Mission
statement

#GiveHope to animals that have no one else

Our Mission

ROLDA is an internationally supported organization committed to helping vulnerable animals and the people who care for them in Romania’s poorest regions and worldwide, particularly in areas impacted by natural or human-made disasters such as the war in Ukraine. We are dedicated to promoting animal welfare, preventing animal suffering, and fostering responsible pet ownership through rescue operations, community education, and sustainable solutions.

Rescue

Shelter

Rehabilitate

Rehome

Milestones

A Brief History of Stray Dogs in Romania

1980s

The Romanian stray dog crisis began in the 1980s during Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communist rule, caused by a large-scale urbanization effort. To modernize the nation, the government demolished rural villages and relocated residents into densely populated, state-controlled apartment buildings, where pet dogs and cats were not permitted. This led to mass abandonment of pets, turning them into homeless animals left to fend for themselves in the streets.
During this regime, dogs captured on the streets were taken to public shelters, where they were euthanized. Their bodies were then repurposed for the leather and cosmetics industries.

1990s-2000s

Following the fall of communism in 1989, the stray population boomed due to lack of resources and repealed legislation. The sudden economic hardship left Romanian citizens unable to afford pet sterilization or food. Then, in 2004, the legislative framework that previously allowed for the euthanasia of unclaimed stray dogs was repealed, preventing population control in shelters.

2000s-2010s

As the stray population skyrocketed, a corrupt financial incentive was introduced to control the crisis. Municipalities paid private dog catchers or local shelters a set fee per captured dog. And, since dog catchers were rewarded for the number of dog removals rather than actual population reduction, the fundamental causes of the strays, such as lack of sterilization, were completely ignored.

The 2013 "Killing Law"

After a tragic 2013 incident where a 4-year-old boy was killed by a stray dog in Bucharest, public and political outcry led to the passing of the controversial Stray Dogs Euthanasia Law, aka the “Killing Law.”
This law authorized public shelters to euthanize unclaimed dogs if they were not adopted within a strict window. And, while mass culls temporarily reduced stray numbers, the population remains Europe’s largest.
Romania remains a developing nation with limited wealth compared to Western countries and is still recovering from the economic decline and oppression under Soviet rule.

2020s

Romania continues to face the largest stray dog population in Europe in the 2020s, estimated to be between 600,000 and 1,000,000 dogs. The ongoing crisis persists due to systemic neglect in public shelters under the 14-day euthanasia law, legislative pushes to replace mass culling with widespread sterilization, and ongoing investigations exposing poor conditions linked to public-private financial loops.

Back

ROLDA Goal

Our goal is to eliminate the homeless animal population, ensuring every pet is microchipped and registered nationally. This helps establish clear legal accountability for pet owners. While positive interactions benefit both animals and people, we must remember to never tolerate abuse, neglect, cruelty, or exploitation.

ROLDA Beliefs

We believe humans have the incredible gift of coexisting with amazing creatures that inspire a profound sense of affection and wonder in anyone with decency.

Society has a moral responsibility to act as guardians of the natural world and all its inhabitants. Animals are innocent, defenseless and want only to love us back. We believe they share the same right to life, safety, and happiness as any human being.

ROLDA Pillars

The pillars guiding ROLDA’s work are:

1. Animals

Rescue: Helping animals who have no one else.

Rehome: Matching each rescued dog with the best human companion.

Sterilize: A humane way to reduce the stray overpopulation.

2. People

Social Campaigns: Provide immediate support to pet owners in the most disadvantaged communities.

Education and Awareness: Teach future generations to treat animals with respect.

Collaboration: Work with other rescuers who need our support and share our vision.

ROLDA Methods

ROLDA follows a comprehensive rescue, shelter, rehabilitation, and rehoming policy. When an animal arrives with our rescue team, their wounds are treated and placed in quarantine, where they are kept safe, well-fed, and comfortable while receiving broad-spectrum vaccinations.

This procedure is essential to safeguard the welfare of both the new arrival and the animals already in our care. It also helps prevent the spread of disease.

Once cleared, the animals join our shelter community, where they can be physically and emotionally rehabilitated and recover fully from any illness, trauma, or injury.

Each animal we rescue will remain with us until we find them a suitable home. Some animals may stay at ROLDA for the rest of their lives due to old age, behavioral challenges or being unfit to travel. For these animals, ROLDA becomes their permanent home, and our dedicated shelter caretakers become their family.

Statements of principle

Animal welfare

Sustainable use

Ecological sustainability

Community engagement

ROLDA Euthanasia Policy

All our actions are rooted in our core values of universal compassion and respect for life. ROLDA only euthanizes an animal following the guidance of our veterinarian and only if prolonging the animal’s life would be inhumane.
When there’s even a slight chance to save an animal and ensure a decent quality of life, ROLDA commits to providing the necessary treatments to give them the best possible outcome. We never prioritize cost or convenience over the life and well-being of any animal.

ROLDA Sterilization Policy

ROLDA has decided not to neuter street pups until they are at least 6 months old for males and 9 months old for females. This allows them to fully grow and helps minimize the risks linked to surgery.

ROLDA Policy Regarding Animal Research, Cloning, and Testing

ROLDA supports ending the use of animals in research and testing when it causes harm to the animals. ROLDA opposes using animals in elementary or high school lessons, experiments, science fairs, or other projects that cause death, pain, or distress to animals, whether directly or indirectly. The commercial cloning of animals is an abuse of human authority over the animal kingdom and should be banned by law, as all abuses of power deserve legal prohibition.

ROLDA opposes the cloning of animals for commercial aims, including as pets, in research, or agriculture. Such cloning experiments embody a cruelty that is shared across all systematic forms of animal harm.

ROLDA Policy Regarding Wild Animals in Captivity

Wild animals inherently belong in their natural habitats. They should only be kept in captivity if their welfare needs are adequately met and there is a clear ethical reason related to conservation or animal well-being. Keeping wild animals as pets is especially concerning because it is often unregulated, leading to serious issues for animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and human health.
Additionally, such practices may foster the illegal wildlife trade.

ROLDA Oath to Supporters

Our work depends on the generosity and kindness of animal lovers worldwide. Without their support, the hundreds of animals in our care—and the thousands more we aim to help—would have no refuge during their darkest times.

Our gratitude can never be fully expressed, but it’s evident in the joyful faces of the animals we’ve rescued. However, we can promise to:

Perform an annual financial review to ensure our funds are allocated most effectively.
Be completely transparent in our spending and communication.

Publish our annual accounts and budget.
Provide regular updates about our work and the animals we have helped.

History of Romanian Strays

Romania is still a developing country with little wealth compared to Western nations and still recovering from the economic ruin and tyranny of a Soviet regime. During communist times, people were forced to leave their houses, which were demolished because of the industrialization policy. Families were forced to move into tiny apartments, the state’s property, where they were not allowed to bring dogs or cats… and often there wasn’t any room for pets anyway.

People were forbidden to own apartments, rather they were the property of the state and the “great leader”. Dogs captured from the streets in communist times were transferred to public shelters, where they were killed and their bodies used within the leather and even the cosmetic industry.

The lives of pets can be just as tragic. Many homeless animals once had an owner. They may have been abandoned due to illness, poverty, fear of strict fines imposed by the government for un-sterilized pets, or they may previously have been working animals who have become useless to their owner. The situation we face is one of human creation and years of inaction have led to a crisis.

Since the collapse of the Soviet regime, the animal population continued to be controlled with inefficient, barbaric and inhumane methods and the number of strays has risen dramatically. Our generation is now faced with a crisis… Millions of homeless animals are left for a hard, cruel and often short life in the wild.