitola, with two badly broken hindlegs. Angel’s Choice paid surgery and short stay at vet clinic.

Neuterings
Neutering is the best way to save lives. Therefore Angel’s Choice started a new neutering project with Angelcats Sanctuary. In 2019 the amazing number of 97 cats were neutered: new arrivals at Angelcats Sanctuary, stray cats (trapped, neutered and returned to their area), cats looked after by other rescuers in Skopje and Kochani.
17 Dogs and 1 cat from Friend of Animals were neutered. The neutering started after the summer and we hope to neuter plenty more dogs and cats in 2020.

Finances
One of the main tasks is raising money for food, medical treatment, supplements, neuterings and vaccinations. Angelcats Sanctuary, Friend of Animals and Dog Rescue Gastarovska have a number of loyal supporters who donate a fixed amount each month. These threeorganisations also have animals that have a sponsor of their own; these sponsors donate a fixed amount every month for their ‘own’ animal. In the case of Dog Rescue Gastarovska this only applies to handicapped dog Dora.
Angel’s Choice itself also has a few loyal supporters.
The loyal supporters and sponsors provide a steady income but not enough by far. Regularly appeals had to be made to raise enough money to pay for food.
Angel’s Choice organised 12 auctions in 2019 and the proceeds are used to pay vet bills, medication, supplements and special food. Items for the auctions are donated by people and 100% of the proceeds goes to the rescue organisations. Postage for sold items is sponsored structurally by publishing company A3 boeken.
Another way to raise money is collecting coupons and sponsorclicks when people buy items on the internet and Angel’s Choice gets a commission.

Donated necessities
Once again Angel’s Choice received many necessities from people, vet clinics and organisations in the Netherlands and Belgium. E.g. deworming tablets, spot on anti flea treatments, all kinds of medication, diapers, puppy training pads, blankets, towels, dog coats, collars, leashes, harnesses, vitamins and other supplements, snacks, toys, cages, baskets, carrier bags, bandages, gauzes, medical cones, food bowls and more. In total 17 parcels of 20 kilo each were sent to the various rescuers and rescue organisations in North-Macedonia by mail (shipping sponsored by publishing company A3 boeken). Items that could not be sent to North-Macedonia because of size, weight or contents were distributed amongst various private sanctuaries in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Thank you
Angel’s Choice (run by Adrie Beyen with moral support from Angel, adopted from a Dutch public shelter, and Belco, adopted from North-Macedonia) wants to thank all the people who have contributed one way or another: rescuers, sponsors, loyal supporters, people who donated necessities, people who donated items for the auction, people who collected coupons and Mieke who turned them into money, people who shared their thoughts and idea’s, vets who offered their opinion and advice, people who bought at the auctions, Monique and Hans who are part of the admin team of the auctions, adopters, fosters and everybody I forgot to mention.
Humans are the biggest threat to animals, but fortunately there are also humans who look after animals every day of their lives.

31122019

• 

This is the third full year Angel’s Choice has operated. Sometimes you think it cannot get worse, but believe me, it can. It’s the gratitude of the dogs and cats that have been saved that keeps us going.
Apart from a number of individual handicapped dogs in other countries Angel’s Choice mainly supports several animal rescue organisations in Macedonia. This is a non-EU country and the situation for the (stray) animals is really bad. National and local government do not care about the wellbeing of animals. Abuse, torture, poisoning and other ways of killing stray animals are going on and on…. For many diseases diagnostic facilities, treatments and medication are not available.
The rescuers do what they can to save as many lives as possible by neutering as many dogs and cats as possible. Because the rescuers have no means and facilities to take all the stray animals, they have to restrict themselves to taking the ill, weak and injured ones off the streets. This means a lot of expenses (medical care, supplements, wound care, special food) and also a high mortality rate. Not all of them make it, by far not all of them, but at least they knew love and safety at the end of their lives. It is not possible to name all of them we have lost in Macedonia, but they have a place in our hearts.
In January handicapped Teo lost his battle. He was the first handicapped dog Angel’s Choice became involved with. He was adopted in Germany by a loving family and had the best time of his life with them. Black cat Madonna died due to an unfortunate accident near the home of her adopter in the Netherlands. Handicapped puppy Cipiripi died a few days before she was going to fly to her forever home in Belgium. Lunita, handicapped dog from Argentina, died shortly after her 11^th birthday. In 2015 Angel’s Choice was involved in rescuing her from her abusive adopters in USA. After that she went to a wonderful forever foster home where she died despite a lot of medical care. Cat Adi travelled to her forever home in the Netherlands, but her new life with her loving mom and dad ended too soon due to medical problems. Femie, one of the first cats Angel’s Choice found a home for, died suddenly. Femie was a very shy cat and she had a very good life with her patient and understanding dad.

Organisations supported
In 2018 Angel’s Choice provided full support for:
– Angelcats Sanctuary, Skopje, Macedonia (mainly cats, but also some dogs) – supported since the beginning of 2015
– Animalia Ohrid, Ohrid, Macedonia (mainly dogs, but also some cats) – supported since spring 2015
Full support means trying to raise money for medical treatments, food and other necessities for daily care, trying to find a forever home for some of the animals and organising transport, networking, providing information and second opinion from vets and specialists, moral support, et cetera
– Full support of Dog Rescue Gastarovska, Skopje, Macedonia, ended in March 2017, but in the course of 2018 Angel’s Choice started supporting this organisation again by facilitating the fundraising for the often handicapped dogs.
Because it is not possible for residents of Macedonia to have a PayPal account (instrumental in fundraising) Angel’s Choice started facilitating the fundraising for the following two rescue organisations in Macedonia in 2018. Both are run by rescuers Angel’s Choice has been in touch with for several years.
– Masha’s friends
– Save the Angels in kill facility Vardarishte

Individual animals supported
Lunita, handicapped dog from Argentina, rescued from adopters in USA in 2015, long term fostered in USA – facilitating fundraiser for medical expenses. This support ended when Lunita died in the summer of 2018.
Doris, handicapped dog in Argentina, facilitating fundraisers for medical expenses
Manjar, handicapped dog in Chile, facilitating fundraisers for medical expenses. Sadly Manjar died in 2018.
Dora, handicapped dog rescued by Animalia Ohrid in 2016 and in foster care at Dog Rescue Gastarovska since autumn 2016.

36 dogs and cats went to their forever or foster home
For most of the dogs and cats in this list Angel’s Choice found a foster or forever home and organised transport. For others only transport was organised.
In 2018 more dogs than usual came into foster care in the Netherlands. This is not the policy of Angel’s Choice. Preferably they travel directly to their forever homes. But in 2018 it was urgent to take dogs out of paid pensions where Angelcats had put them, because this was too big a strain on the resources. Ado was on the urgency list, because he was still at paid pension whereas his two sisters had already left in the summer of 2017. And because the shelter of Animalia had to close in September 2018 as many dogs as possible had to leave before closure.
Apart from the newly arrivals Angel’s Choice has another dog in foster care in the Netherlands: Sharko. He arrived in the spring of 2017. He has leishmania and ever since his arrival we have been treating him for this. There is a lot if improvement, but his blood values are not 100% ok yet. In February he was treated for a sticker tumor with success.

Poppy, dog, neutered by Animalia Ohrid. After neutering she recovered for a couple of days at the shelter and she was supposed to be returned to the streets again. A family from the Netherlands fell in love with her and she was allowed to stay in the shelter until she was ready to travel. Organisation transport.

Fina, dog with crooked front legs, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. After almost all her life (many years) in the shelter she travelled to the Netherlands. Her adopters returned her after three days. She has been in foster care ever since. Mediation for adoption (including lots of info, pictures and video’s so the adopters would have a good idea of her ‘disability’), organisation transport and foster care.

Luck, kitten with three legs, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.

Zaga, dog, formerly paralysed dog rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska. She travelled to the Netherlands in 2017. Two failed adoptions in 2017 and finally in 2018 she went to live in her own paradise in Belgium. Mediation for adoption.

Bono, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Garfield, formerly paralysed cat but still incontinent, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in Belgium. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Hippie, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Joy, dog. Neutered by Animalia Ohrid and about to be returned to the streets after recovery in the shelter. Adopter was found and she remained in the shelter until she could travel. Adopted in the Netherlands. Taken from her adopter into foster care. Soon after adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation foster care and organisation transport.

Bella, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in Belgium. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Adi, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Toto, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid when he was injured. Kept at the shelter of Animalia at request of Angel’s Choice. Fostered and adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Ayaan, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in Belgium. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Shiva, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted/failed foster in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation foster and organisation transport.

Holly, dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Srekja, dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Linda, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands after foster care. Mediation for adoption, organisation foster and transport.

Vaska, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted/failed foster in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation foster and transport.

Leon, handicapped cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in Belgium. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Bibi, dog with injured eye, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Still fostered in the Netherlands at the end of 2018. Organisation foster care and transport.

Baby, dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted/failed foster in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation foster care and transport.

Masha, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Laura, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in Germany. Organisation transport.

Berta, dog with three legs, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Fostered and adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation foster care and transport.

Simba, handicapped dog, rescued in Macedonia. Adopted in Germany. Organisation transport.

Gene, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted/failed foster in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation foster care and transport.

Qyra, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Sticky, cat with malformed legs, fostered in Macedonia by Melita Ivanova. Adopted in the Netherlands. Organisation transport.

Madam, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Ado, dog, initially rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska. Foster care in the Netherlands. Organisation foster care and transport.

Mona, pup, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Oscar, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Foster care in the Netherlands. Organisation foster care and transport.

Bina, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Foster care in the Netherlands. Organisation foster care and transport.

Gala, pup with burnt feet and tail, fostered in Macedonia by Ivana Miseva. Adopted in Belgium. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Toby, handicapped dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Jasmin, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in Belgium. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Buckie, pup, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary/Ruzica Parsons. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.

Visits
In October Vildana Sadikoska of Animalia Ohrid visited the Netherlands for the very first time. Angel’s Choice organised a meet & greet and a lot of dogs from Animalia and their new families were present. It was an event with many happy reunions. The following dogs met their rescuer: Mona, Sakana, Duso, Pixie (not Animalia but Angelcats Sanctuary), Hippie, Fina, Mizo, Goldie, Vaska, Madam, Luna, Gina, Poppy and Blue. Vildana visited cat Luck at her forever home.
During the year Angel’s Choice visited several formerly adopted cats and dogs at their forever homes in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Finances
One of the main tasks is raising money for medical treatment, supplements, food, neuterings and vaccinations. There are various ways to do this. Both Animalia Ohrid and Angelcats Sanctuary have a number of loyal supporters who donate a fixed amount (mostly 10 euro) each month. This is a steady income but not enough by far. Regularly appeals had to be made to raise enough money to pay for food. Angel’s Choice has organised 12 auctions in 2018 and the proceeds are used to pay vet bills and medical necessities. Items for the auctions are donated by people and 100% of the proceeds goes to the rescue organisations. Another way to raise money is collecting coupons and fortunately people keep on donating them.
In 2018 17 resident cats at Angelcats Sanctuary found a sponsor who donates each month 5 euro or more. Resident cats are cats that will most probably never leave the sanctuary because they are too old, too weak or chronically ill. Taking care of them (food, supplements, medical care) costs about 10 euro per month.
On September 1^st the shelter of Animalia had to close its doors, because the municipality reclaimed the land. No other plot of land had been found to start a new shelter. Because it was no option to put the dogs back on the streets. Many of them have been in the shelter for years and most probably will not survive the winter (and the humans). Luckily a pension was found willing to take all dogs that were left, 31 in total. And also luckily sponsors for all dogs were found. Every month 50 euro per dog has to be paid for pension. This does not include food and medical care.

Donated necessities
Also this year many necessities were donated by people, vet clinics and organisations in the Netherlands and Belgium. E.g. deworming tablets, spot on anti flea treatments, all kinds of medication, diapers, puppy training pads, blankets, towels, dog coats, collars, leashes, harnesses, vitamins and other supplements, snacks, toys, cages, baskets, carrier bags, bandages, gauzes, medical cones, food bowls and more. The main part of the donated items were transported to the animal rescue organisations in Macedonia by mail or taken by people flying to Macedonia. Items that could not be sent to Macedonia because of size, weight or contents were distributed amongst various private sanctuaries in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

Thank you
Angel’s Choice (run by Adrie Beyen with moral support from Angel, adopted from a Dutch public shelter, and Belco, adopted from Macedonia) wants to thank all the people who have helped in all the above activities one way or another. Especially deep respect for the rescuers who have to deal with animal cruelty and misery every day of their lives and gratitude for all who have offered a dog or a cat a forever home.
With all the changes going on there and here the future is very uncertain. Let’s hope we can change the world for many dogs and cats next year as well.

31122018

This is the second full year Angel’s Choice has operated. And once again it was an emotional rollercoaster: immense sadness, anger, frustration, relief, gratefulness and joy painted the animal rescue landscape.
Angel’s Choice mainly supports animal rescuers in Macedonia. This is a non-EU country which means that adoption of cats and dogs abroad is more complicated than adopting animals from a EU country. Also sending money and donated goods is very difficult, sometimes impossible, and very expensive. The possibilities of transporting animals by plane are limited. Transport by road takes a long time and there are no professional transport companies that take animals from Macedonia to Western Europe.
The animal rescuers in Macedonia are getting exhausted by the continuing fight for animal welfare in general and the well-being of individual animals. Lots of horrific events take place: animals being murdered with axes, mass poisoning (even neutered stray animals are being poisoned), bestiality and mass abandoning of pets. Lots of medication and analytical tools are not available or of poor quality, which means a diagnosis cannot always be made properly and accurately, diseases and damage caused by trauma cannot be treated adequately.
Every life saved and every forever home found are the fuel to keep the animal rescuers going despite everything.

Organisations supported
In 2017 Angel’s Choice supported:
– Angelcats Sanctuary, Skopje, Macedonia (mainly cats, but also some dogs) – supported since the beginning of 2015
– Animalia Ohrid, Ohrid, Macedonia (mainly dogs, but also some cats) – supported since spring 2015
Support of Dog Rescue Gastarovska, Skopje, Macedonia, ended in March 2017, because communication had become impossible due to continuing personal problems of the animal rescuer.
Full support means trying to raise money for medical treatments, food and other necessities for daily care, trying to find a forever home for some of the animals and organising transport, networking, providing information and second opinion from vets and specialists, moral support, et cetera.

Individual animals supported with fundraisers
Lunita, handicapped dog from Argentina, rescued from adopters in USA in 2015, now long term fostered in USA – facilitating fundraiser for medical expenses
Doris, handicapped dog in Argentina, facilitating fundraisers for medical expenses
Manjar, handicapped dog in Chile, facilitating fundraisers for medical expenses

Special medical care
In 2017 two animals were brought to a foster home in the Netherlands to make better medical treatment possible. In January cat Pepper from Angelcats Sanctuary arrived. Due to a dog attack she had lost a hind leg and part of her ear. After that she developed severe gingivitis. She went to a specialised vet and had surgery: all teeth except the fangs were removed. She made a good recovery after surgery and after a failed adoption she finally found her true forever home.
Dog Sharko was rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska and treated with Milteforan for leishmania in the summer of 2016. Since then he had been in paid pension, but this could not continue. On arrival in April in the Netherlands it was clear the leismania was active again and his kidneys were not in good condition. He was treated with Milteforan in May and his kidneys recovered. However after several months it was clear the leishmania was still active and he was treated with Glucantime injections during December. We hope his leishmania will be under control. New bloodwork will tell us in 2018. He is still looking for a forever home.

39 dogs and cats went to their forever or foster home
For some of the dogs and cats in this list Angel’s Choice found a home and organised transport. For others only transport was organised, e.g. when tourists visiting Macedonia found a stray animal and wanted to take it home. This is not possible straight away, because the cat or dog has to receive a rabies vaccination, chip and passport. After that several weeks have to pass before an animal is allowed to enter another country. During those weeks the animals were fostered by Animalia in Ohrid or Angelcats Sanctuary in Skopje.

Goldie, dog, private rescue by Dutch tourists in Ohrid, went missing before she could be taken to the shelter of Animalia. She was dislocated by the hotel owner and turned up in another village months later. Organisation transport.
Pepper, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary when she was tiny after a dog attack, lost a leg and part of ear, developed severe gingivitis. Had surgery during foster care in the Netherlands and recovered fully. Had a failed adoption (appeared not to be very fond of men) and found her true forever home later this year. Medical care in the Netherlands, organisation transport, finding foster home, mediation for adoption.
Zaga, dog, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska when found paralysed, had bad wounds. After 2 years brought to the Netherlands to a foster home. Had a failed adoption and at the end of 2017 still in foster care. Full support from the moment she was found, mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Molly, dog, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska when she was still a baby. One hind leg or hip was not in the right position. Adopted in Germany. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Dushi, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary, had major surgery on disjointed hip. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.
Sharko, dog with leishmania, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska. Went to foster home in the Netherlands, intensive medical treatment, still in foster home at end of the year. Medical care in the Netherlands, organisation transport, finding foster home.
Alice, dog, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska. Went to foster home in the Netherlands, found forever home in the Netherlands. Organisation transport, finding foster home, mediation for adoption.
Alba, dog, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska. Went to foster home in the Netherlands, found forever home in the Netherlands. Organisation transport, finding foster home, mediation for adoption.
Nika, cat, private rescue by Macedonian woman in Nigeria. Providing information and finding trustworthy animal rescue organisation in Nigeria
Lily, cat with three legs, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.
Rory, CH kitten, rescued by Animalia’s Cat Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.
Gianna, dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary in cooperation with Iva Zafirovska. Fostered in the Netherlands, adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.
Ziggy, dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Fostered in the Netherlands, adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.
Bea, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in UK. Help with organisation transport.
Lian, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in UK. Help with organisation transport.
Roo, CH kitten, fostered by Melita Ivanova, Skopje. Adopted in the Netherlands. Organisation transport and temporary foster care.
Max, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.
Tea, paralysed/wounded cat found by a girl. Responsible animal rescuer: Tatjana Atanasova. Rescued from scam foster home in Skopje. Fostered by Angelcats Sanctuary. General support, fundraising, organisation transport.
Luna, dog, Private rescue by Dutch tourists. Fostered by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Organisation transport
Aron, dog with three legs abandoned by owner. Fostered by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in Spain. Arranging foster care, organisation transport.
Simba, cat with broken hip. Rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary and fostered by Melita Ivanova. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.
Louisa, CH kitten, rescued and fostered by Melita Ivanova. Mediation for adoption and organisation transport.
Rostislav, cat with mild CH, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Lola, dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in Belgium. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Rina, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Fostered in the Netherlands. Adopted in the Netherlands. Organisation transport and mediation for adoption.
Meglena, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Madonna, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Tommy, handicapped dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Pepe, cat, rescued by Melita Ivanova. Adopted in the Netherlands. Organisation transport.
Jiji, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Marie, cat from Macedonia. Help with emergency rehoming in Germany after failed adoption.
Bolvi, dog, rescued at the request of a German tourist. Fostered at Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in Germany. Organisation transport.
Ani, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in Germany. Organisation transport.
Mimi, dog with leishmania and injuries after being hit by car and , rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in Belgium. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Gamma, dog with three legs, rescued by Animalia Ohrid. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Garo, dog, member of Belco’s pack. Responsible animal rescuer: Tatjana Atanasova. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Piccolo, dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Failed adoption in Macedonia. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Roxy Marmalade, cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.
Pixie, dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary. Adopted in the Netherlands. Mediation for adoption, organisation transport.

Visits
Maja Popovska of Angelcats Sanctuary brought animals to the Netherlands or Germany several times. The opportunity was seized to visit as many of ‘her’ rescued animals as possible. Also Adrie of Angel’s Choice visits adopted cats and dogs regularly. In 2017 some of the visited animals in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium were Teo, Mali, Lily, Mika, Lily Rose, Rory, Jane, Olly, Aya, Ava, Lajka, Marlo, Kees, Olav, Kaja, Mona, Civki, Freckles, Belco, Rainbow, Sarina, Tea, Dottie, Gianna, Lola and Little Prince. It is always a joy to meet them again.

Donated necessities
Many necessities were donated by people, vet clinics and organisations in the Netherlands and Belgium. E.g. deworming tablets, spot on anti flea treatments, all kinds of medication, diapers, puppy training pads, blankets, duvets, towels, dog coats, collars, leashes, harnesses, vitamins and other supplements, snacks, toys, cages, baskets, desinfectants, ointments, cleaning products, carrier bags, transporter benches, bandages, gauzes, medical cones, food bowls and more. The main part of the donated items were transported to the animal rescue organisations in Macedonia. Items that could not be sent to Macedonia because of their size, weight or contents were distributed amongst various private sanctuaries in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. 

Fundraising
One of the main tasks is raising money for medical treatment, food, neuterings, vaccinations and transport. All supported organisations and some of the individual dogs at their shelters or sanctuaries have loyal supporters who pay each month a fixed amount (10 euro or more). Unfortunately there has been a decline in the total number of loyal supporters, but even if the total number had been the same as in 2016, their donations would not have been enough to take care of all the needs. Fortunately there are also one off donations and fundraisers for special cases or urgent situations help getting more donations. The fundraiser for the new home of Angelcats Sanctuary that started in 2016 is still running at the end of 2017, because not enough money has been raised yet. The fundraiser for a badly needed car for Animalia Ohrid was closed because there was enough money raised to buy the car. But the fundraiser for food for all dogs in the shelter of Animalia Ohrid and lots of stray dogs in Ohrid is still running.
Other ways to raise money are collecting coupons and auctions. Once again in 2017 the coupons raised a few hundred euro’s. In 2017 seven auctions were organised. Items were donated by private sponsors and auctioned on a special page on Facebook. The money raised by the auctions, in total several thousands of euro’s, is mainly used to pay vet bills and other medical expenses.
In October 2017 Belgian organisation ARAS organised their second benefit event in Gent. It was visited by Maja Popovska of Angelcats Sanctuary and Adrie Beyen on behalf of Angel’s Choice. It was a big success. Maja went home with 90 kilo of donated items and Adrie drove home with a car filled to the brim with mainly blankets and baskets. Also the main part of the money raised was donated to Angel’s Choice.

 RIP
As the animals rescuers have to restrict themselves to helping the dogs and cats that need their help the most, they get a lot of ill, injured, maltreated, undernourished, abandoned and handicapped dogs and cats. This means quite a high percentage of them dies. This has always a huge impact on all involved and many many tears have been shed in 2017, but it is a comfort to know that the animal did not die alone and knew human love before it crossed the rainbow bridge.
We also lose animals because of their age, like this year poodle Leo and spaniel Mickey, both adopted in the Netherlands in 2016.
In 2017 we also mourned husky girl Hana, who lost her fight against leishmania, and handicapped cat Lily Rose, who developed scoliosis. Both were adopted in Belgium.

Thank you
Angel and I (Adrie Beyen) want to say thank you to all the animal rescuers for doing what they do every day of their lives. They are the first link in the chain to a new and happy life for a dog or cat. We really admire and respect them for their tenacity, perseverance, expertise and endless TLC.
We also want to thank all the people who have adopted or fostered a dog or cat, the people who were flight volunteer, helped finding the animals a home, donated money and items, helped running the auction, shared information and expertise, offered moral support and made it possible to go on.
I do not give the names of all those people because I am afraid I will forget some. When you read this and have helped one way or another: thank you ❤ And yes, this text is the same as last year, because in fact nothing has changed: we are still very grateful because without all of you nothing could have been achieved.

31122017

After being founded on May 13^th, 2015, the year 2016 is the first full year Angel’s Choice has operated. It was an enervating year with lots of happy and lots of sad and devastating events. Lots of disappointments, but also many unexpected offers of help. Many challenges and problems, many solutions found.

Organisations supported
In 2016 Angel’s Choice supported:
– Dog Rescue Gastarovska, Skopje, Macedonia
– Angelcats Sanctuary, Skopje, Macedonia
– Animalia Ohrid, Ohrid, Macedonia
– and the cat department of Animalia in Skopje, Macedonia
Full support means trying to raise money for medical treatments, food and other necessities for daily care, trying to find a forever home for some of the animals and organising transport, networking, providing information and second opinion from vets and specialists, moral support, et cetera.

Individual animals supported
Hope, handicapped dog, rescued by NGO Ruka-Sapi and fostered in Montenegro, facilitating fundraiser and providing wheelchair
Jack, handicapped dog, private rescue in Ukraine, facilitating fundraiser for medical treatment and transport to adopter in USA
Aron, emaciated staffordshire bull dog, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, fostered privately in Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Macedonia, general support
Lunita, handicapped dog from Argentina, rescued from adopters in USA in 2015, now long term fostered in USA – facilitating fundraiser for medical expenses
Diara, dog with amputated front legs, rescued in Ukraine, adopted in Germany, facilitating fundraiser for wheelchair
Doris, handicapped dog in Argentina, facilitating fundraisers for medical expenses
Corgi, handicapped dog from Kichevo, Macedonia, facilitating fundraiser for medical expenses
Cuta, abused stray dog with puppies, Kichevo, Macedonia, facilitating fundraiser for medical expenses, neutering and vaccinations
Mali, blind dog from Kichevo, Macedonia, helping with search for forever home
Fortuna, handicapped dog fostered in Germany, helping with search for forever home

49 dogs and cats went to their forever or foster home
For some of the dogs and cats in this list Angel’s Choice found a home and organised transport. For others only transport was organised, e.g. when tourists visiting Macedonia found a stray animal and wanted to take it home. This is not possible straight away, because the cat or dog has to receive a rabies vaccination, chip and passport. After that several weeks have to pass before an animal is allowed to enter another country. During those weeks the animals were fostered by Animalia in Ohrid or Angelcats Sanctuary in Skopje.

Mini, dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, went from foster home in the Netherlands to forever home in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption
Hana, dog with leishmania, private rescue in Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption and organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Belco, dog (shot at with gun), private rescue Skopje Macedonia, went from foster home in the Netherlands to forever home in the Netherlands (failed foster)
Toto, puppy with badly broken leg, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska Skopje Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Kuku, private rescue by Belgian people in Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Boni, privately owned dog, Skopje, Macedonia, organisation transport to adopter in Germany
Linda, private rescue in Skopje, Macedonia, organisation transport to adopter in Germany
Teo, handicapped dog, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Germany, mediation for adoption and organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Sivki, very shy stray cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Ginger, FIV cat formerly paralysed, rescued by Blazevska in Bitola, fostered by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, fostered in the Netherlands, went to adopter in the Netherlands, went missing and when found was adopted by his former foster family
Leo, old poodle, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska Skopje Macedonia, first fostered in the Netherlands, then adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Principessa, dog private rescue by German tourists, fostered by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, organisation transport to German adopter
Srna, blind cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Tedy, handicapped dog, private rescue Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption and organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Tio, blind cat, private rescue and fostered in Skopje Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption, organisation transport
George, stay cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption, organisation transport
Tomce, handicapped dog, rescued by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption and organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Cyril, dog rescued by Dutch tourists in Ohrid Macedonia, fostered by Animalia Ohrid, organisation transport
Mickey, blind and deaf spaniel, rescued by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, first fostered in the Netherlands, then adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Freckles, dog found with big lump on his body, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Aya, cat rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, fostered/adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Anny, handicapped dog found shot on the first day of 2016, rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption and organisation transport
Rainbow, cat, private rescue Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Jane, cat with only one eye, rescued and fostered by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia at request of Belgian adopter, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Sarina, almost blind cat, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Dionis, stray dog rescued by Dutch tourists in Ohrid Macedonia, fostered by Animalia Ohrid, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Sky, stray dog rescued by Dutch tourists in Ohrid Macedonia, fostered by Animalia Ohrid, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Sherpa, stray dog rescued by Dutch tourists in Ohrid Macedonia, fostered by Animalia Ohrid, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Dottie, very ill dog, rescued by Dutch tourists near Ohrid Macedonia, fostered by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Duso, puppy, rescued by Dutch tourists in Ohrid Macedonia, fostered by Animalia Ohrid, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Sakana, puppy, rescued by Dutch tourists in Ohrid Macedonia, fostered by Animalia Ohrid, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Marlo, CH kitten, private rescue Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Lily Rose, handicapped cat, rescued by Pepa’s Rescue Team Veles Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Mona, very old stray dog, private rescue in Skopje, Macedonia, fostered in the Netherlands, adopted in the Netherlands, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Kaja, dog paralysed (four legs), fostered by Dog Rescue Gastarovska Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Olaf, CH kitten, private rescue Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Lajka, paralysed dog rescued by Dog Rescue Gastarovska Skopje Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, mediation for adoption, organisation transport
Mama, paralysed dog with partly amputated leg, rescued by animal rescue organisation Stip Macedonia, fostered by Dog Rescue Gastarovska, mediation for adoption, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Kees, cat with partially paralysed leg, rescued by Animalia cat department Skopje Macedonia, mediation for adoption, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Vasco, stray dog rescued by Belgian tourists, fostered by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, adopted in Belgium, organisation transport
Struga, stray dog rescued by Dutch tourists, fostered by Beti Shej Struga Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Olly, cat found covered with oil and grease, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, was supposed to go to foster home in the Netherlands, but was adopted at Schiphol Airport by friend of flight volunteer from Belgium, organisation transport
Cleo, dog rescued by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Mizo, stray dog rescued by Dutch tourists, fostered by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, organisation transport
Gina, privately owned dog Ohrid Macedonia, adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption, organisation transport
Dini, cat rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, fostered in the Netherlands, adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption, organisation transport
Ohri, stray dog rescued by English tourist, fostered by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, adopted in UK, organisation transport
Tina, dog with severe scabies, rescued by Animalia Ohrid Macedonia, adopted in UK, mediation for adoption, organisation transport
Little Prince, handicapped dog, rescued by Anima Mundi Skopje Macedonia, fostered by Dog Rescue Gastarovska Skopje Macedonia, mediation for adoption, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport
Triny, cat with three legs, rescued by Angelcats Sanctuary Skopje Macedonia, fostered and adopted in the Netherlands, mediation for adoption, organisation transport, fundraiser for transport

Nearly 1,000 kilo donated necessities transported
Many necessities were donated by people, vet clinics and organisations in the Netherlands and Belgium. E.g. deworming tablets, spot on anti flea treatments, all kinds of medicins, diapers, puppy training pads, blankets, dog coats, collars, leashes, harnesses, vitamins and other supplements, a paper shredder, snacks, toys, cages, baskets, desinfectants, ointments, cleaning products, carrier bags, transporter benches and more. A rough estimate says that nearly 1,000 kilo of donated necessities were transported to the various animal rescue organisations in Macedonia supported by Angel’s Choice.

Neutering campaign Angelcats Sanctuary
Neutering animals is the best way to save lifes. Angelcats Sanctury started a neutering campaign in May 2015. In 2015 70 cats were neutered and in the first four months of 2016 another 32 cats were neutered. After this date no more donations were raised for this campaign and neutering the cats at the sanctuary was integrated again in the day to day business.

Fundraising
One of the main tasks is raising money for medical treatment, food, neuterings, vaccinations and transport. All supported organisations and some of the individual dogs at their shelters or sanctuaries have loyal supporters who pay each month a fixed amount (10 euro or more). Unfortunately there are not enough loyal supporters yet to raise all the money needed. Fortunately there are also one off donations and fundraisers for special cases or urgent situations help getting more donations. E.g. in 2016 Angel’s Choice organised a fundraiser for a badly needed car for Animalia Ohrid and the new home for Angelcats Sanctuary in Skopje. Both fundraisers are still running at the end of the year.
Other ways to raise money are collecting coupons (several hundreds of euro’s were raised this way and spent on vaccinations) and auctions. In 2016 four auctions were organised. Items were donated by private sponsors and auctioned on a special page on Facebook.

RIP
Unfortunately not all the dogs and cats that were rescued survived their ordeal. Sometimes their injuries were too severe, sometimes the medical facilities and knowledge were not available, sometimes they died of causes unknown, sometimes they had already been through too much and just gave in, sometimes they really had bad luck, sometimes… Sometimes a lot of money is spent on one animal and people say: “With that kind of mind you could have neutered 20 dogs.” Or: “You could have fed 30 dogs for 2 months.” And they are right, of course. But once you have seen an animal in need, you are committed. You cannot stop helping that animal. It deserves a chance to live after all it has been through. Corgi and Jack deserved this chance and we lost them. 😥
We also mourn cats Cali and Tokito and dogs Mila and Tedy that died at their forever homes.

Thank you
Angel and I want to say thank you to all the animal rescuers for doing what they do every day of their lives. They are the first link in the chain to a new life for a dog or cat. We really admire and respect them for their tenacity, perseverance, expertise and endless TLC.
We also want to thank all the people who have adopted or fostered a dog or cat, the people who were flight volunteer, helped finding the animals a home, donated money and items, helped running the auction, shared information and expertise, offered moral support and made it possible to go on.
I do not give the names of all those people because I am afraid I will forget some. When you read this and have helped one way or another: thank you!

Unfortunately I cannot keep this website up to date at the moment. So much is going on and I run the foundation on my own. But on Facebook you can find daily updates. Please join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Angelschoicenl/

Helaas lukt het me niet om deze website goed bij te houden. Er gebeurt zo ontzettend veel en ik run de stichting in mijn eentje. Maar op Facebook plaats ik dagelijks berichten. Wil je op de hoogte zijn en blijven: https://www.facebook.com/Angelschoicenl/

In the night of February 15th – February 16th 2016 disaster struck at De Kattenbrigade in Belgium. They take care of about 60 cats, most of them handicapped. Cali and Tokito from Angelcats sanctuary went to live with them last year. In the fire 13 cats and 2 dogs died. Angel’s Choice raised money for De Kattenbrigadeand was able to send 48 kilo of Royal Canin gastro dietary kibble for their handicapped cats and some boxes of intrasite gel for wound care. Just to be clear: only money donated and earmarked for De Kattenbrigade was used for this. De Kattenbrigade.

In de nacht van 15 op 16 februari 2016 sloeg sloeg het noodlot toe bij De Kattenbrigade in België. Zij zorgen voor ongeveer 60 katten, de meeste zijn gehandicapt. Cali en Tokito van Angelcats Sanctuary gingen bij hen wonen afgelopen jaar. In de brand zijn 13 katten en 2 honden omgekomen. Angel’s Choice zamelde geld in voor De Kattenbrigade en kon 48 kilo Royal Canin gastro dieetbrokjes en enkele dozen intrasite gel voor wondbehandeling laten bezorgen. Voor alle duidelijkheid: alleen donaties die specifiek voor De Kattenbrigade werden gedaan, zijn hiervoor gebruikt.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Binnenland/article/detail/2618489/2016/02/16/Tien-kittens-sterven-in-woningbrand-in-Buggenhout.dhtml

This is Garo, who was protected by Belco on the streets of Skopje, Macedonia. You can see them together in one of the pictures. Just like Belco he lived the first part of his life in his home until his owners got fed up with him. Wouldn’t it be great if he could live in a loving home again just like Belco and no longer be a stray dog?! He is about 2 years old, friendly, ok with dogs, not with cats. He is medium sized (about 15 kilo).

Dit is Garo, die door Belco werd beschermd toen… ze samen op straat leefden in Skopje, Macedonia. Net zoals Belco woonde hij in het begin van zijn leven in een huis tot zijn baasjes hem zat werden. Zou het niet geweldig zijn als hij net als Belco bij lieve baasjes in een huis kan wonen en niet langer op straat hoeft te zwerven?! Hij is ongeveer twee jaar oud, vriendelijk, ok met honden, niet ok met katten. Het is een middelmaatje (ongeveer 15 kilo).