Romanian League in Defense of Animals

On Saturday 8th September 2007 Willie Nugent from Armagh (N.Ireland) visited the ROLDA animal shelter in Romania on his "Shaking Paws Around the World" Journey.

Willie said he really enjoyed his stay: "The shelter was very clean and of the highest standards......Everyone was most welcoming and devoted to the dogs.I really admire the work Dana Costin is doing.I was especially impressed by the lengths she takes to ensure the health and wellbeing of the dogs.I wish there were more people like her in the world today."

" My travel to Romania was good not only for the dogs waiting for our support, but also for myself. The picture I had carried of Romania as a grey spot on the European map, with sad people, was turned over a bit !

Romanians have a "modern" look for living in such a broken-down country, they are generally outgoing and make you feel welcome as a foreigner. In society as a whole, though, there is a feeling of tiredness and grief - just as if the Romanians were victims of crime, having begun to reassemble the pieces of what wasn't stolen from them. And - hand on heart - isn't this exactly what they are; victims of a robbery begun by the communist regime?

The reason why I went to Romania is a direct result of this crime - the many street dogs. I had prepared physically for seeing skinny to the bone abused and car-crashed dogs, but in the areas I visited the strays were neither too skinny nor badly hurt.

They were homeless, though, and that's bad enough for a companion animal, how ever much food and water they get from caring citizens..ROLDA has specialized on taking care of sick and/or hurt street dogs, and what first struck me at the shelter was the happiness of the dogs! For a lonely student, Dana manages in an amazing way to give a large amount of dogs the least the can demand from mankind; a roof over their head, a place to sleep, fresh water, food, medical care, and daily care (from a much loved employee, who lets them out to run and enjoy each other!).

Several things could be done to further improve shelter standard, but this so much better than nothing for these dogs!

If Dana wasn't there, then who would....? They dogs of ROLDA are healthy both physically and physically - that you don't have to be a doctor to see - and ready to be adopted when cured from infections or injuries.

To Dana and all other Romanians: my wishes for the best welcoming of Romania into the EU next year - you're brothers and sisters of ours in a hidden corner of Europe - may we do we can to help your sore country back on feet ! "

" ROLDA's founders have built and maintained what has been referred to as 'the best shelter in Eastern Europe.'

The ROLDA shelter was given the highest ranking of shelters in Romania by Animal People, who also visited Romania in May. Rory and I stayed at the shelter as part of the International Volunteer Program, living under conditions as nice as any we have experienced in the United States, and working with the loving dogs and cats that have been fortunate enough to find ROLDA.

The alternative, two City Hall Pounds, are the diametric opposite of the ROLDA shelter. NEVER in our lives have we witnessed such horrendous treatment by one living creature to another.

On the other hand, the ROLDA shelter is Heaven on Earth. We hope to live long enough to see it prosper and grow, and to help all those in need--the relatives of a bygone era of ignorance and intolerance."

"The situation I witnessed in Romania was heartbreaking--I saw countless dogs who had been run over and left lying in the roads, and there were many others who just wandered through the city, looking thin and malnourished. They had no place warm to sleep and ate garbage to survive. Some of them had been injured and were hobbling around as best they could, trying to avoid the cars.

But the ROLDA shelter was like an oasis for the dogs. I was extremely impressed by how healthy and content they all were, even though they all had undoubtedly suffered in the past. There were many dogs who had received badly-needed medical attention--dogs that were missing an eye or a leg. All of them appeared to be happy and friendly, once again proving to me how emotionally resilient dogs are, even the ones who have been abused or abandoned.

I stayed at the shelter for two weeks and had a great time getting to know all the lovely dogs. They were sweet and trusting, and I found myself wishing I could take them all home with me.

We visited one of the city pounds and I was saddened by how crowded it was, and how lonely the dogs seemed to be. I was able to accompany Dana to the vet's office on several different occasions. We removed one dog from the city pound, who was so ill that he had to be euthanized--he was a big German Shepherd who was very gentle with all of us even though he was probably in temendous pain.

Another time we went to the vet to determine why one of the shelter puppies was losing weight--the vet seemed kind and knowledgeable, and upon her advice he was put on a special bland diet for a liver problem. All the other puppies were jealous of his special food, so we gave them a little bit too. It was wonderful to work with the shelter puppies. It was horrible to think of the stray puppies all over Romania, who are so vulnerable, and need warmth and food and love.

Dana and her local volunteers are doing wonderful things for dogs in Romania, and I encourage anyone who is interested to go and help them. There is so much important work to be done."

" In the summer of 2004, my boyfriend and I went on a great adventure that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. We decided to visit the ROLDA dog shelter in the very eastern part of Romania .

Having been an animal rescue volunteer for years, I have always been curious what people in other parts of the world do for animals. One day, I stumbled across ROLDA's website and was intrigued by the shelter's story and efforts. Because this world is so big with problems, especially involving animal plights, are often bigger than us, I live by the saying, 'Think global. Act local.'

The more I read about ROLDA, however, the more I wanted to visit and make an exception to this rule! When we arrived to the shelter, truly off the beaten-path, we were greeted by Rex, the friendliest dog in all of Romania !

Not only was he a big dog, he had a big heart and was ROLDA's official greeter and mascot. (Sadly, Rex died from an epileptic seizure shortly after our visit. We will miss him.) My boyfriend and I were absolutely impressed with the shelter. It was clearly built with love and compassion and to the highest of standards. It was BETTER than many of the shelters I've seen in Southern California.

And, it was obvious that all the dogs were HAPPY and very comfortable. There was no fear or sadness in THIS shelter!

As was to be expected, they went crazy, barking zealously at our arrival. Dana introduced us to each and every dog, detailing their stories. We all took turns hugging and playing with the fur-babies. I fell in love with Hope, a fluffy white mutt, as she is one of the sweetest and most trusting dogs I think I've ever met. Yet, she is completely blind as a result of animal cruelty !

After the shelter tour, we were shown our sleeping quarters. We were delighted to hear we were actually going to stay AT the shelter! (Dana and Rolando live in town.) Immediately next to the shelter dog runs is a charming 2-story home that warehouses all that is needed to run the operation. The 2nd floor, however, is reserved for human needs. Dana lovingly prepared a bedroom for us, complete with comfy house slippers. She gave us the afternoon to settle in, unpack, shower, and relax. My boyfriend, Katya and I couldn't believe our luck. How often does one go into a foreign land and get treated like family guests? And for us, being from Los Angeles, this was quite a (delightful) shock to our systems !

And the view! This was DEFINITELY not LA! From our window, we could see nothing but beautiful rolling hills dotted with grazing horses and cows. And, we were constantly reminded by a neighbor's braying donkey that we were in the country; the Romanian countryside !

The next day, Katya was invited and escorted by Dana to ROLDA's veterinarian. She was given a complimentary exam and feline vaccinations! We were so grateful to have that all taken care of before our long journey back home. While Katya was at her appointment, my boyfriend and I explored the countryside. We saw all the typical country critters and even met a wonderful neighbor lady who was bottle-feeding an orphaned colt!

She and I had fun trying to communicate in our only mutual language of French. (She knew not a lick of English and I knew not a lick of Romanian.) We took pictures together and met her dog, a ridiculously spunky Pekinese mix who decided my bag of Bagel Chips was a scrumptious delicacy.

On our last night, Dana stopped by the shelter with a 'surprise' in a carrier. Earlier that day, a woman contacted her worried about the fate of a puppy she had seen thrown into a trash can by a man. Dana successfully retrieved the pup out of the garbage making it the latest ROLDA rescue.

Lola was immediately given lots of love and care. (She and Katya even swapped stories of their individual rough starts in life!) We wanted desperately to adopt the little Rottweiler but knew it was not realistic at the time for us. Instead, another American family adopted Lola and she actually arrived to the States before we did! Lucky dog. Lucky ROLDA dog!"

" The situation I witnessed in Romania was heartbreaking: I saw countless dogs who had been run over and left lying in the roads, and there were many others who just wandered through the city, looking thin and malnourished. They had no place warm to sleep and ate garbage to survive. Some of them had been injured and were hobbling around as best they could, trying to avoid the cars.

But the ROLDA shelter was like an oasis for the dogs. I was extremely impressed by how healthy and content they all were, even though they all had undoubtedly suffered in the past. There were many dogs who had received badly-needed medical attention--dogs that were missing an eye or a leg. All of them appeared to be happy and friendly, once again proving to me how emotionally resilient dogs are, even the ones who have been abused or abandoned.

I stayed at the shelter for two weeks and had a great time getting to know all the lovely dogs. They were sweet and trusting, and I found myself wishing I could take them all home with me. We visited one of the city pounds and I was saddened by how crowded it was, and how lonely the dogs seemed to be.

I was able to accompany Dana to the vet's office on several different occasions. We removed one dog from the city pound, who was so ill that he had to be euthanized--he was a big German Shepherd who was very gentle with all of us even though he was probably in tremendous pain.

Another time we went to the vet to determine why one of the shelter puppies was losing weight--the vet seemed kind and knowledgeable, and upon her advice he was put on a special bland diet for a liver problem. All the other puppies were jealous of his special food, so we gave them a little bit too. It was wonderful to work with the shelter puppies. It was horrible to think of the stray puppies all over Romania, who are so vulnerable, and need warmth and food and love.

Dana and her local volunteers are doing wonderful things for dogs in Romania, and I encourage anyone who is interested to go and help them. There is so much important work to be done."

ROLDA would love to hear from you. Volunteer at ROLDA shelter and you might have the "surprise" to meet on the streets a friend for a lifetime, a friend that tomorrow might die, happy in his heart that he actually met a human the way he always dreamed humans were !

" Animal welfare is a huge problem worldwide, but nowhere more so than in Romania. Dana is a young woman who has dedicated her life to these animals. She is a lone voice in the wilderness. Please help ! "