Dogs of Hope

 

“Whenever humans are unhappy,  the gods send dogs”  according to a Hindu proverb.  Until the Indian firm Mittal bought the steel mill and became Arcelor Mittal,  there were few if any Hindus in Romania –– but there were always dogs,  whose wagging tails as they begged for handouts reminded Romanians that they must never give up,  that times would somehow get better.

Like secret agents of hope the dogs stole in and out of shadows around the grim concrete buildings and slipped wraith-like through the security barricades at the steel mill. (…)

Dana dared to imagine that every dog could find a good home,  if treated as a creature of moral value –– and she found ways for the dogs in her care to brighten some of the orphans’ lives,  too.

The ROLDA shelter was clean and bright.  Every dog had a bed,  food,  water,  and something to play with.

Dana recognized that she could not rescue every dog.  But she could set a positive example,  she knew,  and if she set a good enough example for the few dozen dogs she could rescue,  she believed she could inspire others to join in the effort.

If she could raise the standard of living for dogs,  she felt,  she could help to lift the spirits and standards of all of Romania.

Perhaps only a very young person can start with so little and dream so large.  But,  inspired by the spirit of dogs,  Dana was rewarded in her faith when the new management of Arcelor Mittal took notice. (…)

ROLDA first shelter was built,  for example,  not only to show fellow Romanians how dogs should be sheltered,  but to show how dogs should be treated as pets.  It was,  and is,  not just a holding facility for dogs,  but a home,  where dogs are actively prepared to be adopted successfully.

ROLDA second shelter was built as part of a project demonstrating that animal control need not consist merely of killing dogs.

Adding cat and equine facilities are projects meant not only to increase the ROLDA animal rescue capacity,  but to show that all animals’ lives have moral value,  and all animal suffering is to be prevented. (…)

 

                                       Read here a complete article about

ROLDA past, present and future

writen in 2010 by Merritt Clifton (journalist at Animals24-7 online publication) after he visited ROLDA shelters.