A few years back I went on a month long trip in Romania to visit my in-laws. I was really excited about the trip and spending time with my husband’s 6 year old from a previous marriage.
What I didn’t expect was to see so many homeless, hungry, and abused adult dogs and puppies almost everywhere from gas stations to busy commercial districts to touristy areas.
^^^ HOMELESS DOGS IN ROMANIA ARE AMONG THE WORST TREATED DOGS IN THE WORLD ^^^
Romania is a European country and the expectation for animal welfare should be among the highest. Sadly that was not the case. Throughout my trip I found out to my disdain that dogs are regarded as vermin by the vast majority of Romanians. Almost every city has a state funded shelter where hundreds of stray dogs are rounded up and subjected to unimaginable horrors. These shelters are run by corrupt vets and abusive employees.
Sending a dog to a public shelter is a death sentence unlike any other.
What makes it worse is the way these dogs die. It’s not through lethal injection, but through barbaric methods such as poisoning, clubbing, starvation, and so on.
All of us here at Voice For The Needy decided to do a little bit of investigative work and we visited several Romanian public shelters incognito (without revealing that we are American), researched online a lot, and we interviewed dozens of private rescuers.
We came up with 3 infographics to describe the situation of the Romanian homeless animals. This is the first infographic of the series of 3.
All animals deserve a better life, no matter where they were born. Unfortunately many of the Romanian homeless dogs will never know kindness.
Why should you care about the Romanian dogs? Because cruelty doesn’t have state boundaries. Goodness and kindness should not know borders. Please help the Romanian dogs, even if you are not Romanian yourself.
Killing homeless dogs is encouraged by authorities in Romania. They don’t care about neutering or kindness.
Public shelter is synonymous with killing factory in Romania.
Romanian public shelters are a disgrace to humanity.
The death of a homeless Romanian dog is as cruel as its life, if not more.
Romanian authorities use the dog catching and killing as a money machine. As long as there are dogs to kill, the city halls will assign budgets and fatten up the pockets of those involved.
The statistics around dog bites are grossly embellished to justify the killing and get approval from the citizens.
What should be done en-masse by Romanian citizens and people around the world to stop this cruelty.
There is hope in sight. Several associations and rescuers work hard to change the Romanian mentality and determine the authorities to do their duty by the stray animals. If more of us rally up behind them, the corrupt Romanian system has no choice but to change and the mentality at large will be changed for the better and kinder.
Below are links to some of the most passionate associations and rescuers that work on improving the life o the Romanian homeless animals:
- Romania Animal Rescue
- Vier Pfoten Romania
- Kola Kariola
- Asociatia Robi
- Pink Paws
- Care For Dogs Romania
- Camera cu pisici (The Cat Room in Romanian)
- Street Dogs Saving Mission Bacau
- Sadies Stray Dog Rescue
- Justice For Animals Movement
- Regional Veterinary Center District 2
Resources
- http://www.fes.ro/media/2015_news/FES_Report_Straydogs_en.pdf
- http://www.stray-afp.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Stray-dog-situation-in-Romania.-Animal-cruelty.pdf
- http://www.fnpa.ro/stray-dog-situation/
- http://www.fnpa.ro/imagini/2011/09/Stray-dog-situation-in-Romania.-Animal-cruelty.pdf
- http://www.protectiaanimalelor.ro/dogs/dogs_romania.html
- http://www.gandul.info/stiri/seful-aspa-acuza-organizatiile-care-adopta-maidanezi-ca-ii-exporta-pentru-a-fi-folositi-la-filme-pentru-adulti-cati-caini-comunitari-au-fost-eutanasiati-13767570
- http://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2014/07/23/killing-law-stray-dogs-romania/
- http://www.vier-pfoten.ro/adopta-si-salveaza-old/cauze-i-soluii-ale-situaiei-cainilor-fr-stpan/
- http://www.occupyforanimals.net/romania---on-the-greatest-animal-genocide-in-european-history-government-initiated-anarchy-violations-of-human-rights-and-children-rights.html
- http://www.ibtimes.com/romanian-stray-dogs-slaughtered-streets-red-card-romania-spreads-facebook-1505630
- http://www.isfoundation.com/news/creatures/how-are-you-involved-helping-solve-stray-dog-problem-romania
- https://rostrays.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/bleeding-romania-the-truth-about-stray-dogs-from-romania-graphic-images/
- http://www.luju.ro/magistrati/instante/nelegiuitii-de-la-aspa-curtea-de-apel-bucuresti-a-suspendat-normele-de-aplicare-a-legii-prin-care-s-a-dat-liber-la-eutanasierea-cainilor-fara-stapan-dispozitiile-curtii-sunt-sfidate-angajatii-aspa-in-frunte-cu-seful-hingherilor-razvan-bancescu-ies-in-fiec
- http://stirile.rol.ro/pe-ce-cheltuieste-aspa-banii-bucurestenilor-828244.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwlVyz0jdog
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3132979/End-stray-dog-cull-UK-tells-Romania-Diplomats-step-pressure-300-000-animals-killed-crackdown.html
- http://www.cutu-cutu.ro/content/frauda-de-un-milion-de-euro-la-aspa
- http://www.botosaninecenzurat.ro/20140921-foc-la-comanda-in-adapostul-public-botosani.html
- http://randomstory.org/10-countries-that-are-most-cruel-to-animals/
- http://www.four-paws.us/projects/stray-animals/romanian-city-dog-catchers-break-into-shelter-and-abuse-dogs/
- http://www.zf.ro/profesii/harta-depopularii-romaniei-intre-2002-si-2012-cata-populatie-au-pierdut-primele-100-de-orase-10001367/poze/
- https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
- http://ziuadecj.realitatea.net/eveniment/cruzime-fara-limite-la-un-adapost-de-animale-caini-batuti-cu-bestialitate-de-catre-ingrijitori-video--129311.html
- http://www.protectiaanimalelor.ro/dogs/dogs_romania.html
- http://www.protectiaanimalelor.ro/documente/Romania_Report_Animal_Situation.pdf
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwRfwERPd0M