We cannot let this shelter's 400 dogs starve!

1. In Romania, Elena has almost no kibble left to feed her shelter's 400 dogs. They will starve if no one helps!

“At the shelter, we're at capacity with around 400 dogs… Now, we can only focus on rescuing the most urgent cases, dogs in great distress; but we lack the means to rescue other dogs. I feel like I'm adrift, barely keeping my head above water… Food and money are consumed before our eyes and we often fail to provide the dogs with the food they need.

Now, the dogs only eat once a day, the cheapest kibble… It's not enough. We're down to our last three days' worth of kibble, and it's survival of the fittest, with dominant dogs eating first and the others just scraping by. I've had dogs kill each other from lack of food, I can’t let that happen again!

Inflation has made things worse for us; kibble prices have doubled in the last five years. Almost all our money goes to basic needs: food, water, electricity… As debts pile up and resources dwindle, the stress becomes more overwhelming. I have no clue how to feed my dogs in 3 days, so now I can only count on this campaign to succeed for them not to starve…”

2. The lack of kibble seriously impacts the shelter dogs' health and behaviour, while severely limiting Elena's rescue work. This campaign is vital for them!

“Feeding our dogs low-quality food leads to digestive and skin issues, because they don't get the proteins and nutrients they need. And it's worse for puppies who can develop rickets… The lack of kibble makes the dogs fight each other over food more often: these situations are so stressful for me, especially as I’ve already lost dogs in fights.

Due to the lack of kibble, we're unable to rescue more dogs. We used to save 20 dogs per month, but now it's barely five, and the most urgent cases. I wish I had the means to buy better quality kibble, as most of the dogs are really fragile, but it’s just impossible and unaffordable!

Turning down dogs because I lack resources and food to care for them is always painful for me. If we can't find kibble, the consequences will always be the same: fewer rescues, more dangerous fights between dogs, deprivation and starvation. The most vulnerable dogs at the shelter are the ones who suffer the most from this lack of kibble…”

3. Molda was rescued while giving birth on the streets: underfed and with a litter to feed, it’s crucial that she gets kibble!

“Molda is 2 years old, she was rescued after a lady saw her giving birth on a parking lot, and asked for our help… She was incredibly weak and skinny, still giving birth when we arrived… It’s hard to tell if she had been abandoned on the streets or if she was brought into the world on the streets… In any case, she’s a result of people not getting involved in sterilisation campaigns.

She is one of the many poor things that live their life in the cities, giving birth to puppies there and continuing the long cycle of suffering… She was so underfed she didn’t have enough milk to feed her babies when she arrived at the shelter! Her recovery is slow and definitely dependent on the kibble we can provide her… Without kibble, not only Molda’s life, but also her puppies’ lives are at stake!”

4. Elena is drowning in debt and no longer gets enough donations for all the mouths she has to feed and care for...

"We have a total of 600 dogs under our care between our 2 shelters and we're in so much debt for vet care and for kibble that we had to borrow a huge amount of money to try and pay these off partially… It’s just creating more debt, it’s endless! The money for kibble is not even being covered every month…

Our donations are decreasing a lot... They're about 10% of what they used to be. And hardly anything comes from Romania; it's hard to raise funds for even urgent cases, let alone food. People just don't react to pleas for food donations. And it's not easy for me to ask the people who continuously bring me dogs to help me with the food: they can't afford to help further!

We are at that point where we ask for help all the time… Whenever someone supports the shelter, not necessarily financially but even just through encouragement, we ask them for help with kibble. If this campaign fails, I'm terrified of what will happen… I will have nothing to feed my dogs with, because we no longer have the money to buy more kibble.”

5. Elena isn't asking for money, only kibble to keep the dogs from starving.

“Helping dogs in need isn’t a one-woman job. NGOs, associations… we all brought about a change. The Bacau public pound, in the same city where our other shelter is located, once was horrific; dogs starved and even fed on each other to survive! Our involvement, however, brought hope and rescue. Without us, I fear the situation would revert.

Our rescue work is necessary due to the silent suffering of animals. They experience emotions like we do, they just can't express it! The inability to articulate suffering isn't unique to animals — I've observed it in vulnerable humans too, like children or the elderly. It's a painful truth we often ignore…

Limited resources and funding can be so frustrating and the stress often affects me at a physical and mental levels; I regularly suffer from psoriasis. But I try my best to focus on the good we’re doing rather than the things we can’t achieve! Still, having to choose which animals to help is our sad, daily reality... I just wish we could do more, but we can't save everyone.”

6. If this campaign succeeds, Elena will not receive any money but 2400 kg of kibble, delivered from the Animal Webaction logistics centre in Romania.

Animal Webaction has a logistics platform in Romania which enables us to intervene quickly and deliver kibble.

7. Elena’s supporters have done all they could to help her feed her dogs. Now, this campaign is her last chance to get kibble!

“We have the unfailing support of a French organisation, Loulou sauvés in Extremis - they help us a lot when it comes to adoptions and I don’t know how we could continue the shelter without them! On occasion, they also send us some food, beds, mats... But they cannot provide enough quantities considering the amount of dogs in our care, their means are limited.

A small association called Saving Romania's Abandoned Souls is also here for us but they can only help us with adoptions, they don’t have neither the network nor the resources to help us with other aspects… We've reached out to an association that deals with free sterilisation campaigns and we're waiting for their response…

It’s become a real struggle to raise money! People can’t donate much, and when they do, it’s often because the situation seems to be disastrous. When everything looks ‘well-managed’ and ‘organised”, like our shelter does, people tend to assume we don't need their help. But it’s far from the truth, otherwise, we wouldn’t need this kibble campaign so desperately to keep our dogs fed!”

8. Campaigns launched on Animal Webaction often fail...

When a campaign fails, Animal Webaction cannot deliver the products. The beneficiary doesn't receive anything and the buyers are refunded. 

9. In Romania, it is difficult to find funds for kibbles, there are no aid, no grants, no foundation... Many abandoned dogs die alone in the streets, in complete indifference...​

If you know of a foundation or NGO that could help Elena, please invite them to contact us so that we can put them in touch.

If you represent an animal protection foundation or NGO, please help Elena's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you want to come to Elena's shelter to help her or if you want to send her directly some kibble or a cheque, contact her on Facebook (note: direct help is under your own responsibility).

10. If you make a purchase on Animal Webaction, it will be protected by our guarantees