Animal
Shelter
MIA Family
Home for homeless dogs in the village of Argel, Armenia
Hello! I’m Ivana, an artist from Serbia.
I’ve lived in Armenia for 28 years now, and for the past six I’ve been in the quiet village of Argel, close to Yerevan. I arrived here with my white shepherd Mia, and slowly, one by one, street dogs and little puppies found their way to us.
A real family grew up around Mia — I named it MIA Family.
At the moment I have 14 dogs under my care. My biggest dream is to build them a proper home of their own — cozy, warm, and safe.
I’d be so grateful if you could help us with a one-time donation, or become a guardian of MIA Family and support us regularly.
MIA Family Monthly Budget:
4 bags Bonmascota ENERGY (20 kg) – 4 × 31,000 = 124,000 AMD
2 bags N&D Ocean Codfish, Pumpkin & Orange Adult Mini (2.5 kg) – 2 × 19,200 = 38,400 AMD
1.5 bags Farmina N&D Quinoa Weight Management Lamb (7 kg) – 1.5 × 46,500 = 69,750 AMD 1 bag CIBAU Sensitive Lamb (12 kg) – 39,000 AMD
3 cans Monge Hypo Monoprotein – 3 × 1,650 = 4,950 AMD
5 cans Gemon Medium Adult (1,250 g) – 5 × 1,750 = 8,750 AMD
5 pâtés Monge VetSolution Gastrointestinal (150 g) – 3,750 AMD
Gampr shelter contribution = 40,000 AMD
Care and medication:
3 bottles Excel Multi Vitamin = 13,500 AMD
Every 3 months: Dirofen deworming for all = 8,300 AMD
Every 25 days: Insectal drops: 2 tubes (10–20 kg) – 2 × 1,200 = 2,400 AMD
12 tubes (20–40 kg) – 12 × 1,620 = 19,440 AMD
Total per month: 372,240 AMD ≈ 837 EUR
At the end of November 2025, Mia was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma.
In Armenia, they don’t perform surgeries on the pericardium. On November 28, we had the first pericardiocentesis (draining fluid from around the heart and lungs). The second one was on December 21. The doctors told me she would live as long as God wills.
Already by the end of November, I started searching online for information about heart tumors in dogs. On American and Chinese forums, I found mentions of Yunnan Baiyao.
This herbal remedy helps stop internal bleeding and, in some cases, can trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death) in affected cells. I immediately began looking for people who could bring the medicine from China.
Incredibly, thanks to friends who responded so quickly, we received our first batch on December 23. Mia is feeling good right now — she’s happy, energetic, and full of life. I will keep fighting as long as I have strength. And your help in this fight would be truly priceless.
contact me:
MIA Family
Mia
With her, words aren’t really needed — we understand each other without speaking. That’s just how it is between us. A White Swiss Shepherd, 7.5 years old, 31 kg. 7.5 years of pure happiness.
Maya
6 years old, 15 kg. My personal headache. A little con artist, sneaky, total narcissist. Super -smart. Acrobat extraordinaire. Endless energy overload. Eats toys that are literally made for huge dogs. Maya is pure POWER! 😄
Marusya or Night Eye
4.5 years old, 20 kg. A tiny fierce guardian beast. Absolutely adores Milo, licks her clean every morning, head to tail. She won’t let Milo anywhere near strangers until she’s 100% sure there’s no danger.
Milo
3.5 years old, 12 kg. Our brilliant little hunter — expert on mice, lizards, and even snakes. Moves with breathtaking speed. Once, while we were having our little private conversation, she swallowed dozens of flies right in front of me without moving at all. Very affectionate dog.
Lucky
3.5 years old, 29 kg. “Until the end of the world” — that’s us. Completely free of any aggression. I stopped calling her Lucky long ago; now she’s just “kid.” When life gets heavy, hugging her takes it all away. White fur-covered happiness.
Kiki
5.5 years old, 29 kg. Oh, this one can’t be summed up in just a couple of sentences. I could take Kiki under the blanket with me and probably never get out of bed again. Kiki loves hunting hares or the neighbor’s chickens. She has chorea — a lasting effect from the canine distemper she survived. Kiki is the only one from her litter who made it.
Prcho
5.5 years old, 27 kg. Tracker. Narrow-eyed. Mini wolf. If someone gets lost and can’t find their way back, Prcho brings them home. A dog who understands my every word perfectly. Without him, I couldn’t live out here in nature. My quiet, loyal friend.
Ryzhaya
3.5 years old, 24 kg. Our Alpha General. The worst of them all. She’s forever torn: cuddle with me or keep an eye on others. Never relaxes. Clever and firm, but as soon as I pull her close for a hug, she turns into soft, a red fluffy cotton ball.
Pushok
3.5 years old, 24 kg. A lady with the finest manners. She sits so properly, paws crossed, and takes her time eating — never in a hurry, always distracted by butterflies overhead, drifting leaves, or birds calling. A fluffy romantic.
Olivka
3.5 years old, 25 kg. Restless soul. The instigator. Incredibly capable and clever. She still refuses to accept the role assigned to her in the pack. She was the first to truly understand human words. She once broke my finger during a fight. My little olive.
Micha
3.5 years old, 26 kg. A dog with a Serbian name and a wolf-like coat. He's extremely affectionate and a bit of a hooligan. He barks when he's upset. He's terrified of lightning and thunder. He's a perpetual child, which is probably why we cuddle so often.
Jiro
1 year and two months old. He was left in front of our gate last New Year’s. He looked just like a tiny giraffe, so I named him Jiro. Restless. He absolutely adores Mia.
Zhelty
A little over a year old. He appeared out of nowhere, terribly frightened. It took forever just to get close to him. Now he’s friends with Kiki and Prcho.
Gampr
My heartache. I had nowhere to keep him, so I placed him in a shelter. That means I pay 40,000 drams every month for his care.