Following on from the article in the May edition of Dogs Monthly, my friend, Maureen, and I, spent a week at the Rolda Shelter in Galatzi, Romania (at our own expense). The shelter is run by Dana (Costin Elena Daniela).

We were met at the airport by Dana and her partner, Rolando.There are no motorways, and it was a 4 hour drive in their old pick-up vehicle to the sanctuary. We passed through flat countryside and saw many horse-drawn carts and farm animals, many tethered in the searing heat. We also passed 3 dead dogs on the road.

The next morning we were "introduced" to the 20 strays Dana had rescued from the streets of Galatzi and from the city municipal dog pounds. The dogs were housed in kennels with runs - built to British standard and paid for by fundraisers from the UK (myself and some friends).

We met Hope, a 14 year old dog deliberately blinded because he barked at passers-by while guarding a factory.

Cora was a car accident victim who dragged her paralysed bandaged back legs behind her while her right front leg resembled a flipper.

Merlin was partially disabled, having been run over, while Betty and Mica had been rescued from the city dog pound with their pups.

There were also 5 other puppies, all demanding attention - their mother had been beaten to death.

There were numerous other previously unwanted animals. We shared our living quarters with Rex, a huge gentle giant of a dog who had been rescued by Dana from the city dog pound. He had been dumped there by his previous owner because of his epileptic fits, which we unfortunately witnessed.

Rex lived in the house and it seemed as though he had been there all his life. He spent his day wandering the premises or patrolling outside.The following day Dana took us to the city pound in Galatzi. She loaded up her vehicle with 15 bags of nutritional dog biscuits. She took us to a very shabby area with dilapidated, empty buildings and broken windows. As we approached, we could hear frenzied barking. When we arrived I started to take photos but my camera was immediately confiscated.

We entered a huge Nissen-hut concrete block and to our horror saw countless dogs incarcerated in cells - some 10-20 to a cell. The noise was incredible. It was a sight I will never forget - these poor strays taken from the streets by dog-catchers and then imprisoned. What had they done to deserve such a dreadful fate?

I asked Dana how many dogs were there in this place and she said there were 500 ! The men unlocked part of the cell doors to enable us to throw in the biscuits. Some of the dogs fed from our hands, but many remained at the back, having given up on life. On our way out Dana noticed that next to the rubbish bin were two tiny puppies. She looked in the bin as she had found dead dogs in it before. She took these puppies away - their mother's fate was unknown. We were loath to leave the imprisoned strays behind and we were very distressed by what we saw.I demanded the return of my camera on our way out.

It was only a five minute drive away to the second city dog pound which housed 220 dogs: it was very similar to the first one with dogs crammed into cells. This place was run by one caretaker. There was a large area in the middle where some dogs roamed freely. The animals were rotated so that they got a bit of exercise.

Puppies crawled out from underneath rubbish heaps and there was a sort of kitchen area where
"food" was kept. We saw a huge cauldron of gruel alongside a plate of stale rolls - unwanted leftovers from the local hospital. We noticed two disabled dogs, one terrified black dog with two broken legs, and the other a little Cavalier King Charles spaniel with a very pronounced twitch. The caretaker agreed to us taking them. Dana left the dog biscuits with him as she seemed to trust him to feed the dogs.

Dana informed us that one of these canine concentration camps for stray dogs was used during the Communist era as a dog skinning factory selling pelts, while the other was a fox farm. Maureen and I were in total shock after our visit We felt completely helpless at not being able to do anything for these miserable creatures. Dana informed us that she sometimes sees the dog-catchers in the early
hours of the morning and toots her car horn to frighten the strays away to stop them being captured.

Back at the Rolda shelter, the puppies had to be fed every 4 hours; they soon discovered the colossal Rex and snuggled up to him. We took the spaniel we named Rosand to the vets the following day but unfortunately she had distemper and had to be put to sleep. She was only about 18
months old and was such a sweet soul. Dana called the disabled black dog Mango and is still trying to win his trust.

Dana visits these city dog pounds every day with food. She informed us she asked local restaurants for any leftovers for the strays but they refused and said they give it to the pigs for fattening up for
slaughter. She always carries food, water and medicines in her vehicle.

There are dogs on almost every street and one day out in the car we saw two strays near a factory, one limping badly. Rolando put food and water in a concealed spot and the injured dog came over to us. Dana spoke gently to the dog and managed to put some medication on her foot. She told us that during the winter, temperatures can reach minus 20cº and the street dogs make holes to bury themselves to keep out the wind and cold.

Dana finds it impossible to re-home any stray dogs.We were scheduled to visit the dog pounds again the following day but a friend of Dana's called her as a dog had been run over and Dana took it
to the vet to be euthanased as it had been terribly injured. The next day another dog had been hit and she left 9 puppies which Dana took home. She also found a dead dog in a black bag by the roadside. These tragedies occur almost daily.At the end of the week Maureen and I said our goodbyes to Rex, Cora and all the other rescues at Rolda.

We left with a heavy heart but with a mission to do all we could on our return to England and we vowed to continue helping Dana and the strays of Galatzi. We were glad we went to Romania but found our visit dispiriting and felt hopeless and frustrated we were unable to help more.

Back home we learned that on their return journey from the airport Dana's car experienced problems. She is very distressed because her vehicle has now completely failed and she has to borrow a car to take sick and injured dogs to the vets and to feed the dogs at the pounds, which she regards as vital. Also, because Dana is feeding the dogs at one of the pounds, their daily ration has decreased and their meagre rations are now being sold to pig farmers.

Funds are urgently needed to build more kennels for strays and Dana desperately needs bandages, worming and flea treatment and puppy formula.Animal welfare is a huge problem worldwide, but nowhere more so than in Romania.

Dana is young woman who has dedicated her life to these animals - she is a lone voice in the wilderness - please help!

Donations can be made to Rolda, Account No 90260916, Barclays Bank plc,
Abingdon Branch, South Oxfordshire Group, PO BOX 42, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 1GU.UK

Contact: Veronica Titchener - Tel 01235 848893

E-mail: pfarp@btopenworld.com Dana (Costin Elena Daniela)

www.rolda.home.ro

THANK YOU FOR CARING