A truck full of food to help the dogs living in the streets and at the shelter!

 

We just came back from Romania: in the streets and at the shelter, 500 dogs are without food! 

Made aware of Mihaela's difficulties,  we visited her on March 22nd.

We followed her in the streets, where more than 40 dogs rely on her to eat: Mihaela no longer has any kibble to give them!

At the shelter, 450 dogs risk killing each other if nothing is done quickly.

Mihaela lost her regular supplier, the association that supports her can no longer help.

We want to send her 4200 kg of kibble as soon as possible.

100% transparency guaranteed

 

1. We went with Mihaela to see the street dogs she feeds every day. More than forty of them rely on the food she brings, but she no longer has any kibble to give them!

 

 

 

 

On site on March 22nd, we accompanied Mihaela on her trips to feed the street dogs. We filmed these images: although frightened by our presence, all the dogs were there and expecting the food brought by Mihaela. For lack of kibble, she had managed to buy some bones and leftover meat at a low price

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Made aware of the difficulties encountered by Mihaela, we visited her on March 22nd. We accompanied her through Onesti and the surrounding villages, in order to discover the different sites where she feeds, every day, more than 40 street dogs.

Mihaela cannot take in all these dogs within her shelter: only those who cannot live alone outside are gathered. For others, she systematically sets up makeshift shelters, and goes there daily to bring them food: "If they have enough to eat, dogs can have an almost normal life on the street, they can be happy there," Mihaela tells us.

But during our visit, Mihaela had no more kibble for them, and could only bring bones and some leftover meat obtained at low prices. A very frequent situation in recent weeks, because Mihaela can no longer buy kibble! 

 

2. During our visit on March 22nd, there were only 6 bags of kibble left in the huge storage...

 

 

Made aware of the difficulties encountered by Mihaela, we went to the shelter on March 22nd. A shelter that now houses 450 dogs, and whose volunteers also help dozens of street dogs.

However, it is an almost empty reserve that we photographed: 2 of the three pallets dedicated to the kibble stock were empty, the last one only bore 6 bags of 10 kg... However, more than 200 kg of kibbles are needed every day to feed all dogs! 

"You give me today a hope, a very big one, Mihaela told us during our visit...

 

3.   Mihaela is in too much debt with her kibble supplier: she can't pay, he refuses to deliver her

 

Until recently, Mihaela bought the dog food from a nearby supplier, with whom she had managed to establish a partnership. But since December, Mihaela has not been able to pay the monthly bills, which amount to several thousand euros: already in debt, she can no longer buy any! 

"It’s my last hope, I want to contract a credit, I can’t let my dog die!" she told us.

 

 

4. The shelter hosts 450 dogs: living together is difficult, fights break out! 

We first introduced a dog named Bobby as having been injured in a fight at Mihaela's shelter. We have since learnt that this was a misunderstanding: Bobby had been injured and rescued by Mihaela, but his injuries did not occur at the shelter.

 

 

 

 

 

Because she needs to work, to go feed street dogs, and also volunteers at the pound, Mihaela cannot be at the shelter all the time. That's why she employs someone to look after the dogs all day long.

However, it is very difficult to monitor 450 dogs at a time: when a fight breaks out, serious injuries can be caused in a very short period of time.

When food is scarce, and dogs are hungry, their aggressiveness is strongly increased and fights intensify. In this atmosphere, some dogs live in permanent stress at the shelter...

 

 

5. If the collection fails, dogs won't receive anything

 

We can swing into action, we have already booked a truck and pallets, but we have to pay it before April 5th 2019.

If the collection fails, we will not be able to pay, the departure of the truck will be cancelled and none of the collected kibbles will be delivered...

If the collection fails, we will refund all donors.

 

6. Following major rescues, and an outbreak of distemper, heavy medical expenses have to be covered: a huge burden for Mihaela

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few months ago, Mihaela took in more than 40 dogs during the same rescue: condemned to euthanasia in a nearby pound, they would not have survived without her intervention.

Unfortunately, many of them had distemper: a deadly and contagious disease, extremely difficult, time-consuming and costly to cure. In addition, Mihaela has taken in many puppies (her shelter currently has 45!) requiring vaccines, deworming and other specific care.

In debt on all sides, she needs our help!

 

7. Her husband is ill, her daughter goes to university : Mihaela is the only one who works. But her whole family and more than 500 dogs depend on her, she doesn't earn enough!

Mihaela has managed to handle things on her own so far because she keeps on working, despite the time required to care for dogs. Luckily, she manages to work staggered hours, but this implies a very sustained daily rhythm: "I only sleep 4 hours a night, I have to stay at the office until late at night to work"

However, things have become much more difficult lately: Mihaela now has to pay for her daughter's university fees (editor's note: she is involved in veterinary studies), and her husband has fallen ill. Everything therefore rests on her shoulders, a burden she can no longer assume on her own: "We have a lot of problems, we have disease, we have to pay the vet, but the most important thing for us is food"

 

8. No grants are alocated to the shelter, and there are not enough sponsorships: Mihaela needs help

 

 

 

 

Because she is constantly running out of time, Mihaela admits that she does not communicate enough about her shelter and the problems she faces. As a result, the majority of the dogs hosted do not benefit from any sponsorship, and existing ones have difficulty being maintained over time.

A foreign association helps her as much as it can, but it is impossible for her to buy the necessary kibble at the shelter, since she is already the main food provider for another shelter: "Mihaela has my fullest confidence. She paid the land for her shelter herself, she also paid for the big fence. She now has a lot of dogs! And now she needs help very urgently, FOOD. It's a constant struggle! We have to deliver 2500 kg each month (NDLR : for another shelter)", said Renata, who was herself there in March.

 

9. We must act for them:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Because she never gives up, Mihaela makes incredible rescues. We must help her keep going

 

 

 

 

11. The plight of stray dogs in Romania

 

 

12. Mihaela still believes a better place is possible for them

 

 

When we saw her, Mihaela told us that she had mixed feelings about the current situation. "We make this work for the dogs, it is our passion" she said, happy to be able to make a real difference for all these dogs left behind.

Yet the lack of funding makes things more and more difficult, day after day. The money needed for food and financial care is such that Mihaela is no longer sure that she can guarantee the proper functioning of the shelter: "We never say no if someone calls us for help. But every dog needs to eat, to be cared for. We need help and support."

 

13. What will the 4200 kg collected be used for?

The 4200 kg will be used to feed the 450 dogs hosted at the shelter, and the 40 street dogs fed by Mihaela.

 

14. 100% transparency guaranteed

- Animal Webaction has been helping more than 833 animal welfare associations over the past 5 years, with more than 1,967 deliveries in 8 countries (see photos).

- We make sure to contact each partner association, inquire to ensure its reliability and always ask for supporting documents.

​- Our partner associations only receive physical products, which means we never send money. When you offer 10kg of food, we deliver 10kg of food to the association.

- We also deal with transportation ourselves, and make sure all the products collected are properly brought where the association needs them to be, so a quick delivery is guaranteed.

- We will notify you by email as soon as the product bought thanks to your donation has been delivered.

- We will ask the association to take pictures of the food received, and will send you these pictures.

- If you change your mind, we will refund your donation upon request, without charge or proof of any kind.

- If unfortunately the collection fails, we will not deliver anything, we will refund you the full amount of your donation.