20 years: The Journey from doing rescue in a small village in Romania to reaching animals outside the country’s border. Our supporters made it possible. Thank you!

ROLDA never put to sleep healthy animals.
Let’s create a new ROLDA account for you!
We are ROLDA and we exist to #givehope to neglected, abused animals and people who care about them. Our primarily focus is rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animls in need, as well as providing aid to poor communities & others rescuers in Romania and since the war started, also in Ukraine.
#animalsaddict
We fight against animal abandonment by taking them in or helping their owners.
Fighting animal cruelty, neglect and abuse is a constant uphill battle for us.
We pay for sterilization campaigns, the humane way to stop stray overpopulation.
Help us get illegal shelters and their traumatizing practices become history.
Wildlife trafficking is life-threatening for the animals. ROLDA is fighting against it.
We want to stop wildlife tourism exploitation. Join us.
Learn a bit of our history, how ROLDA started, why we operate in Galati, what we have been able to change for animals in a country where public shelters continue to put Romania to shame under EU's indifferent eyes.
Find out some of the most important moments of ROLDA activity.
To make HOME a little better for every living soul. To give SHELTER.
Because the bigger the challenge, the bigger the people rising up to face it.
that makes ROLDA rescue work possible in a country where animals have no one else.
Our mission is to ensure animals have a good life by advocating for them and by inspiring everyone to treat them with compassion and respect. Our strategy will build on these strong beliefs for years to come.
Rescued in Romania, loved all over the World
Since 2021, ROLDA expanded its support to different other cities across Romania
Taking care of animals means keeping preventable illnesses at bay.
Transmissible from dog to dog, a terrible condition easier to prevent than cure.
More than being a nuisance, these parasites may carry crippling or fatal diseases.
Neglect, abuse and abandonment, backed by lack of knowledge are the causes of suffering we need to address. How? By educating people.
0 unwanted pups born = 0 unwanted pups abandoned
Not all owners are heartless. Some are just very poor. So, we help
Before-after images show our animals’ difficult journeys. They show the resilience of dogs and our hard work.
Although abusive and punishable by law, keeping dogs in chains is still a practice in many rural areas in Romania. It is a challenge to really change things.
Dog pounds are the places hope and humanity go to die. Help shut them down!
Help us call on authorities to punish the Tulcea animal abuser caught on tape.
Join our plea to ban fireworks in Romania and stop animals getting injured.
Wildlife animals’ lives are worth more than the price of tickets. Help us save them!
Speak out! Spread the word about our activity, about what we have already done, about what we plan to do. Wear our logo and start a conversation.
We run two dog shelters, a cat sanctuary and help over 1000 animals each year. But if it wasn’t for the generosity of our supporters like you, we wouldn’t exist. Can you continue help fund our vital work?
Your donation helps us rescue animals from cruelty and neglect, care for them and find them loving homes. During the war, we extend our support to animals from Ukraine.
Send a check to ROLDA branches in Romania, the UK, the US, or Australia.
We have bank accounts open in the UK, the US, Switzerland, Norway, Australia, Sweden.
We have huge costs to run our shelters every year. Giving monthly is the best way to provide ongoing support in our fight to protect animals in need in Romania.
If you believe, like we do, that animal cruelty should not be tolerated, then a gift in your will means you can always be there for animals in need.
How gifts in will make a difference
Animals give us a better life. We can make them a better World. See how!
Every gift in will has the power to transform the animals World the way YOU dream it to be.
DAF is like a charitable savings account which gives you the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to ROLDA USA. Make a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)
Our vision is a World where all animals are treated with kindness and compassion. But we can’t do it alone. Choose to support a one-off cost or a project.
Help us build a piece of art animal sanctuary in South-East Europe for people to also benefit.
When you donate Bitcoin and other crypto to ROLDA, you generally owe no capital gains tax.
You can turn your used vehicle into a meaningful contribution to help animals and ROLDA USA
Buy a virtual gift that helps a real animal in need!
Buy lovely, handmade items and help animals in need as all proceeds go to them.
ROLDA mission is to provide aid efficiently, responsibly and humanely to strays and abused animals in Romania.
ROLDA never put to sleep healthy animals.
We never turn back
to an animal in need.
ROLDA provide
forever care.
We never
give up.
With almost one million strays, the country faces one of Europe’s most urgent animal welfare crises. For many, life means hunger, injury, disease, and fear. For others, surviving in a cold, filthy public shelter can hardly be called a decent life. Since 2006, ROLDA exists to change this reality. We rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome abandoned animals while tackling the root causes of suffering through targeted sterilization campaigns, support for vulnerable pet owners, and humane education in local communities. Since 2021, we are also helping different other small charities across Romania affected by economic crisis.
With almost one million strays, the country faces one of Europe’s most urgent animal welfare crises. For many, life means hunger, injury, disease, and fear. For others, surviving in a cold, filthy public shelter can hardly be called a decent life. Since 2006, ROLDA exists to change this reality. We rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome abandoned animals while tackling the root causes of suffering through targeted sterilization campaigns, support for vulnerable pet owners, and humane education in local communities. Since 2021, we are also helping different other small charities across Romania affected by economic crisis.
ROLDA provides emergency relief and protection to animals impacted by war, natural disasters or crisis, preventing them to be exposed to danger, hunger, diseases and helps vulnerable pet owners to protect their animals, offer them a decent life and avoid abandon them.
Rescuing animals from puppy mills, treat, shelter and prepare them for adoption is part of our global efforts to make this Planet a better place for animals, the way we all dream it will be.
where we prepare rescued dogs of all ages to be ready to go their new forever homes.
where we provide daily care and rehabilitation for hundreds of dogs, as well as permanent shelter for many seniors for the rest of their life if they are not adopted.
An ambitious dream to bring people and animals together and allow them to help one another and enjoy each other’s company.
Cost: approx 5250000 USD
Services for: dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, other small farm animals
Starting in 2021, when the COVID crisis dramatically affected the charity sector, ROLDA searched for reliable Romanian organizations to partner with. The first one we chose was a small cat charity from Tulcea, which was such a great fit that it inspired us to reach out to other such organizations. Today, we regularly help six different charities and hope to increase the monthly donations we send them, as well as select others to support if funds allow it.
#UkraineAnimals When war broke out with the first random bombings of Ukrainian cities in the middle of the night, people took whatever they could get their hands on and fled. Some brought their animals, and some left them behind. ROLDA thought of the animals of refugees coming in and looked for accommodation that would receive them and of the animals left behind and periodically sends food, supplies, and money to animal rescuers still operational in Ukraine.
Sorrows bring us together. But when human lives are so easily lost and difficult to save after a natural disaster, caring for animals is usually not a priority to first responders. This is why ROLDA exists. So that those intervening can focus on solving what is most urgent while we set up the support network in the background. We did so after the earthquake in Syria-Turkey and after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
With the considerable price hikes that have been registered since the end of 2022, managing day-to-day expenses has become challenging. Less money for people means fewer donations to charities. This is why we stepped in to send food to the partners we made to extend our support network. Therefore, the Tulcea cat sanctuary, several animal rescues in war-ridden Ukraine, and other small animal charities in the country benefit from regular food shipments from ROLDA.
#CloseIllegalShelters Despite ROLDA’s constant efforts to get as many dogs as possible out of state-owned dog pounds, the number of animals in dire need of help is more than we can handle. As much as the capacity of our own shelters will permit it, we will continue in our endeavor. But the EU Commission needs to act and close down the sub-standard units to force administrators to offer decent conditions and become accountable for what happens there.
“Rescued in Romania, loved all over the world” is our motto, as it stems from our core mission of finding a forever home for each dog. To this end, we have very dedicated teams of people working in Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, to promote our dogs, make pre-adoption house checks, and visit to see how the dogs are doing in their new homes. Their contribution and efforts are hugely appreciated
Our dogs' behavioral and psychological assessments enable us to rehome them in Romania and across Europe successfully. ROLDA’s shelter and medical staff are highly experienced in interpreting canine body language and behavior patterns. We understand dogs change over their lives just as humans do, and we guarantee potential adopters receive updated information to help them make the right decision. Also, with the help of our international teams, checking in periodically, we know how our adopted dogs fit in.
Since opening our shelter in 2004, ROLDA has welcomed volunteers from all over the world, people eager to work with dogs, and, as of 2023, senior and disabled cats. How to get here? The Bucharest airport is the nearest, then you need to take a train, bus, or rented car to the county of Galati. The shelter is nearby, accessible by bus or car. At the end of your stay, a letter of recommendation will be provided for you. Please check more about volunteering opportunities.
Pay for sterilization and medical aid for dogs and cats. Read more
Accept in our care dogs who are about to be abandoned on the streets.
Welcome seniors and disabled cats from people who can’t afford their care.
Support for people to learn how to look after their pets and participate in a National Study to communicate better with their dog, and correct behavior issues that often lead to animal abandon
Donate doghouses to protect dogs living outside against extreme weather
People from rural areas live in dark poverty, have poorly paid jobs (or no job at all), lots of family members to look after. With a tough life to survive from a day to another, the pets owned by these people (like dogs, cats) do not represent a financial priority for them.
Helped by our partners and sponsors, working with local vets, ROLDA pays for the sterilization or medical emergencies for the pets from rural communities to ensure that low-income people can:
Coloring book created from scratch by ROLDA team helped by a very talented student and expert advices to transform it into a pleasant and easy journey for kids to learn about what their pet needs.
Help people (especially kids) learn to understand dog’s body language and avoid possible situations when dogs might become aggressive.
#FriendsForever created to help seniors keep their pets healthy and never be forced to abandon probably the only friend they have.
International volunteers, dog and cat lovers are welcomed at ROLDA shelter.
ROLDA Ambassadors are great people who help us for free by promoting our work in their community: wearing a t-shirt, a sticker.
Shop to help animals, as well as local artisans and receive unique items made by hand in Romania.
Podcasts, guides, posters and freebies to make people aware of how important animals are in our lives
ROLDA’s new initiative aims to develop with community support an interactive map of pet-friendly businesses in Romania.
Always Home program was created for people from Romania who need refuge for their pets after they are no longer.
20 years in front line of animal rescue
Over 100000 animals helped and counting
Helping animals and their human companions now and for generations to come.
20 years: The Journey from doing rescue in a small village in Romania to reaching animals outside the country’s border. Our supporters made it possible. Thank you!
Click below to see how ROLDA managed to reduce in 6 years a population of strays from 10.000 to 1.000, using humane methods, minimal funding and logistics.
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please chat to our friendly team.
Permanent, meaningful change for the millions of suffering animals worldwide starts with you.
Learn about ROLDA volunteering experiences:
● Celebrate ROLDA’s 20 years anniversary with us.
● Experience the intense reward of spending quality time surrounded by animals .
● Recharge your batteries: let our dogs adopt you!
● Safe country. Amazing food. But that’s not all…
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