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. Always, we keep hope.

“Hope Springs Eternal” as the saying goes. And so it must. Because if one has no hope, one has no future.

Sometimes we may look up to the sky. For a momentary escape? For a glimpse of an airplane? Anchored in the ground, we watch a frosty white tail slowly spiral away into the clouds behind a jet plane miles above us. Spiriting other lucky souls far from the everyday difficulties life continuously throws our way. Or perhaps our eyes look up for guidance. To say a quick prayer for some badly needed divine intervention? Or silently, (gently!) curse our maker for the burdens we have been sent to bear?

Always we are asked to give and to make sacrifices. It seems we are destined to do more than we already must do. We are asked for our money, and for our time. On the street, so many unemployed and homeless people beg for food, cigarettes, or alcohol to dull their pain. But by sharing spare change, are we changing things for them? Are we offering them hope?

We can give many “things”, but most importantly, it is in our power to give hope. We can use our talents, our financial resources, and our political power, to create a voice for those creatures who have none. We can speak up when animals are beaten, starved, or left to languish and die slow deaths in Romania’s public animal “shelters”.

We in Europe, North America, and other developed nations can, and must, speak up. We can make other people take notice of the horrific injustices they would rather not see. The howls and terrified screams they would rather not hear. We can open their eyes to the inequities and abuses that take place every day around the world.

Romania’s deserted and dying street animals are a perfect example. They suffer so much. And they suffer in silence. Only you can speak up on their behalf. Only you can help us give hope.

Supporting ROLDA’s work translates into a future for those furry, four-legged creatures, where no future existed before. A street dog may not be as pretty, not as privileged, as our own precious pets. Not now. But ROLDA truly believes that it is inside each abandoned animal to show its beauty. To allow their souls and their smiles to shine. To learn to trust and love members of a species that previously showed them only indifference and disgust.

Given even the smallest amount of kindness or the tiniest scrap of food, a Romanian stray sees hope. It shows first in their eyes. Do not all people want to hurt them? Not everyone is content to ignore the horrendous suffering they endured living on the street. Giving hope to an abused and abandoned dog means giving them a second chance at life. A new beginning. A reason to live.

And hope is like a disease. The best disease there is! Hope is infectious. It spreads quickly once the seed has been sown. Like a smile, a yawn, or a laugh, it is impossible not to get caught up in the moment. And the moment for Romania’s 2.5 million homeless dogs is now. The time to act is now. You know ROLDA and the work that we do. You are our supporters, but also our friends. You are our comrades in the fight for those creatures we both love and cherish.

Without your compassion and generosity, none of these creatures could defend themselves. Few would even be alive. And none would have hope.

Do we never seem to leave you alone? Probably not! But we refuse to let hope die. Not for the hundreds of dogs in our care, nor for the millions that remain unsterilized, starving, and sick on the streets of our nation. Every day we are so grateful for all of your donations, your questions and your concerns.

We thank you for helping us spread our message with your Facebook shares, likes, and your volunteer work on our behalf. We thank you for giving us hope. Not just to the dogs, cats, horses and other animals that we do our best to care for. For us too. You give hope. It is the greatest gift a human can give. By giving hope, you lose nothing and gain everything.

Hope is a mysterious and complicated creature. Not unlike many of the dogs in our care! It cannot be counted in Euros, pounds or dollars. It cannot be measured in kilos or in meters. But when we lose hope, all is lost. We see it in the eyes of the many dogs and cats that we have taken off the streets. The ones who make it show hope, determination and an undying will to live. Even one life, one small soul saved, is a victory in our battle. But the war is not won.

We cannot save them all… When ROLDA takes in an animal that has suffered irreparable physical or mental abuse and injury, its eyes show us that its hope has gone. But ours has not. And ours never will. The world can be a cruel and terrible place. But humans have shown that we are capable of immense compassion, caring and generosity. How about you? What do you see? How do you see yourself? Are this world and its creatures worth saving?

We already know your answer. And we thank you for everything that you do for the animals. ROLDA’s staff, volunteers and most importantly, our animals thank you. Join us in being a part of the change that you want to see!

Help us give hope.

Be a part of the change that this world needs to see!

And there is one more thing we’d like to remind you of. In 2016, ROLDA’s branches from Romania and USA celebrate 10 years of intense existence. For this special occasion, we created a new logo. We hope you like it! The logo combines the old logo graphics, the flags of the countries where ROLDA is represented, the slogan “Give Hope” and the number 10 – the number of years we stayed together for these animals.