ROLDA International Adoption Program

Imagine a garden with people, pets and wild dogs. That’s Romania.

Although part of the EU since the 1^st of January 2007, Romania is the country with the highest strays overpopulation in entire Europe, and of the highest in the entire World. Presently, the laws are not in dogs’ favor either, Romania being one of the countries where the law clearly permits the killing of healthy dogs and where there is a deadline for keeping dogs in municipal shelters.  Romania is less tourist country compared with Turkey, Greece or Spain, this is why their number and the dramatic conditions in which dogs subsist on the streets, or are crowded in filthy municipal pounds, and all these are less known by the public.

The sole salvation for the Romanian strays is international adoption because:
● Lack of local adoption culture
● The extremely high number of street dogs
● The overcrowded private shelters
● The inhumane, illegal, filthy municipal shelters

Sending dogs abroad is not a business, but a humane alternative that requires funding and important logistics.

ROLDA clearly defines the conditions and principles for international adoption and these refer to the adopted dog but also to the adopter because our aim is to provide a safe and healthy future to the dog in his new home, no matter where this place will be!
● ROLDA Dogs are healthy and sterilized (Click here to meet our Best Dogs ready for adoption);
● Pets have all the documents required by the EU laws to travel legally*;
● ROLDA provides full transparency of the adoption process from its beginning to destination;
● Pets promoted on sponsoradog.org website were selected after a careful examination of their social behavior and all are sociable and ready for family life;
● The adoptions are made in countries where ROLDA has established coordinators, and volunteers and where a home check is possible**see below.

*Being part of the EU, Romanian dogs travel legally to another EU destination only by following the EU Regulation 577/2013

ROLDA strongly opposites the illegal transport of dogs but these sadly exist across Europe. Public opinion is used to hear about the smuggling of breed puppies from “puppy mills” but unfortunately, many rescued dogs from south-east Europe are smuggled with illegal papers in the West.

**ROLDA International Adoptions programs exist in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and the UK (on some exceptional occasions, we send dogs to the USA and other EU destinations)

We are in process of creating a team to coordinate adoptions in Benelux countries.

There is no Better Time than TODAY to Change Lives!

It’s been 10 years since ROLDA was born as a charity in Romania and also in the USA. It is a time of celebration for all the people that made this dream possible. Some came and go, and some others remained. Our team grew internationally, stronger than ever. But is it enough?

2016 is also the year of a big loss. The local steel partner broke their contractual responsibility, leaving 200 dogs with no financial support and leaving the whole shelter without the sewage machine and without the long-expected, promised investments.

Worst, I received documents showing that the same steel company called the dog catchers to remove dogs from the front of their property. These dogs (some wearing the ROLDA tags, showing that they were sterilized) ended up in the public shelter, a well-known place from Hell, from which just a few dogs survive to escape.

It’s a bitter “10 years celebration” for ROLDA but we take things as they are, and move on as we can’t give up, not today and not tomorrow.

Not while we still have the smallest hope for these voiceless 650 dogs, not as long as we have the possibility and the willingness to fight for their rights and our dreams. The good news is that each of us has the power to help these 650 dogs live comfortably, enjoy a safe life, and have hope for a future. Our biggest urgencies are the food and medical care for these dogs.

Our first dog saved in 2016 was Pasha, a disabled young friendly female dog. Gail from England couldn’t resist her charm and in June, our Pasha traveled to her new forever home. We changed Pasha’s life.

During 2015, we changed 918 dogs’ lives and many other dogs from poor communities were helped in the past months (vaccinated, sterilized, microchipped)thanks to international partners and private donations. The big projects which we have, are put on hold for a while until the financial situation gets stabilized.

If you already made a contribution to ROLDA, there is one more step you can do: Take a look at this website and see our lovely dogs ready to be adopted…or sponsored. One of them is Boston, a gorgeous, smart, friendly, neutered male. Sadly enough, he currently has no sponsors…but such a big heart!

Share our website sponsoradog.rolda.org maybe one of your friends is ready to meet a furry partner, or willing to sponsor for a month or for a year a dog. I know, it’s difficult to choose from all these pretty faces, but you should know that for 25 EUR, you can Sponsor Them All.

It is not the best 10 years celebration, that’s for sure. But, we had even the worst moment and we made it, and we will survive these ones, too.

I know we will because TOGETHER we are the undefeatable source of energy for these animals, once abused, once neglected and alone in their suffering. We made many steps forward together. We built modern shelters and maintained them, we created social campaigns and helped poor people and their pets, we expanded our dreams to give hope to more animals in need, we adopted in Europe hundreds of dogs and for these dogs, the whole future changed unexpectedly.

They didn’t know we are here for them. Until they felt our passion, our love and our commitment. And we did notice their humble gratitude and pure joy in an instant when they smiled, and wagged their tails when their eyes’ dark shadow was replaced with a sunny, friendly, grateful look. For these moments, for many of these same (or better) moments that we have the opportunity to create, to help them, to change their lives…please do not abandon them and do not abandon our dreams from which countless more other dogs depend!

Be a voice for 200 dogs left starving by one of the richest men in the World’s steel company

“Andy is one puppy found in the trash. He suffered multiple lesions and one eye couldn’t be saved. After all the efforts made to save him, Andy is in big danger! 200 dogs including Andy are left starving by the steel plant in Romania. “ said Dana Costin, founder of ROLDA

ROLDA dogs demand justice. Join us to speak up for them! Help us send a powerful message to Mr. Mittal and ask him to investigate the abuses committed at his steel plant in Romania! As a result of these abuses, 630 dogs’ future is uncertain while 200 of them were left to starve to death. Only because of the ROLDA team’s tremendous efforts, the situation isn’t worse than already described.

What the steel company did:

● Stopped the promised investments, vital for the good functionality of the shelter.
● Left 200 starve to death by refusing to pay the costs necessary for daily maintenance.
● Canceled the sewage machine, offered for free to the shelter since 2008, creating an imminent risk for dogs but also for the staff.
● A top manager threaten and blackmailed our charity.
● Refused to respond transparently about what will happen with the approx. 1500 dogs are estimated to exist currently inside the steel plant, considering that in the past, an important number of dogs belonging to the steel company were discovered death across the Danube and in the summer of 2007 some dogs were “accidentally” poisoned by a company contracted by the steel plant.

The future of approx. 1500 dogs are very uncertain. Right as you read this, these dogs have no source of food, because the steel company employees are forbidden by internal regulation to feed them.

photo: This is one of the dogs died a few meters from the steel plant. Stephan, a volunteer from Belgium spotted him. We are extremely worried that other dogs will be soon found dead mysteriously.

What ROLDA did:

● Reduced using humane methods (sterilizations and international adoption campaigns) by 70% of the total stray dogs from the steel plant. (Note: the steel plant surface is 16 square km = 6.18 square miles).
● Between 2007-2014 functioned without water and electricity, using a generator for dogs’ basic services.
● As a result of the steel plant’s repeated refusal to build running spaces for the dog’s daily exercise, ROLDA had to buy a new piece of land, and move fencing and access roads to start building the exercise pens using private donations.

What happens now:

Because ROLDA is taking legal action against the repeated abuses made by the steel plant, little can be made public.

However, it is a fact that ROLDA has to find:
● Sponsors to cover the daily costs for 200 dogs which the steel plant refuses to pay for.
● Donations for the investments necessary for the shelter, keeping in mind that these investments had to be made by the steel plant, since 2008.
● Money to pay for the sewage machine which is needed frequently and which was provided for free by the steel plant since 2008.
● Funds to rescue new dogs in need of our help.

Choose a dog to sponsor for a whole year for just 200 EUR/year.

Click here to see the dogs who don’t have a sponsor.

200 dogs were simply disposed of like garbage and ignored by one of the biggest companies in Europe which obviously can afford to look after these souls. We remind you that these dogs were collected from the steel plant, which belongs to one of the richest men in the World. Most ROLDA supporters are not “rich” but have rich hearts. They are compassionate, generous and willing to stop abuses and the hunger of 200 dogs left to starve to death.

Together, we can make our voices heard even in the richest offices in this World. Mr. Mittal must hear us and make justice for the dogs!

Between 29 May – 4 June, in collaboration with the ROLDA Swiss branch (Association ROLDA Suisse), we’ll organize the second mass sterilization and microchipping campaign in Smardan, Andrei Med Vet clinic.

The campaign is addressed to all the dogs (and cats) located in the Smardan area which are sheltered and looked after by people with low income.

Last autumn, the Association ROLDA Suisse sponsored the cost of 150 sterilizations and microchipping, performed in approx. 3 full working days. We hope that in 2016, we’ll be able to match the amount collected by our generous Swiss supporters and sterilize a total of 300 dogs and cats!

Match your gift today and double our impact for the next sterilization campaign!

The first time she met the ROLDA team, she said “I am not alone. I have the chickens, the cats and dogs with me. They are my kids, they are my life and I am happy to share the bread or whatever I eat with them”. People like Baba are many, heart and soul for their pets but with empty pockets to afford the expensive medical treatments and surgeries.

ROLDA is created also for special people like Baba and her pets, and because of our very generous supporters, we form a united, powerful community.

Help us match the gift raised by the Swiss team for Sterilization Campaign 2016! Let’s raise the funds for extra 150 sterilization (a total of 300 sterilizations) meaning an amount of 3,900 EUR Let’s do it for the animals, for the poor community – none of them have any other hope!

Donors will be listed on this page with their names and the number of sterilization they sponsored.

Fill the Bowl, Fight Hunger! Help 200 dogs fight hunger in Romania!

Every day, countless shelters from all over the World ask for help from their supporters. In the past, ROLDA didn’t request ongoing support for food, except for the winter campaigns when emergency aid food had to go to homeless animals from the surroundings or be donated to pets from families with extremely low income. Recently, our budget suffered radical changes, and today I must ask for your attention and your support to feed our dogs!

In the past years, the principal costs of the large shelter were financially sustained by the steel company. At this very moment, we were informed that the steel company refuses to feed 200 of the total 630 dogs. Again the dogs are let down by the steel company. In 2014, the steel company reduced the total financial support for ROLDA by 20%! Because we believed in this partnership, we accepted as an excuse for 7 years, the “bad economy” argument. During these years our shelter wasn’t connected to electricity and water between 2008-2014! We were dependent on generators to provide electricity and to power the water pumps.

Since 2014, approx. 40% of the total costs for the dogs were cut by the steel plant. We can’t continue our work under these circumstances.

Not even the “bad economy” excuse can justify the worst decision that the steel company recently undertook: the sewage machine, vital to keep the shelter in good health standards for dogs and for staff workers, was canceled. The steel company suggested that we should pay for the sewage machine if we continue to need it. This happened after a 40% cut in financial support. This is simply revolting!

“ Shelter managers are fully responsible for the animals housed in their shelters. There is no excuse to fail and let those animals, completely dependent on you, starve,” said Dana Costin, Founder of ROLDA. 650 dogs, a few cats and one donkey are currently housed in the large and small shelters of ROLDA.

“ One of my worst fears is that the day will come, and I am not able to feed my dogs.
In time I realized that “saving” dogs are the easiest part of this mission. Whatever happens next: the resources needed, the time and energy dedicated to rehabilitating these scared souls, the management of the shelters…this is much more complicated. Especially if you aim to do things responsibly, and I do. Thanks to you, our supporters, I can ”.

Fill the Bowl for 200 dogs!

Donate by PayPal or contact us at rolda@care2.com if you prefer to send a cheque. Or wire money using one of ROLDA bank accounts opened Worldwide.

Food is a principal resource for our activity. We need food for 200 of the total of 630 dogs from the large shelter, which has no sponsor. In addition, we need food for small shelters’ dogs and cats but also the emergency aid food for the social program addressed to a poor community in which we make efforts to sustain to look after their pets responsibly, to keep them healthy and avoid dogs being abandoned.

Help 200 dogs fight hunger in Romania! Help the poor community’s pets stay healthy!

For 7 years our team struggled to keep the highest standards for the animals and it might sound simple…but I don’t know how many others could do it! ROLDA didn’t comment on the “bad economy” excuse when the steel plant refused to build running spaces for the dogs to exercise. ROLDA alone faced harsh criticism due to the lack of running spaces, but with the help of supporters, we managed to start building the first 20 running spaces in 2015.

In 2016, the steel plant reduced the payment for the dogs collected from their premises …and again with 20%

An irresponsible attitude and behavior close to animal abuse have nothing to do with a “bad economy”. It is known that those who abuse animals are also abusing, in one way or another, people too…ROLDA made enormous efforts to show understanding and empathy toward all the economical excuses raised by the steel plant over the years, but our main goal is animals’ welfare. And when enough is enough, we must find the dignity and power to speak up and demand justice!

We are extremely worried for the future of our dogs but also for the 1,500 dogs (estimated by the steel plant management) who continue to live inside the company premises. ROLDA is denied to continue helping those dogs…but we simply can’t forget what happened in the past when “accidental” poisoning or a massive slaughter put an end in the most brutal and despicable way to countless dogs’ lives.

200 voiceless souls are in great danger of starving, let down by the company owned by one of the richest men in the World: Mr. Mittal

These dogs need as much help as they can get, right now, but also tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. It’s an endless battle and we can’t do it alone! These animals are dependent on people like you: open-minded, generous and responsible! We are not rich, not even a tiny fraction as rich as Mr. Mittal,   but our combined generosity can keep these dogs’ living standards at a decent level.

Besides the food, we need to cover the vet costs and the other costs related to shelter functioning (renting sewage, paying shelter security, etc). A total of approx. 120,000 EUR is needed for the next 12 months.

“In a World controlled by money power, we can prove that compassion, generosity, responsibility and commitment still exist. We can demonstrate that “silence” doesn’t have a price! I was personally abused by a manager from the steel plant, threatened and blackmailed. I didn’t cease because I knew I couldn’t live with the knowledge that I surrendered and given up. Together, we can be strong enough to feed the dogs from Mr. Mittal’s company and address him with a “common message”. I hope that justice will be made, one way or another. “ concluded Dana Costin, founder of ROLDA.

Will you consider to Sponsor Them All?

For 25 EUR per month, you can become a sponsor of all the dogs which need help right now.

Sponsor Them All Now!

Food is a principal resource for our activity. We need food for 200 of the total 630 dogs from the large shelter, which have no sponsor. In addition, we need food for small shelters’ dogs and cats but also the emergency aid food for the social program addressed to the poor communities which we make efforts to sustain to look after their pets responsibly, to keep them healthy and avoid dogs being abandoned.

Help 200 dogs fight hunger in Romania! Help the poor community’s pets stay healthy!

For 7 years our team struggled to keep the highest standards for the animals and it might sound simple…but I don’t know how many others could do it! ROLDA didn’t comment on the “bad economy” excuse when the steel plant refused to build running spaces for the dogs to exercise. ROLDA alone faced harsh criticism due to the lack of running spaces, but with the help of supporters, we managed to start building the first 20 running spaces in 2015.

In 2016, the steel plant reduced the payment for the dogs collected from their premises …and again with 20%

An irresponsible attitude and behavior close to animal abuse have nothing to do with a “bad economy”. It is known that those who abuse animals are also abusing, in one way or another, people too…ROLDA made enormous efforts to show understanding and empathy toward all the economical excuses raised by the steel plant over the years, but our main goal is animals’ welfare. And when enough is enough, we must find the dignity and power to speak up and demand justice!

We are extremely worried for the future of our dogs but also for the 1,500 dogs (estimated by the steel plant management) who continue to live inside the company premises. ROLDA is denied to continue helping those dogs…but we simply can’t forget what happened in the past when “accidental” poisoning or a massive slaughter put an end in the most brutal and despicable way to countless dogs’ lives.

200 voiceless souls are in great danger of starving, let down by the company owned by one of the richest men in the World: Mr. Mittal

These dogs need as much help as they can get, right now, but also tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. It’s an endless battle and we can’t do it alone! These animals are dependent on people like you: open-minded, generous and responsible! We are not rich, not even a tiny fraction as rich as Mr. Mittal,   but our combined generosity can keep these dogs’ living standards at a decent level.

Besides the food, we need to cover the vet costs and the other costs related to shelter functioning (renting sewage, paying shelter security, etc). A total of approx. 120,000 EUR is needed for the next 12 months.

“In a World controlled by money power, we can prove that compassion, generosity, responsibility and commitment still exist. We can demonstrate that “silence” doesn’t have a price! I was personally abused by a manager from the steel plant, threatened and blackmailed. I didn’t cease because I knew I couldn’t live with the knowledge that I surrendered and given up. Together, we can be strong enough to feed the dogs from Mr. Mittal’s company and address him with a “common message”.

Wish to be more involved to stop hunger?

Help us spread the word across the World! 3 easy steps to do it:
1. Create a leaflet/flyer (or ask for an online version of a flyer from us)
2. Add your details and ROLDA details
3. Contact your school or your church with a brochure/flyer and ask for help.

Maybe there are others in our community who also wish to be involved and stop hunger. You just need to ask around. A starting point will be to check with your school or local church or any other community you are a member of.
Thank you! ROLDA Rescue Team

Big Thanks to our Great Donors

Association ROLDA Suisse 16000 CHF
Swiss Animal Protection 3000 CHF
Gatehunder fra Romania 138000 NOK
Australian donors and
Other online (individual)
donations 41000 EUR

Please note that these numbers are updated periodically, during this campaign.

Dear ROLDA supporter,

Everyone at ROLDA is extremely grateful for your support, and we all know that without you, we’d be unable to help homeless dogs in Romania. We apologize if we don’t express our thanks to you enough, and we want to remind you that we haven’t forgotten all you’ve done for homeless dogs in Romania.

We strive to treat each and every one of you with the same respect and kindness that you extend to these poor animals in need.

Our team has put together a couple of “freebies” for you to enjoy and hopefully provide you with interesting and beneficial information about your pets. It may not seem like much, but our team dedicated a lot of time and effort to compile these “freebies” for you as a token of our appreciation.
Click here to get “Top 10 signs your dog is sick”.
Click here to get “Top 10 mistakes new dog owners make”.
Please accept our gratitude again, and we hope you enjoy our gift to you.

Countless pictures of dogs in pain. Dogs abused, horrifically injured, or starving to death in our “public shelters”. It is not unusual for them to attack and eat each other out of desperation. After 14 days in this government-sponsored hell, you may wonder what happens next. Mass executions. Dogs are routinely shot, poisoned or bludgeoned to death. Unless we intervene, none of the dogs that enter a public “shelter” ever leave alive.

We chose this dog to help us with our campaign. Why?
This dog is special to us. We have been reminded that try as we do, we cannot save them all. Our finances and other resources are finite. At the same time, our commitment to ending animal cruelty grows stronger. We must do better, and will do better.

But we cannot do it alone. Together we are stronger. Together we give hope to those souls that have no hope left in them. In Romania, Europe, North America, and Australia, we bond together to build a better world. A more compassionate and caring future. We owe it to our children to leave them a world even more wonderful than the one we will one day depart. But while we are here, we have the potential to achieve great things.

When visitors to our country exit the Bucharest Airport, they are faced with the strangest of contrasts. Luxurious limousines ferry fabulously dressed women and their powerful partners to the most modern of apartments and houses.

Across the street from the five-star hotels and condos, the ruins of former industrial sites still stand. Beggars wander everywhere. Some scavenge an existence walking on two legs. Millions more struggle by on four. This picture is not on display in Bucharest. Every corner of Romania suffers from the same strange, sad, divide.

Inevitably, conflicts occur between starving, desperate dogs and local people. Children have been attacked and killed. The people demand action be taken. In 2013, the government declared war on the animals abandoned and abused on Romanian streets. Yet still, their numbers grow.

ROLDA understands the fear and supports immediate action. But we have human, permanent solutions, and innovative ideas to address the problem of street dogs. Mass killings, indiscriminate culls, and the imprisonment of homeless dogs in filthy public “shelters” have been useless.

No country has ever eliminated the problem of companion animal overpopulation with bullets, poison, and starvation. Neither will Romania.

ROLDA seeks to educate local communities and the authorities about the humane alternatives that exist. Stop animal abandonment by keeping pets with families that love them. Adapt current registration laws to support low-income people with the sterilization, vaccination, and microchipping of their pets.
Let us stop the cycle of overpopulation. The birth of millions of unwanted puppies every year. We can’t change the way Romanians feel about stray dogs overnight. But we can make a plan. And ROLDA has a plan.

We propose:
Millions of abandoned dogs are on our streets. They are caught and placed in local pounds, where they “disappear” (are exterminated, eating each other, and disease)Help us close down the pounds, and renovate them to meet EU standards. And the current laws.

Problem: These pounds are a source of infection, disease, and misery for the dogs and the people who work or enter them.
ROLDA’s solution:
A) Join ROLDA’s campaign to close down the “shelters”.
B) Encourage housing dogs and adopting them from private shelters, where the animals are well cared for and sociable.

Problem: Packs of wild strays around ruins of former industrial sites, putting passers-by in danger.
ROLDA’s solution: As of 1st January 2015, ROLDA sterilized and returned hundreds of feral dogs from these areas, thereby limiting the number of puppies born, and aggressive behaviors.

Problem: Abandonment is the main source of stress. People can’t afford to sterilize, vaccinate or feed their pets and the puppies they produce.
ROLDA’s solution: ROLDA helps poor people to sterilize, and microchip their pets, and offers emergency food and medical aid. When people can afford to follow the laws, they will. All animals will be recorded in a national database.

Problem: Dogs are illegally transported, often as part of a horrific “dark” puppy trade industry. Unfortunately, a number of NGOs are organizing illegal transport, despite the existent EU legislation e.g. the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 on non-commercial movement, or the requirements of Directive 2013/31/EU on commercial movement
ROLDA’s solution:
A) Report all illegal transports;
B) Respect and enforce EU legislation;
C) Transport by car only in authorized vehicles with properly authorized companies. If transporting0 01plane – use airlines only with pet-friendly policies to keep the animals safe and hydrated in transit.

Problem: Poverty and unemployment affect EU people and their pets. In the south, east and northeast of Romania, the situation is desperate.
ROLDA’s solution: ROLDA works with/hires village people and provides training and a safe work environment.

Problem: Romanians criticize some international adopters because they read in the media that animals transported from Eastern Europe are used in laboratories or sexually abused in other countries.
ROLDA’s solution: ROLDA carefully screens all adoption requests. European volunteers help us guarantee a home check and post-adoption visit. We request references from the adopter’s vet and do follow-up checks.

Problem: People are worried about corruption and scams in Romania. This can be a problem, with Romanians, and foreigners operating here.
ROLDA’s solution: Corruption exists in Romania, but can be avoided.
A) If a charity is foreign, doesn’t mean it is the best place to donate. Any charity you give to must be checked out
B) The charity must provide a registration number on your request
C) Using this number (CUI in Romania, usually 8 digits long) you can see any financial records publicly available on the Ministry of Finances website mfinante.ro.
D) Visit the charity’s shelter, if possible unannounced.
E) Be aware that Romanian charities sometimes slander each other. Do your own investigation, and come to your own conclusions. Don’t be manipulated!

ROLDA doesn’t have all the answers. We cannot save every Romanian stray. But we can do better for the abandoned animals on our streets. We have ideas and approaches to finding permanent solutions to our problems.
We cannot do it without you. We depend on ROLDA’s supporters; we know you will be there for our dogs. So much has been accomplished, yet so much remains to be done.

ROLDA Solutions

● Hire village people for shelter ‘work; train and educate them to respect animals – the source of income for poor communities;
● Pay local artisans to create handmade goods to be sold for our charity (instead of buying promotional expensive items) – the source of income for poor communities;
● Sterilize, and microchip poor community’ pets – Identify animals to prevent abandons, reduce the number of unwanted puppies born, and help the community which couldn’t afford these medical procedures;
● Provide emergency food aid – help the community look after their pets;
● Rescue dogs and farm animals in need;
● Build legal, modern shelters adapted to groups of dogs’ personalities;
● Rehome dogs in Romania or across Europe in verified families;
● Build legal shelters where dogs are healthy, sociable and easy to be rehomed;
● Educate the local community to look after their pets responsibly, and to respect animals; (In the future, the therapy with dogs program will make the community aware of the benefits that dogs bring in people’s lives.)
● International volunteers are welcome to visit our shelters and speak in their own communities about what we do, how and why.

Buffy is one of the 918 saved by ROLDA in 2015.

Buffy is a small lucky doggy. After losing his eye, the surgery went well and his condition stabilized. Our staff is currently preparing Buffy to fly soon to Switzerland, where she will be adopted by a well-known family of watchmakers.

The year 2007 was a turning point for ROLDA and its projects but also for me, Dana. It was the moment when I had the proof that a dream, no matter how ambitious or how “impossible” sounds, can become reality and the most important ingredient for this to happen is to believe in yourself, to choose the dream you wish to believe into, to invest your energy and time into that dream and to be persuasive. No big dreams are going to be fulfilled overnight!

In 2003, ROLDA built a small shelter in the village of Smardan, located in the southeast of Romania. Our activity was in direct proportion to our income. But my dreams were bigger (they always are). I hardly have time to stop and be happy with one achievement because my mind already projects plans for the future. In a way, this is my secret recipe for feeling that I am alive.

I am a perfectionist. I consider things done with half measure a waste of time. I prefer quality versus quantity but also like to think globally, to think big because I have high expectations from myself. The newsletters I write must be the best; the shelters that ROLDA owns should keep the highest possible standards and be competitive by European standards.

In 2007, the local steel company’s director phoned me and asked for a meeting. The steel plant (one of the largest steel plants in the World) wanted to work with a charity to solve humanely the strays’ problem. I presented my thoughts, on the ROLDA plan but I also had the power to impose a strict no-kill policy which was followed every day, from the moment our collaboration started.

Considering the numerous slaughters that take place across Romania, considering the amount that steel plants invested (and continue to invest) in this collaboration – private corporation funds invested for a no-killing mission, considering the mutual respect and trust that comes from both sides (from ROLDA and from AMG) I think ROLDA has a lot of reasons to be proud!

Every beginning is complicated and uncertain. Of course, some things could have been done differently from the start. At that time, I knew less about how to work with people, and how to develop a large shelter’s management policy. I learn everything that I know now by following my instincts, by thinking like in chess play- two moves ahead, sometimes by also…improvising.

Working with and trusting people are by far the biggest challenges I have to deal with. But how someone can follow the charity’ related (big) dreams not working with people?! Charity is all related to people from organizational details to sponsors and supporters.

Years ago, I had an unpleasant personal and professional experience with a former partner that stole ROLDA’s contacts list and money from our “common” account. Finding the wrong people to work with is a problem that happened (and continues to happen) to many charities. It happens on occasion to us, too. The trick is to learn your lesson, keep close to the people you can really count on and move on. Life is too short to stop dreaming, to stop taking action for what you care about!

My parents sustained this dream, they always encouraged and motivated me. They invested all their savings into ROLDA and today, our records show that this amount is over 50,000 EUR Of course, not the entire amount at once, but during the most difficult moments, when a parent’s presence is the most needed!

It started like a child’s dream, thanks to my parent’s support, which initially made everything possible, continuing with the steel plant corporate support, and grew to the extent where we find ourselves today. But jumping from small or bigger steps, one thing I learn to always keep in mind: the ROLDA supporters are the ones that make everything possible.

I started ROLDA in my 20’s and now in my 30’s, I am still here, creating, hoping, and dreaming. Where else I could be? I am always in search of ways to improve ROLDA and one thing that I plan to continue improving is how to make this charity be truly outstanding and unique.

Located in an extremely poor area of Romania, ROLDA was meant to exist not only to save the animals, which is a pretty noble mission itself but also to change animal’s and people’s lives, to change the community’ mentality.

How you can create, run and promote a charity among thousands of already powerful charities? Creating a charity is the easiest step. To run it, you need funding. People perceive you as a charity but in reality, you have to be a charity and a business at the same time.

And assuming you can handle cash flow…Promote it…to put your charity in light among other very competitive and well-known charities with the same goals that are the real challenge! Did I mention how much I like challenges? And above all, winning…who doesn’t like winning?!

I find the force that keeps me going in various things. One thing, as you would expect, is the moment we are able to completely heal a very injured animal. Or the moment when a frightened, scared dog trusts again people and becomes someone’s pet. I often ask – will an adopted dog will remember me if we’ll ever meet again in this life?

One thing that gives me the power to continue and motivates me to be better is the enemies’ hate. Since our collaboration with the steel plant started, we have had an increased number of vicious and crazy enemies. Their hate is part of the fuel that makes me stronger. Do not forget! YOU are the power that made these accomplishments happen! And we at ROLDA are grateful to you for that!

Every new life saved, every new puppy that grew up healthy and sociable, every dog rehabilitated and adopted out, every new project accomplished, new building completed. We shared moments of terror, when there was no future for millions of street dogs was uncertain or dark. We shared moments of joy when we defeated the distance and the time (and all the other obstacles) and felt, together, our hearts beating the same. Feeling the “humane” side of us is really unique!

One approach that makes ROLDA really unique is the branches that our charity has all over the World. We currently are incorporated officially in the USA, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, Germany, the UK and of course Romania. This year, we decided to stop expanding, to give time to the current branches to grow in strength.

Finding people to run these branches is a therapy for my past experiences with human beings, some as I previously said completely wrong but some, good experiences from which I learn and transformed myself into who I am today.

I noticed a trend among some animal charity directors to show their weaknesses (in very carefully selected words) to win people’s sympathy. I will not use such a dramatic, marketing strategy. I will not tell you a story about how naive I was, how fragile from an emotional point of view I was…because I am strong, and determined, as a leader should be! I feel responsible for the paid job of 15 people and for the life of hundreds of rescue dogs. Telling you how fragile I am at the same time would be ridiculous and a lie.

I do not want to win your pity, your sympathy, and eventually your support by lying to you and/or telling you what you would like to hear or what studies show that you might be touched about. I always said what I was thinking, regardless of the consequences, or the number of new enemies I would turn against me.

I have reasons to believe that ROLDA supporters are educated, smart and sensitive and share our goals and general vision. Even if ROLDA looks like one woman shows charity, there are many women and men behind every ROLDA accomplishment, both physically working or using their minds to create, improve, upgrade, and evolve.

ROLDA supporters are not a special category but a part of this charity’s accomplishments and projects for the future. Each and every step that represents ROLDA’s past was done because you contributed; you placed a brick in our strong foundation. And if myself and my team are fortunate, you will be here for ROLDA’s future!

Thank you for another great year spent together helping Romanian animals!
With hopes,
Dana Costin
Founder ROLDA

photo: Meet Faraon, one of the oldest dogs from our shelter.

When I was given a chance to transform a dog’s life… I took it. Life changed for me – and over 7,000 abandoned dogs. For just 25 cents, you can join me and make even more of a difference…

Dear Friend, dear Animal’Lover,

We are currently helping over 600 dogs to start living again. Their journey to recovery begins with giving them a nutritious meal – almost always they are first in a very long time. The meal costs around 25 cents. That’s because our animal shelter is in my hometown of Galati, an industrial port on the River Danube in Romania – and any donated dollars go a very, very long way.

I never thought I’d write to animal-loving people, like you, asking for help. That’s because I never thought I’d be running a unique animal charity that depends on the kindness of wonderful human beings in other countries. A chance encounter with a single stray started me down this route: 17 years ago, in a park in Galati, I spotted a dog acting strangely. When I reached him I was horrified to see his fur was matted with blood and he was writhing in agony.

Walking on just wasn’t an option for me; I had to do something. Trying not to panic, I managed to flag down a car and get him to a vet who did what he could but didn’t hold out much hope. He thought the dog had been used for fighting and was abandoned to take his chances on the streets after losing. The poor creature was very seriously ill.

I wasn’t going to give up and neither was my new friend. I took him home with me and gently nursed him back to be as well as he could be. I called him Printz. We had four fantastic years together. Then one day in 2002, Printz died suddenly. The legacy of his terrible past had caught up with him.

I felt awful… I felt helpless. But whenever Printz had looked into my eyes, I could see the difference I had made to his life. After I lost him, I just knew I had to try at least to give a second chance to as many other dogs going through such terrible times as I could.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, I thought if there was a shelter that could provide a true refuge to dogs – and perhaps other animals – when they had nowhere to think of as home? Somewhere they could get a meal, sleep safely, and enjoy some human kindness.

There are cities in your own country that have more animal shelters than exist in Romania. And a lot of the Romanian ‘shelters’ are in reality squalid doggy prison camps run for profit, where dogs are so hungry they have been known to try to eat each other.

And the scale of the problem was daunting. In Romania currently, there are an estimated 2.5 million stray dogs and around 20,000 in Galati alone.

Every year an estimated 6,000 puppies are born on the streets of our country. How was I going to realize my dream? I called in favors from animal-loving friends and contacts all over the world to help start raising funds. And so ROLDA, the Romanian League in Defense of Animals, was born. It became a registered charity in Romania in February 2006, following the USA, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, the UK and Australia.

With the generosity of true animal lovers around the world, we have expanded to a refuge that is currently home to some 650 dogs.

Of every dollar we raise, a minimum of 92 cents is spent directly on the welfare of the dogs in our care. We provide much-needed employment for some local people who live with the dogs and we also provide very basic accommodation for volunteers and vets from around the world who give up their holidays to help care for our strays. To date, we have changed the lives of more than 7,000 dogs. But there is still so much to do.

Eventually, we hope to:
● Rescue every dog referred to us
● Give veterinary aid whenever needed
● Ensure unwanted dogs are not born in the wild
● Re-home every dog in a loving environment

The generosity of animal lovers around the world makes a real impression on the authorities and businesses in Romania. If we can prove that our Worldwide friends can support the welfare of hundreds more dogs, we may well be given the land to build more shelters.

None of this would be happening if I hadn’t rescued one dog, that German Shepherd cross I named Prinz.

Make a gift to help us continue our work and give life to our dreams for animals’ welfare in Romania

There are still thousands of others out there living rough – damaged, beaten or just ignored – but every bit as deserving of human kindness. We have to do everything in our power to change the lives of dogs like Faraon too.

Thank you for taking the trouble to read this far – and for whatever gift you can spare. You can be certain that your kind support will have a huge impact on my country.
With respect and hope,
Dana

P.S. Not one of the dogs we have helped or saved has ever said, “Thank you.” But I can speak from experience that when you look into their eyes, you will know that they are forever grateful for your compassion.

This Year, Give the Greatest Gift of All!

Meet Faraon, one of the oldest dogs living in our sanctuaries in Romania. After a life of harassment, abuse, starvation and disease, Faraon came to live with the rest of our dogs and our staff.

Thanks to you, Faraon was welcomed into a community of well-trained, compassionate people and hundreds of sociable, healthy, amazing dogs who get professional care, and excellent food and are waiting to be discovered and adopted by a loving person.

Where are YOU in this? Well…everywhere.

You, dear ROLDA supporter, helped us build two sanctuaries, helped us to repair our facilities, and helped us sterilize dogs to break the cycle of puppies being born to suffer. And you helped us improve overall. You protested when dogs were killed, you signed our petitions, you drove or flew thousands of miles to visit us, and you sponsored a dog that you couldn’t adopt …but when you could, you adopted a perfect companion from us. You understand when I make a human mistake, you forgive my grammar errors and you do understand that I am doing the best that I can. You care, you feel, you trust, you question, you protest, you adopt, sponsor, put passion and give voice to my dreams.

Dogs like Faraon can hope for a future and it’s ALL because of you.

2015 was a very intense year for ROLDA but it was worth it. The best part is that were able to save 918 animals from being slaughtered or abused…the second best is the additional people we have supporting ROLDA.  I had the chance to welcome to our international team a few valuable, generous and extremely devoted new members: Heather in Canada, Mary in the USA, Sarah and Liz in Australia, Gemma and Alan in the UK, Lisa and Annika in Sweden, who united with the “old troops” Paul, Shannon, Sabine, Anja, Romina, Lisa, Hege, Sandra, Lolita, Muriel and Michele. And I also welcomed a number of new supporters and new donors across the World.

Without the right people, we have no hopes and no dreams ….and very possibly, no future. Give Hope for ROLDA on this 10th-year anniversary! ROLDA is an incorporated charity in Romania, the USA, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and the UK. I am honored that, for 10 years, you are part of my dreams, and my hopes, and grateful that you help me give these rescued animals a future.