Wet noses Saranda

From Streets to Safe Homes – Together for Stray Dogs.

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🐾 About the Project – Wet Noses Saranda

Wet Noses Saranda is a nonprofit platform built to help stray dogs in Saranda, Albania find loving homes. It connects rescued dogs with potential adopters, shares success stories, and allows the community to report new strays that need help.

🌱 Inspiration

While visiting my hometown in Albania to spend time with my family and work remotely, I decided one evening to take a solo walk along the city boulevard. That’s when I came across a small stand with three adorable puppies and a sign about Wet Noses Saranda, an initiative started by a local woman named Kristi to rescue and rehome stray dogs.

As a dog lover, I immediately felt a connection. After reading about their work, I knew I wanted to help. As a software engineer, I offered to build them a website — even though I had limited free time.

Thanks to Bolt.new, I was able to prototype and launch their site in between calls during work. I was blown away by how fast and smooth the experience was. What started as a spontaneous moment turned into a personal mission: I’m now working to expand the platform to support other animal rescue organizations across the country.

🔧 How I Built It

  • ⚙️ Framework: Built using Next.js 14 with the App Router
  • 🎨 Styling: Tailwind CSS v4 and shadcn/ui components
  • ☁️ Backend: Fully integrated with Supabase for:
    • Database and storage
    • Authentication and admin access control
  • 🛠️ Features:
    • List of adoptable dogs with key info
    • Report a stray dog form (with photo, location, and contact details)
    • Success stories page to celebrate rescued dogs
    • Admin dashboard to manage dogs, reports, and stories

🧠 What I Learned

  • How to use Bolt.new to rapidly scaffold a modern Next.js app
  • The importance of organizing a codebase for long-term growth, even in MVP phase
  • UI/UX patterns for nonprofit audiences (e.g., accessibility, clarity, simplicity)
  • How digital tools can create real impact for animal welfare

🚧 Challenges I Faced

  • Balancing functionality with simplicity—keeping it intuitive for both volunteers and the public
  • Designing the stray reporting system in a way that’s useful but not overwhelming
  • Planning the Supabase schema to support multiple features like reports, dog listings, and admin access
  • Limited time during the hackathon to polish all aspects

🐶 Wet Noses Saranda is more than a project—it’s a small digital act of love, created to support those who dedicate their lives to saving animals.
If one dog finds a forever home thanks to this app, it's a success. 💛

✨ Vision Statement

Wet Noses Saranda envisions a compassionate, community-powered future where every stray dog in Saranda finds safety, care, and a loving home.
Our mission is to modernize animal rescue through a transparent, user-friendly digital platform that connects rescuers, adopters, and supporters — transforming good intentions into real-world impact.

🛣️ Public Roadmap

✅ Q2 2025 – MVP Launch & Adoption Pipeline

  • [x] Launch public website with adoption and reporting tools
  • [x] GoFundMe integration for fundraising
  • [x] Admin dashboard for managing dogs, reports, and stories
  • [x] SEO optimization for increased visibility
  • [x] Supabase integration for backend services

🔄 Q3 2025 – Community Growth & Operational Tools

  • [ ] Add multi-language support (Albanian, English, Italian)
  • [ ] Volunteer coordination system (shift signup, roles, contact)
  • [ ] Automated email flows (application status updates, thank-you notes)
  • [ ] Public adoption dashboard (show recent adoptions, dog status)

🚀 Q4 2025 – Scaling and Partnerships

  • [ ] Integration with Instagram/Facebook for automatic dog post sharing
  • [ ] Collaboration with Saranda municipality for faster dog reporting
  • [ ] Mobile app prototype (for on-the-go reporting & adoption browsing)
  • [ ] Sponsor & donor program (badges, public supporter wall)

🌍 2026 – Replication & Sustainability

  • [ ] Expand to nearby cities (e.g., Gjirokastër, Vlorë)
  • [ ] Template-based model for other NGOs to reuse
  • [ ] Impact dashboard with live stats on rescues, adoptions, donations
  • [ ] Education hub: responsible ownership, neutering, animal welfare

Built With

  • bolt.new
  • netlify
  • next.js
  • shadcnui
  • supabase
  • tailwind
+ 15 more
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