Since 2013, public dog shelters in Romania have been allowed to euthanize dogs if they are not claimed or adopted in 14 days. However, the neglect and abuse these captured dogs suffer while incarcerated have been well documented, but nothing has been done to stop this atrocious behavior.

There have been reports of dog corpses left to rot in overcrowded cages where dogs sleep on pools of their excrement. Dogs are starved, dehydrated, denied medical attention, and frequently shocked, beaten, and killed.

Regardless of the extent of abuse and neglect in public shelters, the authorities and the government continue to ignore them.

Publicly funded animal shelters in Romania do not invest in improving their facilities and operate unsupervised and unpenalized. Most public shelters operate like a business because the authorities pay per dog euthanized, mistakenly believing that capture and euthanasia help reduce the stray population.

The Romanian government has failed to provide captured dogs with humane housing conditions in public shelters. These shelters are meant to be a refuge for homeless or abandoned dogs. These poor souls have committed no crime or broken any laws. They did not ask to be born on the streets or abandoned by their owners. They struggle to survive each day, living off scraps, enduring harsh climates, battling illness, and being treated as outcasts. Some people would even argue that these dogs’ conditions on the streets are much better than the conditions they endure in public shelters.

For years, ROLDA has petitioned to have these despicable institutions closed or reformed to adhere to the EU standards required by law. To this day, the government continues to ignore our demands. But ROLDA will not stop until these illegal and inhumane establishments have been closed. We will not rest until these poor dogs, who have been condemned to die, are provided with humane living conditions while in captivity.

Public Shelter Galati

Public Shelter Galati