ancaflori, Author at ROLDA

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?”, Pansela 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, Pansela managed to survive.

She beat impossible odds. She overcame every challenge life threw at her … and she did it alone. Pansela 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? Pansela never could say anything — and she never did.

Thanks to compassionate people like you, Pansela was rescued. At the moment Pansela was living at our ROLDA shelter. Here she received 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 Pansela… and on us.

Pansela — and hundreds of others dogs like her — are spending 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 we at 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 Pansela 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 a month 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 Pansela 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.

Donate

Make a gift for Pansela’s buddies! 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.

And do you know what? You did that already for Pansela because I saved the best for the last.

We’re hoping that for many dogs from our shelters, the journey doesn’t end here at ROLDA. Though we love having them all, we want better for each of them. 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 one or more of Pansela’buddies. 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 at the moment, 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 Pansela’s journey.
With hopes, Dana

PS: You can always send any one of our dogs a gift. They will be eternally grateful to you.
PS2: Maybe you are curious to see our furry buddies? Click on a dog photo to learn more

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…

Babies Born Ready to Die: In one of the poorest Romanian houses near Galati, lives a canine Cinderella. But we call her Blonda. Her brief two years on this planet have been spent with a short chain around her neck. She was kept alive to “defend” her family and their property. Blonda has been through more in two years than any dog deserves to endure in an entire lifetime.

A meal to this gentle girl meant a few leftovers and scraps from her family’s table. She has already been a mother three times. She saw her first babies drown. Her second litter all died of distemper, save one. Recently three more tiny souls made their way into the world.

In many countries, this would be a thing of joy, a time to celebrate. Not here. Not in a country where 2.5 million strays, abandoned and abused dogs already struggle to survive on the ruthless streets of Romania.
There is no food to feed the new litter, and no vaccinations to keep them healthy.

But they are a few of the lucky ones who ended up in the care of ROLDA. So many other unwanted mothers and their starving babies suffer short, violent lives that end in a ditch, or under the wheels of a car. BLONDA’s owners brought her and her puppies to us.

Not one but two generations of puppies!

Now the small family shares a kennel together, safe because of your support. We need to get them sterilized, microchipped, vaccinated, and ready for adoption. After such a rough start in life, won’t you help us give them a second chance? We deal with emergency situations every day.

Donate

Without the generosity of our supporters, Blonda and her babies would face certain death. ROLDA is part of widespread sterilization programs to end this cruel cycle of unnecessary suffering, and slow, painful deaths.

Be a part of the solution

Help us start more sterilization campaigns, and bring an end to the cycle of suffering. Don’t let beautiful Blonda and her young family be forgotten…

(Visitor thoughts) When I arrived the dogs were all barking but after a few moments, they stopped…and that was one of the most beautiful silence… I looked around – dogs everywhere- small, white, brown, or black. I didn’t know in front of which kennel to stop at first. And there he was: a tiny white/caramel angel handing his paw.

(Dog thoughts) I knew someone is coming. I learn to distinguish a different sound from all the noise. It’s easy, after a while, to hear a different voice or sense a different smell. We (dogs) all try to find the right spot, the right angle inside the kennel to see better what’s happening.

(Visitor) Come on, pretty – don’t be shy…

(Dog thoughts) She just stopped in front of my kennel and I freeze. What I am going to do now? What if she will leave, too?

(Visitor) Why are you shacking, treasure?

(Dog thoughts) Is she going to notice me? Does she actually look at me, what shall I do now?

The pee – the spots you see now – oh, I am so embarrassed, it’s not what you think… I can be house trained, I know how to behave but right now, I am nervous and a bit scared because your eyes follow all my moves and without even really knowing it, I waited for this moment all my life …

(Visitor) Can you please open this gate and give me that gorgeous boy to hold, yes – that one that staring at me…

(Dog thoughts) Oh, I might soon find out what a real hug means!

Adopt a dog from the shelter!

This dialogue will make a whole new sense for you when you will visit our dog center and meet our dogs.

I recently discovered that I was born in a wasteland. For years I believed that the meals I found on the street were a blessing. Scraps of leftovers that I picked out of the garbage. Dirty, polluted water from puddles on the road. I always felt hungry, often felt weak, and sometimes felt horrible pain. But I just thought that was part of living. I thought that was life, and it would never improve. I got used to it eventually.

The first time I became severely ill, I knew that feeling was not normal. When I experienced my first winter, I knew my body should not be shivering so violently, my paws frozen, and my body like ice. But another winter came and went. And many more passed.

Just as I was beginning to get used to my land, I saw something that terrified me and made me want to leave.
One of my kind, who was much thinner than me, was chained to a tree and beaten with wooden sticks by three men. I watched from a distance as they broke his back and legs, and as they bashed his head again and again. Finally, his body lay lifeless on the ground. At least dead, he could no longer suffer.

One of those awful men spat on the body before they all left laughing and celebrating. As I stood there trembling, I realized that I was still hearing the whimpers and cries in my head. I felt sad, angry, and scared — but I mostly felt guilty. I still do. I am haunted by the senseless violence of that night. The cruelty and total disrespect for life. The complete lack of compassion.

Before that day I had encountered many dead bodies on the street. At first, I thought they were sleeping, but when I found them days later in the same spot, I understood they were gone forever. I also encountered many humans. I liked them because they always smelled of delicious food, and would have clean water. But they never liked me when I approached them. They would always chase me away. I kept trying my luck, but I eventually gave up — even when the hunger was painful.

After that horrible killing, I avoided humans at all costs. But one day, I let down my guard… and they found me.
I tried to run but it was difficult. One of my back legs was broken (a car had hit me as I walked on the side of the road). There was no escape. Two men grabbed me and placed me in a van. I had never felt so frightened … and helpless. Would they chain and beat me like my poor dead friend? No. They took me to a place like heaven. At the ROLDA shelter, they treated my injuries and gave me food and water.

Today I call these two men Marian and Denis — my friends. I have many other friends here as well, humans and dogs. When my leg had healed, they gave me a name — Faraon. I no longer live in a wasteland. I share a comfortable home with hundreds of other dogs who have also been rescued. We receive food, shelter, medicine, exercise, and friendship.

I have been here for over two years now, and in that time I have seen many of my friends leave for new homes, and I have also welcomed new friends into our home here at ROLDA. I might be too old to go anywhere else now. I am not a beautiful dog, but my heart is forgiving and full of love. I long for a human family to call my own.
Some nights I can still hear the desperate cries of that poor dog I could not save, but I know that all of us here, myself included, could have suffered the same fate, had we not been saved and given a chance at life.

Most people forget that by adopting a dog they are saving a life.

ROLDA is one of the few dog shelters that have a no-kill policy. There are thousands of shelters where dogs are killed within 14 days if they are not claimed. In Romania alone, there are an estimated 2.5 million homeless dogs. We save as many as we can. We give them a second chance to end up in a loving home. Not dead in the street or a ditch. So when you’re considering welcoming a new pet into your life, please remember that senior dogs like Faraon do exist and many others, younger … and they deserve love too!

When you adopt or sponsor a dog from ROLDA, you save not one but two lives!

Visit Faraon and his friends and learn how you can save a life here (click on a dog photo).

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.

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.

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.

Read this message from Homer’s new family to see how fabulous it feels to save a dog’s life, and make them a part of yours: “We are the family who adopted Homer. I wanted to thank you for what you’re doing. It’s just amazing, I’m like you, I want to save them all but I started with one and it’s Homer. Homer is amazing, he’s still a little shy, but I know in a few weeks he will open up to us completely. He’s so amazing on the leash, and very funny, he started to play with us like he’s 1 year old again, he’s always demanding to be pet! Which is super cute! Anyway, I thought it was fair that you knew that Homer was okay now, that he finally has HIS home, that he’s loved and enjoying his new life! It wouldn’t have been possible without you and the other people of ROLDA, so thank you a million for what you do every day! Thank you for saving Homer and all the others! …Take care Dana”, Yelena.

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

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