An accident left Zlatko Lemut paralyzed from neck down when he was 17 and ever since he has been tied to a wheelchair with limited capabilities to function by himself. His life changed after he saw a report about dogs helping people like him.

Lemut was a lively sportsman when he broke his neck while swimming. It took him 2.5 years to somewhat better and five to six to learn how to function without the help of others. It was the fact that he was dependent that bothered him the most.

“It tore me up,” he said.

Right after he saw a report on a man with similar problems being helped by a black Labrador, Lemut decided to get himself a dog like that.

“I sold everything in my house to buy an eight-months-old black Labrador in Sarajevo but I was still short of 100 Bosnian Marks,” he remembered. “I spoke to a cousin, who then gave me the missing amount.”

This is how female black Labrador, Kimba, entered Lemut’s life.

“When I got her, I didn’t even care for the outside world anymore. She was my everything,” he said.

Thanks to Kimba, Lemut learned everything there is to learn about dogs. Today, he is breeding and training them in his own boarding house. He would like to raise Bosnia’s awareness regarding therapy dogs.

“I have a mutt whom I took in from the street, because if I see that a dog is in need, I cannot just pass by without helping,” Lemut explained.

“I believe dogs are here to help us, although we don’t recognize this right away. We always say we don’t have enough time for dogs. We don’t even have enough time for ourselves,” he stressed.

Lemut bred his first litter of French Bulldogs, but the personal challenge he wants to take on is taming aggressive dog breeds, such as pitt bulls.

“In the wrong hands, dogs are dangerous. In good hands, dogs are good. It is like a weapon, like everything else in life,” he concluded.

Lemut is now 35 and with his wife Mirela he takes care of 40 dogs that roam the family property.

“I am with these dogs for 14 years already. I can recognize their symptoms better than those of humans,” Mirela Lemut said.

She especially loves Kimba – but not the same dog that helped her husband. A different one she regards her own.

“Kimba came when the old Kimba fell ill and she was supposed to be Zlatko’s dog. A dog, however, picks his own owner. She has a stronger connection to me,” Mirela said.

Old Kimba has passed away. She was buried at the edge of the family property.

Her legacy: a small paradise for dogs and a happy family.