Everyone has their bad days. Everyone has obstacles to overcome in life. How big or small a problem may not matter—it’s still a problem. What does matter is the help and support one receives during such difficult times. We are always grateful — whether we realize it or not — for those who are with us when we feel most alone.

Can you imagine yourself being alone for two years of your life? For two years you had no one to turn to for help. For two years no one offered to help you. What if these were the first two years of your life?

You’re probably thinking, “How could one survive alone during their first two years?” Farina did.

After she was separated from her mother, she was left to roam the streets of Romania. She was exposed to many harsh environments, climates, wildlife, and people. She had no knowledge of the world — no one to teach her how to feed herself, or how to find shelter, or how to avoid being hit by cars… Yet, Farina managed to survive.

She beat impossible odds. She overcame every challenge life threw at her … and she did it alone. Farina did all this only to be captured and thrown into a small cage, where she was to await her death.

Can you imagine not being able to tell your captors about your struggles? About how hard you’ve worked to live another day only to experience hunger, abuse, and fear. That even though each day of your life you felt unwelcomed in the world, you still did your best to spend another day here.
And even if you could tell them … what if they didn’t care? Or what if they couldn’t do anything to help you? Farina never could say anything — and she never did.

Thanks to compassionate people like you, Farina was rescued. At the moment Farina is living at our ROLDA shelter. For almost 3 years! Here she receives medical treatment, shelter, food, companionship, and more importantly — love. All these things she so desperately needed in her life have made such a positive impact on Farina …and on us.

Farina — and hundreds of others dogs like her — now spends the day playing and making new friends, rather than searching through the trash for her next meal. Though she cannot talk, her new joyful spirit tells us she is very grateful for everything you and ROLDA do for her. But both Farina and ROLDA are hoping that your generosity doesn’t end here.

There are an estimated 2.5 million stray dogs in Romania, all going through what Farina went through for the first two years of her life. Unfortunately, many of these strays fight to survive but never experience what it’s like to be loved.

Only with your generous support, we are able to save more of these neglected and abandoned dogs from their cruel fate. By giving just 10 EUR /month (which is the price of a soft drinks pack), you are helping ROLDA to continue its caregiving efforts and to expand its reach to help as many strays as possible.

These dogs don’t need much to be happy! Compared to the life they lived before arriving at our shelter, dogs like Farina are extremely grateful for every compassionate act they receive.
By sponsoring one of our dogs for just 10 EUR a month, you are returning life back to them.

You are giving them a chance to discover the better side of the world. But most importantly, you are giving them a chance to become someone’s pet. Someone’s friend. To become the new member of a family. You’re giving a dog a chance to show that he or she has so much love to give in return — to show that he or she can bring someone happiness too.

We’re hoping that Farina’s journey doesn’t end here at ROLDA. Though we love having her, we want better for her. Since we’re rescuing dogs every day, our shelter can become overcrowded, which makes it challenging for our limited staff to give each dog more attention.

All the dogs with us at ROLDA fought each day of their lives until we were able to rescue them and give them a chance to experience love. Unfortunately, many dogs do not survive long on the streets, so each dog we save truly has been given another chance.

The last thing we want is for their chance to go to waste. So if you are thinking about adding a pet to your family, please consider Farina or one or more of our many dogs here at ROLDA. You would be giving each other an opportunity to express love and happiness.

If you don’t have plans to adopt one of our dogs, please remember that you can become their sponsor for just 10 EUR a month. You would be giving them so much — and they don’t need much to be happy.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Farina’s journey.
With hopes, Dana.

Our rescue team was called to rescue this dog abandoned near a farm fence, caught in metal wires. One long wire was wrapped around his back leg and damaged the tissue – it doesn’t seem like a new wound, because the leg was destroyed, and putrefied. The other wire was wrapped around his neck (no damage there). The vet carefully examined the dog and the only solution is to amputate the dog’s leg and hope that the infection can be controlled with antibiotics.

The wire dog has no name yet. Our priority is now to help him live and recover because, in the best scenario, he will remain on three legs for the rest of his life. The wire dog needs your help to stay alive!

Please share this dog’s story far and wide and please remember that there is no small donation.

We aim to raise 500 EUR to provide first aid: amputation of the leg and other related veterinary costs to try to save the wired-dog life.

Wired-dog greatest donors: Laura J., Janet McD. , Jeanette J., Michele PM.,Tamara RH., June H., Pernille S., Mihaela S., Carine P., Jean- Philippe, Thierry P., Lisa D., Tanya B., Sun Auctions,Muriel J., Jacqueline VD.

Homer’s story is tough to tell but it is one that inspires us all with hope and vision. He was found at the edge of the road, in the burning sun. He could barely move. Running away was not an option as he could hardly stand. Crawling was all he could manage, and he was doing his best. Homer distinguished himself immediately in such a strange way.

I had never seen more fleas on a dog! His fur was so dirty, his skin so red and itchy. The insects had a field day roaming over every inch of his tiny, weak body. Life on the street transformed Homer’s life into a living nightmare. But a nightmare that we were determined to put an end to.

The first bath was a relief for Homer, no more bugs and dirt! Being clean was the first step. We tried to give him food, but he wasn’t ready. We put fresh water in a bowl but he wouldn’t drink. I took some water in my hand and offered it to him. He came closer, hesitated, and then took a sip, directly from my hand. I realized that he didn’t know how to drink water from a bowl. As with so many homeless animals, he had to scour the streets for sustenance. He had never been offered anything. What little food or water he had was found, or fought over.

After drinking a little more water, Homer slept. For almost 2 days he slept. We worried that he might never wake up. But he did. He is a survivor. He still crawled, but he could cover short distances. He picked at soft food and came to my hand to drink water.

Homer’s sight wasn’t too good. Neither were his teeth. His legs? Not good at all. Just as bad as the rest of his neglected little body. He was aged beyond his years. But his spirit sought to soar. Every day he grew stronger, brighter, and braver. Click to see a video of Homer at the ROLDA shelter.

After a couple of months, with some good food, love and care he looked totally different. Rescued Homer had been transformed into a different dog. And with the help of ROLDA, he has been made whole again. The little life who was once someone’s trash has been transformed into a wonderful companion animal who now lives with his family in Switzerland. Life is full of surprises. Some are good, some not so good. Homer showed us not to give up. And ROLDA will not.

Believe in your own strength, and learn to live with forgiveness and a smile! Here is Homer now, living in Switzerland. Thanks to ROLDA’s supporters, he need never live in fear and filth again.

For Homer, this may seem like a miracle. It’s not. This is the result of the work, time, money and care of ROLDA and our supporters from around the world. Homer was a dying dog, but he refused to give up. He was given the chance to gain back strength so he could fight for his life.

Who gives him this chance? You and all the ROLDA supporters that read stories like Homer’s and support our rescue work in Romania. Without your donations, Homer would have been left like garbage at the side of the road to die under a burning sun. Thanks to you, he is now being spoiled by a loving family in Switzerland!

How did he end up in Switzerland? My friend Lolita and her friends from Oasis des Veterans agreed to help some senior dogs to be transferred to a Swiss sanctuary where they will be looked after for the rest of their lives. Oasis is a sanctuary, but more like a dog paradise! The dogs are free to roam around, inside and out in the garden. The volunteers of Oasis des Veterans work with dedication and passion to make these dogs as comfortable as possible.

After working for so many years with these dogs, ROLDA has seen some amazing recoveries, and some personal discoveries too. The generous and compassionate people who find room in their lives for a Romanian street dog gain from the experience. Knowing that you can make such an incredible difference to dogs in desperate need reaffirms what we know deep inside. We can make a difference. We DO make a difference. And we are the better for it.

We Still Need Your Help. Your Donations Allow Us to Save Hundreds of Other Homers Out on the Streets.

Your help made it possible for us to give Homer a new life. We saved a four-legged soul and put him in a safe place. Homer is the same fighter that he was when we found him, but also a changed dog. It is a change for the better. He always has a smile on his face and is grateful for your attention, no matter if you are about to give him a bath, grooming, or just a belly rub! His smile is his way of saying thank you for your help!

Homer is alive and smiling because of you!

There are about 200 other seniors from a total of 750 dogs in our care who need special food (sometimes canned food) that they are able to digest. Summer days are on their way back. Our rescue dogs will be needing spot treatments against fleas and ticks. Help us keep these dogs off the streets and in good shape. A little bit of money can go such a long way to help an animal on the street!

Please know how much we appreciate the support that you give us! We could not do the work we do without you. You are part of the ROLDA team that takes these dogs off the street, away from abuse, and finds them safe, loving families. They may finally live out their lives in peace after so many years of suffering and struggle. Thank you!

Your gift made to ROLDA has the power to solve some of Romanian’s thorniest community problems. Your gift says “Yes!” when so many others would say, “No, it’s impossible.”

 

Nabi means “Butterfly” in Korean. In order to give a name to hundreds of dogs that need to be advertised on the website www.sponsoradog.org, dogs that keep coming and going into forever homes….we should use our imagination and be really inventive!

I called this white, female dog Nabi because I searched for a soft, inspirational name. To match the real story of her life: Nabi was rescued from the steel plant surroundings, together with 2 other female dogs. They all had 3 bigger and 6 smaller babies. They made no trouble sharing the kennel space, from the very beginning. Actually, they made it a habit to nurse their babies together.

Nabi is the weakest dog of all three moms. She is overprotective and extra careful with all the babies, including those who are not hers. Nabi and her puppies would have been most certainly dead by now if she wouldn’t be rescued. In many ways, she lives now a totally different life than before.

There are many female dogs like Nabi across Romania. One of my greatest fears, as a human being, is to be powerless and couldn’t be able to help the ones I love. Many moms like Nabi watch powerless how their babies die. Many of them lost their lives while trying, starving, to hunt something to keep themselves and their families alive. Many got deadly injured in dog fights, tried to protect their babies, or were abused by heartless people.

There is something that makes Nabi’s story special: When rescued, she had a problem with one of her front legs. Usually, these types of problems represent a top priority for our team but in this case, we had to consider that Nobi is nursing the babies and if we tranquilize her, her role of “mother” must be put on hold for a short while.

As always, ROLDA supporters were receptive to covering Nabi’s special needs, which included extra protein, diet food, leg surgery and post-surgery treatment, the sterilization. Nabi and her puppies remind us how important sterilization is. We should also think about thousands of dogs like Nabi that don’t get medical help, or food – they die nameless, hopeless and isolated, treated like garbage by an indifferent society.

Saving a dog like Nabi costs our charity 200-500 EUR depending on the complexity of surgery and treatments required. Help dogs like Nabi!

Nabi and Dana, May 2014

Light looks like a veteran, but did not survive military warfare––just the kind of “war” a street dog struggles through day by day, scrounging for food, sleeping in holes, and trying not to be run over by vehicles, kicked, stoned, or hit by a bucket of scalding hot water while hanging around a back door hoping to be thrown some edible scraps. Light fought to remain alive, and survived despite becoming a wounded veteran whose injuries made staying alive even more difficult.

Light arrived at the ROLDA shelter just a few days ago, in a van filled with dogs of all different colors and ages.  All were collected from the Galati industrial park, where they were abandoned by people who wanted to get rid of them at some point, were born,  abandoned by an indifferent society,  or wandered in from the busier parts of the city,  looking for somewhere safer to exist.

Some dogs placed in our kennels, after a lifetime of freedom, become agitated,  not realizing that no further harm will come to them.   Others are curious to meet their new neighbors,  some of whom may be old friends from the streets.  Light, however,  was calm.  She searched for a corner to sleep in,  lay down,  and fell into the most profound sleep I ever saw a dog sleeping!

I opened the kennel door and climbed inside with her.   She did not react.  I thought something terrible had happened to her.  I went closer to observe her chest moving up and down.  She was breathing evenly,  faintly.  But she still did not react. Now I was right alongside her thin white body.  I could smell her dirty fur and the unique odor of the industrial park dust.

I could not resist the temptation to touch her,  even though it is dangerous to touch an unfamiliar dog who is sleeping and has just come from the streets,  where any touch can be a threat.  My hand was almost touching her fur …but stopped in the air when I saw her lame front right leg ending abnormally at a massive open wound where her left leg should have been.  The wound was not very old.  The bleeding stopped probably after a constant licking,  which dogs often do when they have an open wound.  This is their only means of self-treatment and is surprisingly often successful in helping to disinfect wounds.

Shocked by the deep, ugly wound,   already thinking of the tremendous pain that Light suffered,  alone, frightened,  when her legs were mutilated,  I abruptly realized I was watched silently by a pair of gentle,  clear and bright eyes.  Light was not scared, not nervous,  and did not react violently to my close presence as a stranger near her tortured,  thin body.  I felt ashamed for a moment to belong to the same species that hurts deeply,  irreversibly,  so many animals around the globe.

I don’t even know when I started to cry.  Rain was falling,  but the drops rolling over my cheeks were not rain but tears because there was a roof above our heads. Light stood up.  Only then I realized that one of her back legs was also missing.

Writing these lines, I am still shocked by this case.  I have seen a lot of suffering in Romania,  many dogs abused,  tied on chains,  left starving in misery,  full of parasites,  puppies dehydrated,  limping,  fractured bones,  dogs with mange,  beaten dogs with open wounds…but something moved me differently about this tiny girl. I can’t even imagine the amount of pain Light suffered,  losing two legs,  probably in snowplow accidents –with nobody there to help her.

Amazingly,   Light is friendly and only a little possessive about her food,  when the other dogs from the same kennel get too close to it.  However,  this attitude is normal considering that she had to survive out there,  on the streets,  fighting with her pain and disability,  guarding against the other packs of strays whatever food she could find.

All street dogs have as their immediate goal to remain alive until tomorrow.  For Light,  this was much more difficult Maybe I called this white princess Light because in a few days,  Romanians –– like all other Orthodox Christians –– celebrate Easter.  While we usually associate Christmas with gifts,  Easter is the celebration of soul (and mind) purification.  Choosing to describe Easter in a word,  I would pick up this word to be Light…a word that inspired me to give an identity to this dog who came to us without a name.

Partially too,  I named her Light also because of the pure inspiration that she and her sad,  painful story represent to some of us who search to find the power to start over,  raise our heads above a tragedy,  endure and keep going. If Light story cannot move a human soul,  there is not much humanity left in it.  If you look right into those gorgeous eyes and pretend that nothing happened,  something is wrong!

In the last few days,  we rescued in total three dogs who each needed to have one leg amputated.  These accidents in the industrial area have increased alarmingly.  They occur when dogs burrow into the snow too close to the roadside and are hit by snowplow blades. Usually, the drivers never even see them.

After being spayed and vaccinated,  Light will start a rehabilitation program under the supervision of our dedicated staff.  Next, within a few months,  we hope to report to you about her progress,  or maybe show you Light in her new forever home – where she will never be forced to growl to defend her food,   and will never again suffer in silence as she did in a forgotten corner of Romania.

Light rehabilitation recovery took 6 months. Light was transferred to the Adoption Center and became the Dog of the Year in 2013. Gail from the UK visited Light in February 2014 to meet her before she will finalize the adoption process.

How could I resist the story of Light and her bravery?

She always turns more to the left to look straight into your eyes. It is just her way to keep a closer eye on you, just in case, until she figures out if you are a good person or not. And the saying “keep an eye on you” is describing the reality in Cara’s case, as she has only one eye.

Her story is sad, really terrible and describes this World in which we all are trying to survive every day, without getting “wounded” too many times.

Cara learn what really means to be a mom the moment she felt her babies inside her belly, or when she was searching and searching for the best hidden where to give birth, away from people or other dogs’ possible attacks. She felt what means to be a mom when she smelt and kissed her two babies for the first time, the joy of seeing them happy and relaxed sleeping under her protective body, the mixed feelings of pride, happiness and worries she felt when they started to walk and move away from her, every day a bit more, exploring.

It didn’t pass long until Cara experienced two of the most painful moments of her life. As a stray life is not easy or safe. One time, she went hunting very early in the morning, to be back “home” in time before the puppies start crying to be fed. Hunting is not an easy job, especially when she has to do things in a hurry but being careful to watch her back.

While dogs are tamed animals, fed by people for centuries, strays and semi-wild dogs must hunt to survive. At the edge of the roads, you will see dogs eating dead corps or chasing smaller wild animals. On industrial sites, you can see strays eating almost everything, including plastic bags from the trash that used to contain workers’ meals. I have seen a dog eating the leather side of a used shoe thrown in the bin.

The luckiest strays are the ones roaming in towns or larger villages, where the trash collected contains a “variety” of rest of meals which instantly become a source of food for them.

Cara has hidden her puppies in some bushes, in the vicinity of a train rail that connects the main train station with the steel plant station. Returning to the spot, after some delay, her heart was beating faster. It wasn’t only because of the effort, or because she was too weak to run like she used to – she start feeling an increasing worry which turned into panic when she couldn’t smell, feel, and see her babies. She arrived right to the spot where her babies were sleeping peacefully a few hours ago. They were gone. She starts moving in circles, larger every time. When she sniffed something familiar, went closer and her eyes went into tears: her babies were lying drawn in a plastic bag, now opened.

Probably they tried to escape from the bag until the last moment. But they were too small and too inexperienced to succeed. Cara felt the pain that every mother would feel. It was the hardest pain she ever felt in her life: emptiness, sadness and rage against those who killed her babies, the humans.

For a moment, she wanted to go back to the hidden spot. She realized there is no reason to go there anymore. Her puppies already paid the price. She looked at them one more time and with their smell still fresh on her nose, she started to search for the human who did that …If people call this “revenge”, she doesn’t care. Animal’s Kingdom is different and its rules are different.

She was sniffing, climbing, and running on the field which grew as far as she could see. The only image she could see was her innocent babies dead. With her paws hurt in the metallic waste, she keeps on running, more afraid that the scent traces will vanish.

Hearing a whizzing behind, she turned quickly, surprised. Immediately she felt like sand in her right eye. Then something on her cheek. She tried to keep running and only then, she realized she can’t see straight. Everything happened in a few seconds. Only when she stopped, she felt a pain in the right eye that increased. Soon, it became excruciating, but a different kind of pain compared with the one she felt in the morning, seeing her puppies killed.

She stopped to yell in her own language and to cry with the remained eye, louder – from her wounded heart. This is how our rescue team found Cara a few days later. The workers from the industrial site phoned us about a dog that cried day and night, probably being wounded.

While stray’s primary instincts are to hide, if wounded, to avoid confrontations, and to protect themselves from being exposed – Cara simply gave up living that day. It happened for us, also, sometimes – to want to give up, even for a short while. It’s a humane feeling. Dogs have humane feelings, too.

Cara never found the person/s that killed her innocent babies. There are thousands of puppies killed in Romania: being poisoned, drawn in water, etc Some are dying of diseases that could be so easily prevented with a simple vaccine. Many of the surviving puppies are frightened of people, scared to be sociable, and vulnerable. The price of an annual vaccine is almost 5 EUR.

Cara will never have puppies again. Thanks to our compassionate supporters, we sterilized her. It cost only 26 EUR. Her lost puppies were the last ones to pay the price for humans’ indifference, ignorance and barbaric behavior.

Cara lost eye remained a scar that heals every day more. She will remain from now on disabled physically, visible. Still, she can handle it perfectly so in case you don’t search for the perfect-looking dog – she is a good candidate for adoption, being sensible and grateful. In a way, she looks perfect – the beauty stays in the way you look at her.

Cara’s story moves anyone that still has a soul to care, to be compassionate and feel empathy for such tragedies that often happen under our eyes. Tragedies created by members of our own species. After meeting the “human specie”, Cara’s emotional scars remained. By far, those are the most difficult to treat, anticipate and handle, day after day.

There will be days in Cara’s life, when she will not be happy, smiling even if she is now away from danger and treated with respect and gentleness. Maybe thanks to you, she will have a home. There will be moments when she will hear or smell other puppies and her remained eye will cry her heart’s sadness. She can’t speak to tell everyone her story, but are we strong enough to listen to stories like hers day after day, on and on ….and turn blind and deaf?

I was nervous when Cara met a stranger at the shelter for the first time after her tragedy. She proves to be just the dog that turns more to the left to keep an eye on you. This is how she can judge better if you are a good person or not. For a dog, sight is precious for survival. Cara turns to you to see your good side. Like her, I am convinced most of us have hidden a drop of humanity, like a treasure – under the shield that protects us from suffering or showing off our weakness.

Imagine 600 pairs plus one dog’s eyes looking straight into your eyes and begging for understanding, compassion, patience and commitment. What is your answer?

Together, I know we can save each dog at a time…

Please see the other dogs that need your help or a home

Det sägs att när vi står öga mot öga inför döden är vi alla jämnlikar, men under våran livstid har vi egna val, skapar egna värderingar som vi skyddar och håller fast vid. Under min livstid har jag valt att hjälpa djuren, lyckligtvis är jag inte ensam i detta. Många människor runt om i världen tror på ROLDA och vad mitt team gör.

Jag har fått förmånen att rädda skadade, döende hundar och hjälpa dem att få ett helt nytt liv. Jag är tacksam att kunna berätta dessa hundars historia så ni ska förstå situationen för djuren i Rumänien och för er att kunna ta del av detta om ni så önskar.

Idag är det en annorlunda berättelse jag vill dela med er. Denna handlar inte om en hund utan om en människa. Jag har oändligt många hund historier jag kan berätta för er, men att finna EN historia att berätta om en människa är ovanligare. Eftersom det är så ovanligt vill jag nu berätta om Liselotte.

I tystnad läste hon om allt vi gör , grät och log tillsammans med oss andra.

Hon kunde inte själv adoptera en roldahund och hon hade en stor anledning till detta. Hon visste nämligen att hennes tid på jorden snart kommit till sitt slut men hennes hjärta och sinne var alltid starkt sammanbundet med djur från hela världen. En dag kontaktade Liselotte våran svenska ROLDA huvudansvarige chef Lisa och erbjöd att skänka en oerhört betydande penga gåva, tillräckligt stor summa för att kunna ersätta alla gamla hundsängar med nya förbättrade sängar och även ge förebyggande vaccin behandlingar till våra hundar.

Hennes generösa gåva gjorde Liselotte till en ROLDA topp donator och vi ville skicka henne en överrasknings gåva för att visa våran tacksamhet för hennes viktiga stöd till oss. Sorgligt nog levde hon inte tillräckligt länge för att få denna symboliska tacksamhets gåva. Hon hann inte få se hundarnas sängar färdigmonterade och klara eller att få känna glädjen att se hundarna leka glada och skyddade från den kalla bittra kylan. Men kanske från platsen hon nu befinner sig på ser hon förhoppningsvis allt detta ändå. Ofta, efter att någon har gått vidare (förutom våra närmaste) glömmer vi dem med tiden. Kanske är just detta ett sätt att skydda oss mot just det som vi inte kan påverka, döden.

Varje gång jag ser alla hund sängarna så kommer jag att minnas Liselotte, personen jag aldrig mött i person men som bidrog med en så otroligt viktig gåva till hundra tals av våra ROLDA hundar och varje gång kommer jag att minnas. Jag kommer att tacka mina hundar för att de påminner mig att vara tacksam.
Att rädda djur är ett arbete som aldrig upphör, det pågår dygnet runt och kräver min hjälp och även din hjälp. Du måste vara en av de människor som inte vrider bort huvudet för att slippa se. Du vänder oss inte ryggen. Hjälp mig att säga till mina fyrbenta vänner: Du är inte ensam!

Liselottes berättelse kan förändra oss alla och påverka våra livsval. Under våran livstid, om vi har turen att ha råd, kan vi göra värden till en bättre plats. Liselotte visste hur hon bäst ville fördela sina intäkter i slutet, att hjälpa ROLDA hundar, delfiner, apor etc.
I livets slut, när alla materiella ägodelar som finns runt omkring oss inte längre har en betydelse finns endast kvar det som vi vill kämpa för, vad vi sanningsenligt tror på och känner passion för. Jag måste fråga mig själv hur denna världen skulle se ut om det fanns fler människor som Liselotte.
Om en av just dina prioriteter ligger i att hjälpa en roldahund finns valet att antingen skänka en penga donation idag för de hundar som idag behöver det eller investera i våra hundars framtid i att få vara i säkerhet.

Besök våran sida https://legacy.rolda.org/sweden välj ditt land från meny listan och läs hur just du kan inkludera ROLDA i ditt testamente.

För att kunna förstå vad denna kris kring gatuhundarna och de groteska förhållandena i de allmänna hägnen faktiskt innebär (förkortat PS på sociala medier) så behöver du veta bakgrundshistorien kring vår nation, Rumänien. Denna historia startar efter andra världskriget och när Sovjet tog över, vilket innebar att kommunismen spred sig och tog över monarkin.

Fram tills ännu en revolution, 1989, samt när diktatorn Nicolae Ceauşescu störtades så hade en större del av Rumäniens tillgångar blivit stulna av Sovjet eller förlorades pga. korruption. Rumänien blev en mycket fattig nation och är fortfarande en av Europas fattigaste medlemmar. På grund av landets ekonomi blev det vanligare att människor försökte tjäna pengar illegalt, oftast på den ”svarta” marknaden. Ett av de vanligaste och mest upprörande sätten att tjäna pengar var genom att starta upp allmänna hägn. Historiskt sett så var dessa hägn till en början till för att brutalt mörda, flå och slakta hundar för att få organiska material som kunde säljas vidare till mode- och sminkindustrin.

Under kommunismen och Ceauşescu så höll denna barbariska metod, att slakta hundar för deras skinn, att ntalet gatuhundar i schack. Kollapsen av diktaturen medförde friare medier, bl.a. internet, att Rumänien gick med i EU och arbetade hårt för att bli sedda på ett positivt sätt av de andra medlemsländerna. Efter allt detta, under de senaste 30 åren så har antalet gatuhundar ökat med raketfart. Industriområdena som lämnades efter Sovjets övertag blev ett perfekt område för gatuhundar att para sig och hålla till. Detta för att dessa områden gav hundarna en del skydd under mycket varma/kalla perioder. Denna ökning av gatuhundar ledde i sin tur till en ny marknad av fler allmänna hägn.

Inkomsterna i dessa hägn kommer från statliga medel, från Rumäniens regering som betalar dem för hur många hundar de kan ”radera” från gatorna. De bryr sig inte det minsta om djurens hälsa, de avlivar dem när de får chansen och det finns inga direkta inspektioner som kan hålla dem ansvariga för deras handlingar. Ägarna bryr sig inte om dessa hägn blir en plats där svält, sjukdomar och våld blir en naturlig vardag. Det är vanligt att friska hundar tas in i de allmänna hägnen och drar på sig en sjukdom eller skada som gör att de dör inom kort tid.

Allmänna hägn nu

Situationen blev värre under 2013 då de allmänna hägnen fick tillstånd att avliva hundar om de varit i hägnet i 14 dagar. Detta efter en påstådd attack då en grupp gatuhundar attackerat ett barn vilket resulterade i dennes död. Vänliga och undergivna hundar är enkla att fånga in vilket leder till att de aggressiva hundarna kan fortsätta föröka sig. Om detta inte var nog så blev det olagligt 2016 att ta in hundar, sterilisera dem och sedan släppa ut dem igen. Det enda hoppet för en hund som får en plats i ett allmänt hägn är om de blir adopterade till ett bra hem. Men pågrund av de förutsättningar som hundarna har i dessa hägn så finns det en minimal chans till adoption. Regeringen och de allmänna hägnens handlingar leder till att gatuhundarnas population ökar dramatiskt och att fler tar tillfället i akt att tjäna pengar på att mörda försvarslösa hundar.

Vad ROLDA gör för att hjälpa till

Medan detta pågår försöker ROLDA att adoptera de hundar som de kan från de allmänna hägnen då deras liv där är värre än om de skulle leva kvar på gatan. Så ofta vi kan så tar ROLDA hundarna från dessa hägn och ger dem en plats hos oss där vi kan söka ett nytt kärleksfullt hem till dem. Varje år räddar vi hundar från de allmänna hägnen och detta representerar ungefär 5-10 % av alla hundar som finns där. Det är väldigt viktigt att hundarna räddas från denna hemska atmosfär så fort som möjligt. Ju längre tid de spenderar i de allmänna hägnen ju mer tid utsätts de för våld och chansen att få en dödlig sjukdom. Det hundarna upplever under denna vistelse kommer påverka dem under hela livet och ger dem psykologiska ärr. Dessa hundar behöver mer tid, tålamod och resurser så att de kan rehabiliteras och detta kan kosta mycket pengar. Vissa hundar kommer aldrig att återhämta sig så att de kan bli adopterade men de får fortfarande stanna hos oss på ROLDA.

Allmänna hägn är fruktansvärda dödshus som förpestar Rumänien.

Även om de allmänna hägnen inte skulle vara de hemska platser som de faktiskt är så är de ett patetisk försök i att lösa denna kris kring populationen av gatuhundar. Över 2,5 miljon hundar är hemlösa och lever ett utsatt liv i Rumänien. ROLDAs ultimata mål är att dra ner den siffran till 0 och att alla dessa hundar får ett lyckligt liv i ett nytt hem. 2,5 miljon hundar kan inte få plats i de allmänna hägnen. Problemet måste tacklas från grunden; stoppa att hundarna kan para sig i det vilda genom humana och effektiva lösningar. Att genomföra steriliserings kampanjer, att invånarna utbildas i vad som faktiskt sker, minska antalet övergivna hundar och skapa rena och trygga hägn där hundarna har en chans att bli adopterade. Detta mål är såklart enormt svårt att uppnå och extremt dyrt.

ROLDA har endast minimalt med resurser speciellt efter det ekonomiska fall som pandemin dragit med sig.

Men med ert stöd och fantastiska arbete kan vi uppnå detta mål!

Han hittades med en ståltråd som var lindad runt hans övre framben och andra änden fastsatt i ett träd. Ståltråden var lindad så hårt runt hans ben att den skar ända in i köttet och förvärrades av hans försök att bli fri.

Kanske hade detta gjorts mot Braveheart som ett sätt att straffa honom på eller för att bara plåga honom på skoj. Vad nu anledningen än var så är det ett hemskt agerande och han valdes antagligen ut som offer bara för att han var en hemlös hund oförmögen att försvara sig själv.

Braveheart är utsatt för djurplågeri i högsta grad. Ett brott som alltmera blir vanligt i staden Galati. Vi blir så upprörda och förtvivlade hur sjuka människor kan vara som gör sånt här, hur man njuta av att se ett stackars djur lida.

Vi är oroliga över att nästa djur som råkar illa ut inte har samma tur som Bravehaeart. Att vi inte kommer hitta den hunden i tid.

Veterinären är rädd att Braveheart kanske kommer att förlora sitt ben då ståltråden skadat nerver och då hans sår är så illa infekterat, tecken på att han antagligen varit fastbunden i dagar innan vi hittade honom.
Veterinären rengjorde såret på djupet och sydde ihop såren Braveheart kommer få vara kvar på kliniken med övervakning i några dagar för att se hur det läker och om ny operation behöver göras, ivärsta fall en amputering.

Våra tankar är hos Braveheart och vi önskar att han ska få sin fulla hälsa tillbaka. Hans tillit för människor har blivit omskakad, när det är dags att lämna kliniken och komma till ROLDAs hägn så kommer denna unga och oskyldiga själ att påbörja en tid att läka, inte bara sina yttre sår utan även i både hjärta, sinne och själ.

Kan du tänka dig att hjälpa med en gåva för att stödja Braveheart? Vi vet att detta är en hektiskt och kostsam tid för många, men alla belopp tas tacksamt emot för att hjälpa denna arma själ med sitt stora hjärta.

Tack för eran generositet!