The nomination "Responsible for those ...": the clinic "39 lives". This is a real salvation for Kaliningrad volunteers who treat, shelter and keep stray cats.
The story that Anna Brylevskaya, the owner of the hospice Home for Lonely Cats, told the journalists of Novy Kaliningrad began in 2018, when the owner of the local veterinary clinic suddenly changed hands.
"We always serviced our cats at the same veterinary clinic, only there they gave us a 50% discount. And we really appreciated it. And suddenly the owner announces that he is going to sell it and wants to end his veterinary activities altogether," Anna said.
In fact, the shelter for very seriously ill cats was on the verge of closure, because it existed only on donations and its own funds. Cats could end up on the street. But then something happened that is usually called a miracle or a fairy tale. After a loud discussion of the situation on social media, the clinic was suddenly bought out by the head of the Kaliningrad Kennel Club.
"I bought the clinic absolutely on occasion. I am a lawyer by profession. At the beginning of 2018, i was conducting a lawsuit, flew to Moscow for cassation, and while traveling in Aviaexpress, she came across a post by Anna Brylevskaya about the closure of the orphanage. Apart from legal issues, I have been involved in dog training for almost 30 years. But I have never encountered shelters, especially feline ones. I found out from my club girls that Brylevskaya really has a problem. And she asked me to find the clinic owner's phone number. When I won the cassation, I went out into the courtroom, called, introduced myself, said that I was buying a clinic and was ready to start negotiations as soon as I returned from Moscow," Marina Nabieva shared.
So, after renting her apartment, a successful businesswoman, a member of the presidium of the Russian Federation of Amateur Dog Breeding and the RCF Exhibition Commission, became the owner of a veterinary clinic where sick animals are literally dragged out of the world.
"The clinic employs wonderful doctors, real professionals in their field. Among them is Natalia Vladimirovna Zhuravleva, whom I consider to be the best surgeon in the city. She saved a huge number of our cats and even those who were admitted to the clinic in very serious condition," says Anna Brylevskaya.
Marusya the cat after treatment from a subcutaneous mite.
Currently, six people work at the 39 Lives clinic: three doctors — Natalia Vladimirovna, Lyubov Leonidovna and Dmitry Borisovich, two assistants — Evgenia Yurievna and Anna Andreevna, and the head Marina Nabieva.
And most importantly, they have preserved the idea for which the clinic was bought. There is an agreement with local shelters, according to which they receive a 50% discount on all services. There is also a 20% discount on the maintenance of animals that were picked up on the street or taken from shelters. Thus, according to Marina Nabieva, it turns out to promote and support the "adoption" of street and former shelter dogs and cats.
"A team that I'm proud of. Our main advertisement is the people who treat animals with us and who bring friends and acquaintances to us. For 7 years, we have never ordered or paid for a single advertising article or a single banner for the streets. And at the same time, the clinic is working at full capacity. At the time of the change of ownership, there were 5,000 customers here, and today there are 25,000 in our database. None of us have three—story mansions or super-chic cars, we don't spend vacations in the Maldives, but we have 8 children and one granddaughter for six of us, and all our employees have happy families," Marina Nabieva says warmly about her colleagues.
In addition, animals are brought to 39 Lives from the special military zone, and pets of participants in a special military operation are treated. Together with the Kaliningrad Kennel Club, the clinic holds a traditional and annual "Noble Meeting". This is a free exhibition of mongrel dogs for participants, which has no analogues either in Kaliningrad or in Russia.
"The most amazing thing is the gifts that our customers give us for the holidays. Yes, they bring flowers and sweets, but for the most part they bring homemade pies, milk, eggs, jam, vegetables and fruits from their gardens. Because people perceive us as family members. Veterinary medicine is a very difficult profession, from my point of view, it is much more complicated than medicine for people, but it is this kind of feedback that gives strength and incentives to live and work further," Marina Nabieva is sure.
Photo from Marina Nabieva's personal archive.