About us
The “Keturkojo viltis” association is a non-profit organisation giving hope to animals who have lost it, been wronged or fallen into trouble, in the Dzūkija region. You can find us in Alytus, next to the railway station.
The association was founded by three people on 29 November 2018. One of the founders, Edita Šapaitytė, is still actively working to make life better for homeless animals.
We currently have about 10 volunteers, about 170 dogs and about 200 cats. The association’s leadership changed in 2022, and the current head of the association is Roberta Bernatavičiūtė.
What do we do? What is our main goal?
We give shelter to homeless, lost, troubled, abandoned and badly treated animals.
We rehabilitate, treat, vaccinate, sterilise and microchip them, and prepare them for new homes.
We do not only take animals in, we also help lost pets get back home. We also educate the public about proper animal care.
Our main goal is to save homeless animals and give them the best possible life until they find new homes.
Do we have our own shelter?
No, we do not currently have a permanent shelter, but we dream of getting one.
In autumn 2019 we rented abandoned railway station premises, which we renovated and furnished with donations from supporters, together with caring, good-willed townspeople. Local businesses and several companies from other cities helped too.
These premises are now our official headquarters, where we house the dogs.
The cats live at Studentų g. 13 in Alytus, in premises rented from the city municipality through a tender.
The “Keturkojo viltis” association building on Stoties street, Alytus.
How do we sustain ourselves?
We keep going thanks to donations from caring people and businesses, volunteer help and gifts.
Read more about supporting us here.
Do we send animals abroad?
At the moment we send animals to the Netherlands, Germany and Finland. If you can help us and act as an intermediary in other countries, please get in touch!
How can I help?
We invite everyone who is interested and wants to help, even in a small way:
- Become a volunteer and help us with daily work.
- Come from time to time to help, pet and walk the animals.
- Buy what is needed: food, litter, scratching posts for the cats and so on (ask us in person what is missing).
- Build enclosures or share your professional skills (electrical work, carpentry, plumbing).
- Support us financially.
- Become a foster carer or adopt for good. This frees up a place for another animal in need.
- Film, photograph or draw the animals so they look more appealing when looking for a new home.
- Follow and share our posts on social media to spread the word about our work.
- Organise fundraising campaigns. These can be stickers you sell, donation boxes, a social media campaign, or an event at your company or team.
- You can design and make souvenirs that could be sold to raise support.
- Offer to create content. Perhaps you can make educational posts for social platforms? Or maybe you would like to run and create content for YouTube, Patreon or TikTok channels?
If you have free time, ideas and plans, don’t wait and join us today!
Edita Šapaitytė, one of the three founders of the association.
Roberta Bernatavičiūtė, head of the “Keturkojo viltis” association.
| Year | Cats | Dogs |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 8 | 0 |
| 2019 | 108 | 18 |
| 2020 | 253 | 138 |
| 2021 | 305 | 196 |
| 2022 | 363 | 273 |
| 2023 | 434 | 343 |
| 2024 | 338 | 223 |
| 2025 | 352 | 221 |
Activity report
Cats given new homes:
- 2018 – 8 cats
- 2019 – 108 cats
- 2020 – 253 cats
- 2021 – 305 cats
- 2022 – 363 cats
- 2023 – 434 cats
- 2024 – 338 cats
- 2025 – 352 cats
Dogs given new homes:
- 2019 – 18 dogs
- 2020 – 138 dogs
- 2021 – 196 dogs
- 2022 – 273 dogs
- 2023 – 343 dogs
- 2024 – 223 dogs
- 2025 – 221 dogs