Visiting Fiducia/october 2011

I helped her step out of the car.  While making obvious efforts to stand up, she told me,  smiling,  "The spinal column hurts me more and more when I am walking."

I looked into her sparking, still beautiful eyes and thought to myself, "You are one of the most upright and dignified people I ever met."

Her name is Lidia Maier.  She is 76 years old.  (I asked her again, to avoid confusion.)  She worked for 38 years.  When she retired, 13 years ago, she started the Fiducia animal shelter to help the street dogs roaming in the nearby city.  She lives in a tiny apartment with her sister and several rescued animals.

Lidia started by using all of her savings to buy a piece of land.  Luckily she found on the property some large pieces of scrap iron, which she sold for a nice amount of money.

From that point, Lidia tried to prudently divide her money among shelter building, feeding dogs, etc.  Later, she signed a contract to house dogs for the city.  This was a step forward, but also meant extra work, and more responsibility.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation helps the Fiducia shelter regularly with dry dog food.  A local veterinarian provides medical assistance to the sheltered dogs, sterilizing them and treating emergency cases. Lately, an association from Austria named Robin Hood provides logistic support and they raised funds/bought a container to be used as veterinary office for sterilizations and emergency treatments. 

Lidia told me that a big handicap for her is that she doesn't know English and has no computer skills.  She learned other things in school, and had other priorities when she was younger.  Her husband died when she was 31 years old, leaving her to raise her daughter alone.  Now her daughter is a doctor in Targu Mures, the nearest large city.  She helps Lidia when she has some spare time.

Lidia might not have modern communication skills,  but she is very intelligent, well-educated,  well-mannered.  Her common sense keeps her away from personal disputes.  She focuses her attention, resources,  and energy on dogs' well-being.

Since Lidia started the Fiducia shelter she has made lots of enemies.  These are people who do nothing but talk, criticizing her work out of ignorance.  Lidia does not forget the people who have helped her, even by donating newspapers to clean the kennels.  She remembers everyone who has contributed any way to helping her fulfill her dream of giving every stray dog in her community a decent life.

Lidia begins talking passionately about dogs and other related topics, and suddenly you see her rubbing one of her tired eyes, trying to continue the story.  She told me that energy wasted on human conflicts prevents her from focusing on dogs and what she has to do next to be help them.  With many things on her mind, she easily loses her narrative, but makes efforts to accurately tell the facts.

Most of Lidia's dogs have a name.  Her shelter currently has over 100 dogs.   Almost the same number are in Lidia's care but in the adjacent municipal pound, built on Lidia's land as part of the initial agreement with the City Hall.

Dogs at Fiducia are of varied colors and different sizes.  Only the newest arrivals are not yet sterilized. They are all in good shape and active, curious,  and healthy.

I took some pictures and Lidia kindly gave me details about the dogs who can most easily be re-homed.

I send out an appeal to people who wish to adopt a Romanian dog,  to take a look here,  and maybe one lucky Fiducia dog will get a forever home before Christmas.

Lidia's everyday battle with life left scars.  Her health is not very good.  Her heart is weaker, and her mobility is diminished.  Yet despite the odds, this brave woman is a winner.  She inspires with her diplomatic and sensible words, about how to judge situations and choose the right path.

Lidia survived the Nazis and World War II, survived 45 years under Communism,  raised a great daughter,  helped numerous animals who would not have a chance on the streets,  and after retirement found in herself the resources to start from nothing a shelter which I consider one of the best in Romania.

Lidia endured humiliation from younger people laughing about her passion for animals, and deceit by people who made false promises of help.  She learned how to make compromises so that her dogs can benefit from good meals and a safe place to live. Her major concern is "What will happen to this place, after I will no longer be?  This place reflects everything I worked for in the past 13 years."

Lidia is in tears when she speaks about her dogs, about the insecurity of the future,  about all the plans in her mind but the lack of energy (in her body) and resources to achieve them.

For me, it is a positive lesson to meet a person like Lidia and see her work for the Romanian animals. She was born too early to become a "queen of Romanian dogs" on the Internet, and recognition would not be among her ambitions anyway.  She is too profound to want glamour, fame, and glory.

Deep in my heart I believe that Lidia's biggest wish would be to turn back some years so that she could work more actively to make her shelter and her dogs look even better.  If she finds such resources as she has at 76 years old, to build,  renovate and accomplish,  I can only imagine what great work Lidia could have done if younger,  not completely depending on others.

On this visit, ROLDA helped Lidia and her Fiducia shelter, thanks to our generous supporters, with blankets,  de-worming,  flea control.We also wire her regularly money.  We dream of becoming able to raise $600 to $800 monthly for Lidia.

With your generous help, hopefully together we will take off some of the burden from Lidia's tired shoulders.