During October 2017, we took one of our patrons, Wendy Turner-Webster, singer Pippa Langhorne, Wetnose Animal Aid and Green World TV to Romania to show them some of our work, and so they could see the situation for the dogs in Romania for themselves. We visited various shelters – privately owned, where the dogs are given a sanctuary for life. Public shelters, where the government paid dog catchers take dogs, leave them and in most public shelters, inhumanely euthanise them after 14 days.
The conditions in some of the shelters we went to were appalling, and it was distressing for us to see the dogs, many who had lost hope, staring out at us from behind the rusty bars of their prison. Some of the dogs had stopped eating, others were not allowed to eat, because the stronger dogs were fighting over meagre amounts of cheap, cardboard like food. The ground soaked from rain, and covered in faeces and urine. Life doesn’t get much worse.
We spent time in one public shelter where they have accepted help from local and European groups, and we watched our neuter campaign in action, as dogs were brought in from the surrounding area to be spayed and other females from the public shelter were spayed.
Of course we had happy memories too, of Pippa singing inside the public shelter, in a cage where the dogs simply fell silenced, stunned with happiness at the beautiful sounds never heard before.
We had fun with the paralysed dogs – those who have been deliberately run over and lost the use of their limbs. At our rescuers shelter there are over 30 of these dogs, and they have a home for life, enjoying baths, care workers and wheelcarts.
Yet every day, one of the things that blighted our trip was the vast amount of puppies. Ranging from days old – brought into the public shelters who would no doubt die of disease, and many in the streets, fields and simply dumped. Left in cardboard boxes by uncaring owners of their un-neutered dogs. It’s a saddening sight, knowing that not one of these puppies would find a family of its own, that each and every one would have to fight for survival to live to become a junior. Life simply is that bad.
These are just a few reasons why we will continue our spay and neuter campaigns across Romania. In 2018, it will be our 6th year and we will keep neutering. It is vital to stop puppies from being born. Please support us in our work as our team of rescuers saves lives of those in desperate need – every single day.
