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Why Families with Children Should adopt a Shelter Dog
Families, especially those with children, can find immense satisfaction and happiness by deciding to adopt a dog from a shelter. By bringing home a shelter dog, families not only provide a loving home but also give children a special chance to learn compassion, responsibility, and more. Families with children can experience many benefits by adopting ... Blog
Toxic Plants that Can Harm Your Dog
When we imagine happy dogs at play, we often picture them outdoors feeling the softness of the grass beneath their paws, their noses twitching as they take in the scent of every flower. It’s a heartwarming sight, observing them in their blissful state—until their attention turns to devouring a plant or exhibiting an excessive fascination ... Blog
Dealing with Common Canine Health Issues: Prevention and Treatment
While owning a dog brings immense joy and love, it’s crucial to recognise the responsibility that comes with ensuring their health and well-being. As much as we hate to imagine it, our furry companions are susceptible to health problems and accidents as they age, just like humans. Taking the steps of providing proper care, practicing ... Blog
Ensuring a Safe Home: Practical Dog-Proofing Tips for New Pet Owners
The anticipation of bringing home a new dog creates a palpable sense of excitement. You’re likely picturing all the delightful moments in store, such as your pup relaxing on the comfortable couch or joyfully exploring the vibrant yard. It is essential to make your home safe and comfortable for your new pet. Prior to the ... Blog
How to Keep Your Dog Mentally Stimulated with Toys
Dogs, much like humans, can feel bored with the repetitive daily routine. While routines are important for keeping things organised, it’s worth considering how this influences your dog’s sense of stability and predictability. A predictable environment is beneficial for dogs, but an excess of monotony can induce boredom and a sense of restlessness. Dogs, being ... Blog
Latest blog posts
Your search for a perfect dog STOPS HERE!
Dog for sale or dog for adoption? There are several arguments for each option, but we at ROLDA are focused on finding a loving home for every dog it rescues. We do not offer dogs for sale… only dogs for adoption. We do not oppose the sale of dogs (as long as it’s humane)
Dogs breeds
In Romania… NO dog breed is safe. In 2013, the Romanian government passed a law to kill the entire stray population, including dogs held in public shelters. That means 2.5 million homeless dogs are being…Hunted and slaughtered!!!
An expression of your passion for dogs
To All of ROLDA’s Incredible Supporters, We’ve all been there. Each of us has had times when we were burdened beyond that which we felt we could carry. Our battles may differ, but our resolve remains the same. We fight emotional, family, financial, and work issues that sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. But we never give up.
There’s Still Time to Give
Every year we rescue hundreds of abandoned dogs from the streets of Romania. Some are abandoned by ignorant people who don’t want the responsibility, and others are forced to abandon them because of circumstances out of their control.
Dog for sale
The next time you see a “Dogs for Sale” advertisement, think about this: 2.5 million dogs in Romania are suffering and dying! Every day an abandoned or homeless dog suffers starvation, sickness, neglect, injury, abuse, torture, loneliness and death. These poor dogs suffer alone in silence every single day.
Homeless puppies for adoption need your help!
6,000 puppies are born on the streets of Romania every year. Currently, we at ROLDA only have room for 700 dogs — many of them are puppies waiting for adoption. Why are we asking for help from the UK?
Be someone’s super hero!
Just because a dog is caught on the street and placed in a shelter does not mean it has been rescued. In Romania, most dogs are left to die in those shelters. Sadly, many people think these “rescued” dogs are filthy, sick, violent, and dangerous.
Dogs free to good homes in UK
ROLDA has successfully rehomed 200 homeless dogs from Romania in the UK. We are very proud of this achievement, but we believe the numbers can be better There are 2.5 million homeless dogs in Romania. 20,000 of these dogs struggle near our shelters in Galati. 6,000 puppies are born on the streets of Romania every year.
Deadline: Twice as strong and… free!
What would you think if someone offered you a free dog? Believe it or not, many people think that there must be something wrong with that dog. The truth is there are many reasons for offering a free dog: financial troubles, medical issues, unable to provide quality care, unable to own pets, allergies… The list goes on.
Theory of Big Bang
The aging horse asks for a peaceful end! I know they mean well. As difficult as my life is, at least the same difficult it’s theirs. I was born on a farm in Romania, and I was expected, as everyone in a low-income community is, to work hard. And work I have. Now, however, I am an old man. 17 years may not seem like much in human terms, but for a horse that has been a beast of burden since birth, it’s a lifetime.
They need you!
When I look around me these days I feel a great sense of pride. It was over a decade ago that we built our first shelter and rescued the first 60 dogs from a lonely and harsh life. Today we have 2 shelters that 700 dogs currently call home. Every day I try to spend time with each one, but the truth is that most days I cannot. However, the precious moments I experience with these beautiful animals remind me that whenever I am not with them, I am fighting for them.
Heroes
Give a concise definition of the word” hero”! Everyone heard of a hero, some were lucky to meet one, face to face. We know about the heroes from the history books, about the heroes of our present time, we honor the veterans of the wars, we even heard of the other heroes (not humans) – a dog who saved a man from drowning or another who saved a child from a fire.
Rex social clinic
What happens when a tiny puppy catches a cold, an abandoned Rotweiller has a toothache or a 130-pound intimidating shepherd dog comes down with an intestinal disorder? If they happen to be just some of the 650 dogs at the REX charitable clinic, the chances for a speedy recovery increase.…because of your support! But first, we must purchase the basic needed equipment, to make it functional.
Letter from ROLDA founder 2014
Dear friends and supporters, We’ve been together another year to rescue, provide help, build up, cry, fear and enjoy some amazing moments. All these moments represent the puzzle that completes the real, whole picture of what rescue missions mean, what saving lives mean! We passed through all these moments TOGETHER and this is for me and my team, by far, the most important achievement.
Christmas letter
Dear Santa, I heard that you might be out there somewhere you help bring people and make kid's dreams come true. I have a different kind of request in case you are there, for me, too. Right now, it's snowing and I am very cold. I wish the warmer nights of springtime would come back soon. Or at least, it would be nice if I could have something to keep me warm.
Important moments 2014
The day-by-day challenges in Romania keep our lives extremely busy, from the lack of volunteers and financial resources to the corruption, bureaucracy and the authority's indifference to our efforts to help the local community to solve a major problem. When a new year is about to start, my heart and mind get full of new ideas, enthusiasm, new planning, and new hopes. I learn from dogs and one important thing is to never lose hope.
Starving, scared, in pain… but never hopeless
This is probably the shortest description of a street dog’s life. If you ever experience the feeling of being hungry – you know how exhausting this is. Thirst on hot summer days is real torture. On that, frozen paws are very painful and it’s worse when the dogs stop feeling them at all…
Trap, neuter and release
The Catch, Neuter and Return program was held until 2014 for the dogs collected from the steel plant. This program was fully supported financially by Arcelor Mittal Galati (AMG) and logistically by ROLDA. Since ROLDA started the partnership with AMG for the dogs, our charity managed to reduce humanely (developing sterilization and adoption programs) the stray dogs’ population by 70%.
Visit from Embassy of Holland
On 30 June, H.E. Matthijs van Bonzel and the Economic and Commercial Counselor of The Netherlands Embassy, Mr. Huub Drabbe visited our shelters and the clinic building. For ROLDA it was the first experience at such a high, official level but the Embassy’s representatives made the emotions go away.
Special request from special kids
Compassionate kids ask our help for responsible solutions! Law 258/2013 demands to all Romanian citizens to sterilize their pets by December 2014. The only exceptions are the dogs with certificates for breeding, for dog shows. The fine for not sterilizing the pet starts from 1100 EUR to 2200 EUR, the lowest represents the average 4 salaries in Romania.
SOS Romanian Strays
If this image breaks your heart, imagine how it is to watch the World from the inside! No medical care. No food. No hope. No life! Abandoned, neglected, suffering in silence: they are the street dogs of Romania. You see them at the edge of the road, trying to survive. On occasions, they eat dead corps of other dogs, hit by cars.
The smell of death
There are thousands of street dogs suffering day after day on Romanian streets but nothing compares with the conditions of the local public shelter which can be summarized in just one word: despair. The place was a farm during the communist time and was later, used alternatively as a dog pound and storage space.
About Lolita and ROLDA
People with big hearts DO NOT forget! Back in 2010, Marie read an article about ROLDA in Swiss Dog Magazine and she decided that she can’t remain indifferent to Romanian dogs’ plight. A few weeks later, she made the first attempt to raise awareness about the Romanian dog's plight and our work in Switzerland by organizing a small conference for the Monthly area.
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?
