We can't let these 73 dogs starve !

1. In Romania, Maria has almost no kibble left to feed the 38 dogs in her shelter. They might starve if nobody intervenes!

“After the dogs are captured by the dogcatchers, they are taken to the pound. They are kept in small cages and after 15 days, if no one reclaims or adopts them, the people working at the pound euthanise them . I am doing everything in my power to take them at my shelter, but there will be times, like now, when this will become too overwhelming and I won’t have space or food for them anymore.

Our food supply is scarce at the moment, just another few days and the dog food will be over. My main concern about the lack of food is that we won’t be able to feed the dogs properly and I can’t watch them starve. I care too much for them.

I am doing everything in my power to prevent these dogs from starving, it is very difficult, because there is little money to buy food. Some days I prefer to go without food so that I can feed my dogs. That’s how much I love them. But this shelter can only survive through other people’s acts of kindness."

2. Without kibble, Maria will no longer be able to rescue dogs from the pound, they will be put to sleep!

“There are always dogs to be saved from the pound. People are constantly abandoning dogs on the streets. This gives us a constant feeling of distress because... these dogs end up at the pound where they'll likely be euthanized. You just can’t stay indifferent to this and do nothing when you know that those dogs will be killed if you do not save them.

There are 22 kennels now at the pound reserved for remote adoption, if those 22 spots are occupied, we try to take the rest of the dogs to our shelter to save them from being euthanized. Until yesterday, we had 57 dogs at the shelter, 19 of them just left to go to their adopters. This week we were told that there are 8 in the public shelter and if we don't reserve them they will be euthanized.

That's what happens. Every week Because dogs are caught every day in the city or in the neighboring villages. So, basically, the remote adoption and our shelter are the only chances they have at survival."

3. If Isaaca had not been taken to the shelter this summer, she would have been euthanized. Maria needs kibbles to give her a second chance!

"Isaaca is a female of 5 years old, rescued from the pound this august. She is still very shy, she avoids contact with human beings for now, hard to tell if it is only from her experience at the pound are also from before, probably both.

I see a major change in the dogs’ behaviour after I bring them at my shelter, Isaaca will improve, like the others did. For example, at the pound they told me not to get close to Berlioz because he is aggressive, I took the time to interact with him, and he immediately came to play with me when I entered his kennel. Smoking, Olivia, Nora, they were all very scared and/or aggressive at first, now they come to me and lick my hand. They sense if you are a bad or a good person and they react to it.

This is why I need to save abandoned dogs. I want to show them that there is someone in this world that won’t abandon them anymore, that there is someone who they can trust. All this attention I give them requires time and countless efforts. But I need all the support and the manpower I can get, as I won’t be able to do all this by myself. Isaaca and the others won't stand a chance if I can't find food."

4. Due to a lack of space, 35 additional dogs are accommodated in a makeshift shelter by one of the volunteers. They too are threatened by the lack of kibble!

"The number of dogs fluctuates, they come and go. I am so sad that people continue to abandon dogs on the street! And I am disappointed that they don’t want to neuter their pets. They think of neutering as a mutilation. People are not educated in this matter here unfortunately.

The challenges we face related to food supplies are constant. We had in mind to build more kennels for the dogs at the main shelter, as stated in our project, but so far the pressure of saving the dogs has prevented us from doing so.”

5. Maria goes out of her way 24/7 to fund and run the shelter. But the difficulties of the last few months are too deep, she can't afford to buy kibbles.

“The pandemic affected us greatly and still does as we speak. People have lost their jobs, the salaries have dropped, the donations have dropped, the adoptions are less and less, the transportations are to the minimum and so on.

Needs and worry are constant, for example, when I see sick dogs brought at the pound, I can’t leave them there, because people working at the pound don’t give them the medicine they need to get better. This is a constant distress and struggle for me I must say. If I don’t receive a donation, I have to find people that can sponsor me or I go and buy the food myself with the money I have.

To make matters worse, the caretaker we had for the shelter just died, it is a huge loss, and we do not know how to replace him. I have the help of my husband, but we need to work to get paid in order to survive, so we can’t be here all day. 

We desperatly need help. My hopes are that all of these concerns will go away and I will continue to save dogs and give them the attention and love they need to survive until I find them a home with equally loving owners.”

6. Maria is not asking for money, only kibbles to keep the dogs from starving.

“I have always loved animals. When I was little, I always brought home dozens of cats and dogs. In 2009, some people and I formed an association to help the abandoned animals that live on the streets. We did many neutering campaigns and we were successful at that. We were the only ones doing it here, in Orăștie. Our funds consisted mainly of donations. We acquired the land for the shelter in 2017 and the first kennels were built in 2018. This year, our project was officially approved. We still have to build more kennels, to put a roof over the newly built etc... But it is concrete, it exists and it evolves, we need to make sure it continues.

I can’t even think of not having food for the dogs, it is inconceivable for me. As I said, I prefer to starve and give my food to my dogs. I believe and I hope it will all work out in the end."

7. If this campaign succeeds, Maria will not receive any money but 3000 kg of kibbles, delivered from Animal Webaction's logistic platform in Romania.

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

8. Despite multiple calls for help, the shelter and the dogs' survival is in jeopardy, Maria needs our support.

“Our current funds consist of donations made by our foreign partners and collaborators, who support all adoption expenses. There were times when food collections were held in local stores, and there are a few donations that come from people, both Romanian and foreign, friends and neighbours have helped me feed the dogs. But most of the times we need to buy the food ourselves.

We reached out to other organizations, but they couldn’t help us or they helped us a little. Of course we are aware that there are many shelters like ours that need help with food supplies and with finding volunteers. This is also the result of the pandemic. We are going through a very difficult period and I am afraid it is not the end of it.

I will beg, I will take money from my own pockets as much as possible, but I won’t be able to do all this by myself."

9. 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. 

10. 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 Maria 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 Maria's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you want to come to Maria's shelter to help them or if you want to send them directly some kibbles or a check, contact her via Facebook (note: direct help is under your own responsibility).

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