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ROLDA helps pets from poor communities
At ROLDA, we serve some of the poorest regions of Romania, and support the animals in Ukraine, which has been devastated by ware.
We help low-income pet owners and communities by providing essential food, sterilisation and free medical services, and we help families keep and look after their beloved companions, who without ROLDA’s support, would often have their pets seized and destroyed by the authorities.
Some of our programs include
Help the seniors from Romania to look after their pets, so they are never forced to abandon them.
Pay for sterilization and medical aid for dogs and cats in different locations across Romania and the Ukraine.
Help us distribute our Coloring book, which has been a huge success in Romania, beyond our borders.
Accept dogs who are about to be abandoned into our care.
Donate doghouses to protect dogs living outside in extreme weather.
Welcome senior and disabled cats from people who can’t afford their care.
#Lifechanger a new program created by ROLDA UK for pets owned by homeless people
Educate people on the correct ways to look after their pets and encourage people to participate in a National Study, helping them to communicate better with their dog, and correct behavior issues that often lead to animal abandon (inspired by a similar project in the UK, created for Romanian community)
Donate a doghouse
Why is this support vital?
People from rural areas live in dark poverty, have poorly paid jobs (or no job at all), lots of family members to look after.
People from rural areas often live in poverty. They have poorly paid jobs (or no job at all), lots of family members to look after. They are just trying to survive from one day to another, so often the pets owned by these people (like dogs and cats) are not a financial priority for them.
Help us sterilize more animals
Our partners and sponsors, working with local vets, help ROLDA to pay for the sterilization (as well as medical emergencies) of the pets of people from rural communities to ensure that low-income people can:
1 Comply with the restrictive and costly legislation in Romania and avoid huge fines.
2 Keep their beloved pets living at home instead of abandoning them.
3 Offer a decent life and pay for the medical care of their pets.
4 Drastically reduce the number of unwanted animals born and the number of abandoned pets.
Why help low-income pet owners?
It is essential to understand that low-income and impoverished citizens in Romania do not purchase dogs or cats; they adopt them or rescue them from the street. These are people who love animals and hate to see them suffer, or people who need a dog to protect their property. Either way, it keeps dogs and cats from being homeless, which is excellent!
These kindhearted people take good care of their pets, often making financial sacrifices to keep them fed and healthy, but many people cannot afford the huge cost of sterilization and this is terrible news for the dogs and cats who will continue to multiply.
A good law that puts pressure on poor community
The law says that dogs who belong to people must be sterilized, microchipped and registered in a National Registry (database) of dogs owners called RECS. This is a general rule that became effective in 2016. Dog owners can be fined as much as € 1500 for not obeying the law. That is a lot of money, especially considering that even though the minimum legal monthly income in Romania is around €500, the reality, especially in the countryside, is completely different.
ROLDA has always been in favor of sterilizing dogs and cats because it reduces the stray population, which means fewer dogs and cats suffer needlessly. We believe that sterilization is the only humane solution to the stray animal crisis in Romania and globally; therefore, we agree with the government’s enforcement of the sterilization law.
However, the law has caused an increase in abandoned pets because owners cannot afford mandatory costs like sterilization and do not want to risk being fined € 1500. Due to COVID and the economic crisis, as well as the increase of utilities and bills, inflation, and the consequences of the war nearby, many people do not consider their pets a priority. Not when whole families are struggling to survive from one month to another.
Bobi and Fetita are two dogs whose impoverished owners reached out to ROLDA for help with covering the costs of their procedures. Before Fetita was spayed, she had given birth to a litter of puppies who, sadly, all died from distemper. Her owners did not have the money to pay for their vaccinations.
Vlad and his parents contacted us when their dog, Heart, was getting sick. Heart was losing her appetite, which led to unhealthy weight loss, and she was also losing her fur. She developed sores all over her body. Vlad and his parents were worried that Heart was going to die. They did not own a car to take Heart to the vet, and they did not want to risk taking her on public transportation because she was too sick. So, we went to pick up Heart and took her to the vet.ROLDA campaigns for pets who belong to disadvantaged communities and we can only continue with your support.
Because of your generosity, these pets have access to quality food and emergency treatments, as well as sterilization.
Help ROLDA sterilize more stray animals
To reduce humanely the number of unwanted puppies and kittens born to suffer in Romania.
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