A letter from grateful Lori

The hurt was so severe, I felt blinded. A searing pain spread like wildfire through my haunches and tail. Running away was impossible. Instead, I tried desperately to drag myself to safety, my back legs felt broken. My spirit, too. We street dogs roam in packs, and we try to stay out of each others way.

But every day, thousands more dogs and puppies are dumped on the streets. The competition for food can lead to fights for survival. In the public shelters run by the government, dogs will tear each other to pieces to avoid starvation.

Out of desperation, I entered another dog’s territory hoping to find some scraps. Starving himself, he retaliated, leaving me with terrible, bloody wounds. I lay in agony, waiting for the end.

I could hear creatures coming. But not dogs. Please, God No. Not humans. I had seen the beatings, and the abuse these men were capable of. At that moment I wished myself dead, for perhaps I would suffer no more.
My wish did not come true.

Your change did make a change for Lori

In this case, that was a good thing. The people who caught me were ROLDA staff, and they took me to a place of safety, a shelter. At the time I did not understand and was terrified. But I now realize just how fortunate I was that ROLDA has a Medical Fund. And that generous people from around the world make sure there is money in it to treat throw-away dogs like me.

We don’t have doctors on the street. We street dogs are abandoned, often abused and always alone. We have no humans to watch over us and make sure we get the medical care we need. We have no one to help us heal. There are no laws enforced to ensure that we are not thrown over bridges, into traffic, and into public trash bins.

It’s why ROLDA’s Medical Fund is critical to the rescue work done here. So many of us suffer horrific injuries from abusive people, trucks, cars, and even each other. Starving and unsterilized we may tear each other to pieces out of desperation.

At the clinic, the pain goes away. Not quickly, but over time our battered, bruised and weakened bodies grow strong. Eventually, we can learn to trust again. Sadly for a few of us, it is too late. The injuries are too great, and we succumb.

In other cases, the scars on the inside are too severe, the memories so violent they still seem real. Traumatized beyond the point that a dog can be adopted, a creature cannot see past the abuser and see a human. It’s impossible to believe that they do not mean harm.

Yet still, ROLDA does not give up on us. Their no-kill mission means that we will always be safe. But first, we must be saved. Without The Medical Fund, so many more of us would die a slow and cruel death in a ditch, or on a side street.

The Medical Fund is the first of many steps to recovery. And it desperately needs new equipment and renovations.
Please consider a donation to help ease the pain of Romania’s millions of abused and abandoned animals. Every little bit helps. We can save one more small soul from suffering on the streets.

Your change can make a greater change!

I am just one dog, in a faraway land. But to me, my life is worth everything, and I value it, even more, having almost lost it. It is only your generosity and caring that have made me whole again.

Yet there are many more awaiting a second chance. It is in your power to give them that opportunity. You can give hope. It is a priceless gift to a creature who has known nothing but need…