Capital cost

A sanctuary for cats

Donate

Whilst Romania’s homeless dog crisis is far more visible and of public concern, there exists a more subtle crisis of elderly and disabled cats left to fend for themselves after abandonment or the death of an owner. Cats are natural hunters and can sometimes even adapt well to living feral as their natural agility and speed allows them to reach places of shelter and catch small, swift prey dogs cannot. However, whether through age or injury, a slow or otherwise disabled cat faces a violent end in the wild. ROLDA is seeking help to begin the construction of a cattery offering sanctuary to elderly, injured and disabled cats and prevent their cruel death in the wilderness.
Click here to read more about this project.

Capital cost

PawzUp centre

Donate

Perhaps ROLDA’s most ambitious project (for now!) is the construction of the PawzUp centre. ROLDA envisions a clean, modern and attractive building that will function both as an adoption centre for dogs from our shelters but also function as a community hub. PawzUp will be a place where the public can adopt as well as socialise, learn important information regarding the care of their pets and one day offer free veterinary care to the community. However, ROLDA’s ambition is to use the PawzUp centre as a template for other such centres across Romania and become a model institution for offer real hope for Romania’s homeless dogs.
Click here to read more about this project.

Ongoing project

Annual vaccinations

Donate

In a shelter with almost 700 dogs, highly contagious diseases – such as distemper – could be devastating. This is why ROLDA imposes a strict quarantine period for all new rescued dogs, during which they receive broad-spectrum vaccines before they are let socialize with current residents of our shelter. However, vaccinations must be ‘topped-up’ annually with booster shots. Being a mandatory condition imposed by EU for dogs registered in RECS-TRACES to be able to adopted abroad, booster vaccination is controlled regularly by ANSVSA and Animal Police inspectors. Yearly vaccinations are an essential but costly activity at our shelter and we need help to keep our pups healthy and – therefore – happy.
Unit cost: 5 USD/vaccine
(5 USD/booster shot/1 adult, 10 USD/vaccines for 1 puppy)

Ongoing project

Protection against deadly heartworm (Dirofilaria)

Donate

A much deadlier condition we must protect our dogs from is the lethal heartworm, a parasite found in mosquitoes which can be passed on to dogs from bites. Heartworms – as the name suggests – find a home in the cardiovascular systems of dogs and eventually cause fatal heart disease. What makes heartworms such deadly killers is the early stages of infection are very subtle and difficult to spot. Likewise once symptoms present it is often too late and treatment is both expensive, requires a course of medication over 28 weeks and comes with no guarantee of success especially in the advanced cases. Romania’s is host to hot and humid summers; mosquitoes are an almost ever- present danger. By far the best course of action is to provide our dogs with a course of protective medicine which stops heartworm from surviving in the body.
Unit cost:

Ongoing project

Free doghouses for dogs kept outside

Donate

Romanian culture of dog ownership may seem harsh compared to Western Europe where dogs are often lucky enough to sleep in their master’s bed! At countryside, usually dogs ‘live’ outside, in gardens and rarely allowed indoors. This is often as many Romanians fear thieves or wild animals entering their property and dogs act as a deterrent. ROLDA is working towards a future where all dogs are welcomed into the home but minds take longer to change than circumstances. In the meantime, ROLDA needs help providing weather-proof doghouses to families who cannot afford one and keep a dog safe during the extreme temperatures of peak summer and winter.
Please check details about the doghouse project here.
Unit cost = 135 USD

Ongoing project

Free sterilisation for pets from low-income families

Donate

Whilst Romanian law currently prohibits the sterilisation of stray dogs (and their returning to the wild), ROLDA are operating sterilisation campaigns in poor communities, targeting the pets of low- income families who could not afford private veterinary care. These campaigns tackle abandonment– one of the primary contributing factors to the national homeless dog crisis – in two key ways.
Firstly, owners are less likely to abandon their current pets for fear of government fines for owning an unsterilized/un-microchipped pet, as per Romanian law. Secondly, their pets will not breed and have litters the family cannot afford to keep. ROLDA needs help keeping pets with their families.
Read more about ROLDA Sterilization campaigns here.
Unit cost = 36.58 USD/dog

Capital project

Protection against common parasites

Donate

Parasites – such as fleas and ticks – may be tiny but the risk they pose to our dogs’ health can be huge. Ticks – a danger to human and dog alike – carry Lyme disease, can cause severe anaemia, even seizures in case of weak puppies. Fleas – whilst more of a nuisance – can cause severe infections, especially from repeated scratching and breaking of the skin. Prevention is better than cure in all cases. ‘Spot-On’ treatments are effective in the case of fleas and ticks. ROLDA needs help safeguarding our dogs from terrible and deadly illnesses.
Unit cost:

Capital project

Modernisation of ROLDA’s small shelter

Donate

Our first built (small) shelter is now twenty years old and despite being nominated multiple times for the best shelter in Romania, its age is beginning to show, and is in need of some TLC. Our small shelter is vital to our operations as it is here we house puppies and other especially vulnerable dogs who would not adapt well to life in our large shelter. ROLDA holds to the highest standards of comfort and care and control disease management is a top priority for us, in both our shelters but we need help maintaining those standards and providing the best possible facilities for our dogs.
Please read here the complete description of renovation/modernization work needed at a small shelter

Capital project

Repair the building roof at the large shelter

Donate

It never rains, but it pours! Thanks to freakishly heavy rains, the roof of our large shelter was partially destroyed in 2021. Whilst the damage has been mostly repaired, the fix was always designed to be temporary and ROLDA is urgently seeking help to both fully repair the roof and install countermeasures against any future water damage which could pose a threat to our dogs.
Materials = 8000 USD
Manpower = 5000 USD

Capital project

Surveillance system for large shelter

Donate

Tragically, there are some people so selfish and thoughtless they would steal from a charity. On two occasions, thieves have broken into our shelter buildings, destroying doors and stealing equipment and supplies. The police’s help was sought but the thieves went uncaught. We have reinforced points of entry where we can but we are still an easy target for even a lone thug with a crowbar. To safeguard equipment and supplies we cannot afford to replace, ROLDA needs help raising the funds to install a basic CCTV system covering our property.