Russian couple launches platform in Serbia to help rehome dogs and cats

A Russian couple living in Serbia has created a unique online platform to address the challenges faced by animal shelters and pet owners. Hristina Jarčenko, a photographer, and her programmer husband, Aleksandar, launched MačkaPas, a free website designed to streamline the process of adopting out animals and finding lost pets.

Relocating to Serbia in 2022 and settling in Subotica, Hristina has established herself as a professional photographer. The couple also collaborates on a commercial online booking platform. MačkaPas, however, stems from a desire to apply their combined skills to a socially beneficial cause.

"The idea originated from a very simple problem: adoption and lost pet ads are scattered across dozens of Facebook groups, Instagram profiles, and chats," Hristina and Aleksandar explained. "Information gets lost quickly, making it difficult for people to find a suitable animal or to post and track a lost pet's search in one place."

The MačkaPas website aims to consolidate these efforts, offering features such as posting and searching for adoptable animals, listings for lost and found pets, microchip number searches, smart email notifications, and connections with volunteers who can assist with transportation, temporary housing, and other needs. The project is currently a two-person operation, developed independently by the couple.

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The idea originated from a very simple problem: adoption and lost pet ads are scattered across dozens of Facebook groups, Instagram profiles, and chats. Information gets lost quickly, making it difficult for people to find a suitable animal or to post and track a lost pet's search in one place.