The club „Hope for Buksi – Austrian Animal Aid“ was founded in December 2011 after a group of Hungarian animal rights activists had called for help. These live in the village of Balmazújváros near Debrecen devoting their life to animal protection. Which isn't an easy task, animal welfare playing a very low role in Hungary.

Some years ago animal rights activists became aware of an illegal dump at the city's borders, hidden behind a high, overgrown fence. In this place they encountered a picture of pure horror. Among mountains of trash, three small ruins, and rotting cadavers some dogs and their puppies had found a home under the worst of circumstances. Hardly any food, no protection against weather and, worst of all, no protection against humans. After having experienced this situation, they were determined to create a shelter for abandoned, injured, and disposed of animals and also for dogs that were captured and would have been killed cruelly otherwise.

„SHELTER instead of dump – LIFE instead of illegal killing“

After negotiating an agreement with the mayor, the animal rights activists were allowed to build their shelter on the land where the dump was. But the contract was linked to the condition that they rebuild the ruins into habitable buildings and strictly observed the rules for safety and hygiene. The club has to pay for the upkeep - the city doesn't have money to help them.

The members received practical training in Debrecen's official animal shelter. Then they built their first kennels and run-outs out of stuff they found on the dump and scrap iron. The dilapidated buildings were enclosed with mesh and the ground covered with hay so they could use them as additional shelter for dogs.

To start with, around 20 dogs found a new home in the animal shelter. As this number rose steeply and the finances dwindled consequently, the animal rights activists turned to Margit and Raimund Geringer, a couple they knew from previous animal protection projects, asking for their help. Margit und Raimund were still involved in building up an animal shelter in Nove Mesto/Slowakia at that time. But after their first visit to Buksi it became obvious to them something had to happen here. At the end of 2011 the first donations reached them. Several trucks loaded with everything necessary: covers, food, medicines, tools, building materials to at least halfway winterize the decrepit houses, and more, made their way to Hungary.

In December 2011 the club „Hope for Buksi – Austrian Animal Aid“ was founded with the tasks of further building the animal shelter in Buksi, launching and maintaining projects to castrate the sheltered as well as stray animals, and cooperation with local schools. The club is financed entirely by donations the first of which were used to invest in a power generator and a well pump, as there hadn't been access to electricity, and water had to be pumped by hand.

Several rows of kennels were built to create more space for the growing number of dogs. During summer, in a minimum of time, a crew of two only built an accommodation for the small, short haired and sick dogs to survive the winter. Presently, there are about 80 dogs sheltered at Buksi, the number rising constantly. The main reason for this is the introduction of a tax on dogs which led to more and more dogs ending up either in the street or at the shelter.