Like most developing countries, Romania has an overwhelming stray animal population. Sadly, stray dogs and cats are viewed as public nuisances and are poorly treated.

Some countries with poor animal welfare laws aim to reduce their stray dog and cat populations by culling, which is both inhumane and ineffective. ROLDA believes that sterilization is the most humane method to control these homeless animal populations.

ROLDA has been conducting sterilization campaigns since 2002, effectively lowering stray populations in Galati by more than half.

Our goal is not to eliminate stray cats or stray dogs. Our goal is to prevent the births of unwanted cats and dogs who would inevitably continue to propagate and suffer. Many communities in undeveloped nations lack the resources to provide for the overwhelming number of stray cats and dogs, but in Galati, ROLDA works with its partners and citizens to peacefully coexist with homeless animals.

Thanks to our donors, ROLDA can procure the necessary resources to carry out yearly sterilization campaigns in our community that humanely and effectively curtail the stray dog and cat populations, preventing their needless suffering and deaths.

Until 2016 when the law changed, sterilization involved catching stray dogs, sterilizing them, and returning them to safe territory. Realistically, due to their vast numbers, sterilizing all the strays in our community can take years and pet abandonments continue to contribute to the growing stray population, which ultimately slows down our efforts. But since 2016, it is also against the law to sterilize and return back to the territory a dog because the law clearly says that in the moment when being caught, the dog must also be microchipped & registered in the name of a person/charity.

Sterilization is a slow but productive process that requires patience, and we believe that these poor animals deserve all the patience in the world.

With respect to the current laws, ROLDA still can perform sterilizations: We spay/neuter the dogs saved from the streets, who become residents of our shelters and we also pay veterinaries to perform sterilization campaigns for pets (dogs and cats) who belong to poor rural communities.

ROLDA will never give up until we have succeeded in sterilizing all the dogs and cats in our community. From there, we will direct our focus on sterilizing neighboring rural areas and eventually, going further, across Romania!