Rescuing Romanian street dogs

Do you know how awful it is to be constantly hungry, sick and scared – and have nobody to care for you? To have an itchy rash that spreads all over your body, one that is so bad you scratch and tear your own hair out? But that you can do nothing about?

Have you suffered from an open fracture that goes untreated? Every movement means excruciating pain that explodes throughout your body.

You cannot ask for help, as you don’t speak the human language. You do not even know that humans could help, or that any would. You should not cry out. Your misery might attract the attention of predators, human and otherwise. There is nobody to care about, and you begin to abandon hope.

This sounds horrible. This is not something you would wish on an enemy never mind a member of your family. No living creature deserves this existence.  Like us, you are sickened if these awful things were to happen in your community.

But sadly, where I live, this is the reality for thousands of abandoned and abused dogs. They freeze during the bitterly cold winters and dehydrate during the hot summer days. They suffer in misery. Hungry, often injured, and always alone.

Their bodies are often too weak to fight even minor infections, let alone mange, the scourge of neglected dogs worldwide.

This is the fate of the street dogs of Romania.

Our rescue team is out there 24/7 to help dogs in need of immediate medical assistance.

We rescue dogs hit by cars – not all of them survive, but at least we help them not agonize at the edge of the road. Tortured by terrible pain until at last, they draw their last breath.

Dogs with broken bones, mange or other skin infections, dogs injured from fights with other dogs or abused by people. There are dogs with burns. Mother dogs with their starving babies. Puppies that will never know a full belly or a safe bed.

Abandoned, dogs with tumors, dogs without an eye or a leg. Seniors dogs. What do they have in common? They have become “dispensable objects” – garbage. We learn a lot about people when we see how their dogs have looked after. Or in the case of Romanian street dogs NOT looked after.

Every season brings an increased number of seasonal illnesses: during spring and fall, there are more cases of respiratory and skin diseases, during winter – frostbite and during summer – dehydration.

Sometimes we are overwhelmed. Often we have nightmares. But we continue to rescue these voiceless beings – because we are their last hope!

We cannot do our work alone. Help us with the most generous gift you can make at this time. You make it possible for us to continue our rescue work in Romania. The dogs and the staff and volunteers at ROLDA thank you!