Stop abandonului, sterilizeaza!

In fiecare an, asociatiile pentru protectia animalelor primesc sute de solicitari de ajutor pentru pui de catei sau pisici abandonati, chiar de cand sunt fatati, in pungi si cutii in spatele blocului, in gradina blocului, in tramvai, la metrou etc. 

Se pare ca oamenilor le este mai usor sa abandoneze aceste suflete, constienti ca ii condamna la moarte, decat sa isi sterilizeze/ castreze animalele de companie. Pare greu de crezut ca in ziua de astazi, cand este atat de usor sa te informezi, oamenii aleg crima in locul sterilizarii, dar aceasta este realitatea.

Uneori o fac pentru ca "este bine sa lasi animalul sa faca pui macar o data" sau pentru ca au impresia ca sterilizarea este un proces complicat si costisitor. Nimic mai fals!

Avantajele sterilizarii/ castrarii sunt multiple si benefice atat pentru animale, cat si pentru oameni (mai ales pentru noi, cei ce ne chinuim sa recuperam "gunoiul" altora).

Asociatia Robi (www.4animals.ro), alaturi de multe alte asociatii ofera sterilizari gratuite de ani de zile. Daca aveti un animal si nu aveti posibilitatea de a il sterliza/ castra informati-va despre programele de sterilizari sau abordati cabinetele ce ofera acest serviciu gratuit.

Povestiti celor din jur despre avantajele sterilizarii/ castrarii si incurajati-i la randul lor sa povesteasca mai departe. 

Despre sterilizare
http://www.4animals.ro/sfaturi-utile/despre-sterilizare/

Sterlizari gratuite
http://www.4animals.ro/category/campanii-si-proiecte/stop-abandonului-sterilizeaza/

Doneaza!

Imi amintesc fericirea pe care o simteam cand eram mica (mai exact pe la inceputul anilor '90) cand primeam "ajutoare" din strainatate. Ajungeau la mine prin bunica mea care era infirmiera la spitalul din Gaesti sau prin mama mea, profesoara la o scoala pentru copii cu dizabilitati de vedere. Nu era nimic special acolo decat cateva hainute, plastelina, carioci, culori cerate, ceva jucarii de plus si joculete. O gramada de prostiute care deveneau jucariile mele si cele mai pretioase comori din dulap.

Asa ca, imi place sa intorc aceasta bucurie incercand de fiecare data sa imi donez lucrurile. De cativa ani imi fac cu regularitate curat in dulap si "scap" de lucrurile pe care nu le mai folosesc: jucarii, carti, gablonturi, genti, incaltaminte, haine, aparate electronice etc. Sunt sigura ca nu sunt singura care are cel putin un moment de shopping compulsiv si dupa o luna/ doua isi da seama fie ca nu a purtat niciodata acel lucru, fie ca de fapt mai avea ceva foarte similar, fie ca acum poarta numai obiectul acela vestimentar si altele au ramas uitate pe raft. Ca sa nu fac erori imi donez lucrurile la sfarsit de sezon, cand inainte de a le pune la naftalina, trec prin ele si selectez tot ce nu am purtat in acel sezon si are sanse mari sa nu mai fie purtat de acum. La inceput nu mi-a fost usor. Ma atasez cu usurinta de obiecte si imi e greu sa dau ceva ce imi apartine...asa exercitiul se transforma si intr-un tratament foarte bun.

Ce fac cu lucrurile?

Din prima tura de curatenie am vandut multe obiecte, in special vestimentare/ electronice, prin contul meu de Okazii. Erau lucruri noi sau care aveau o oarecare valoare. Jumatate din tot ceea ce vindeam donam la Asociatia Robi.

O mare parte din lucrurile mele a ajuns la un eveniment caritabil de suflet: Save and Shop, Care and Give. Un proiect caritabil unde prin vanzarea de obiecte donate se colecteaza fonduri pentru cateva adaposturi de animale din Bucuresti. Este un loc absolut minunat ce ar trebui vizitat nu doar pentru a dona dar si pentru a cumpara si ajuta. Mi-am gasit aici numeroare lucruri minunate.

Jucariile s-au dus toate la mama la gradinita pentru hipoacuzici.

Un alt loc pe care il recomand unde se pot dona haine atat pentru adulti cat si pentru si copii este Samusocial - ONG care se ocupa de recuperarea oamenilor strazii.

De luat in considerare sunt si numeroasele cazuri promovate de diferite ONG-uri pe Facebook. Trebuie doar sa cauti si cu siguranta vei gasi o cauza care merita...

Sau poti incerca un schimb de haine.

In concluzie, nu cred ca exista nici o scuza pentru cei care isi arunca hainele sau le transforma in carpe pentru curatenie :)

Charlie and Sophie

Charlie and Sophie are my new foster kittens for a couple of weeks. They are the smallest kittens I ever fostered and I am super in love with them. I could stay and watch them all they long.

They are brother and sister, and about 3 weeks old. They've been found under a car - lost or abandoned, alone for sure. They were two little flea bags with typical eye problems and a little flu. They've been taken to the vet and already started their treatment. In a couple of days they should be in full health, but not yet ready for adoption as they are still too small.

They still eat special milk formula twice a day, though they also love regular cat food (of course, for kittens) and dig their whole faces in it. To my surprise they only use the litter box. As small as they are, they walk around the bathroom and climb up the litter box. They never miss :) I knew that cats have a special instinct for this, but this time I actually see it...and can't believe it.

They take me as their mother and follow me around the house. They seam to be afraid to cross the bathroom door if I don't pick them up :) They lick me and purr when we cuddle. The girl likes to sleep in my hair and the boy in my arms with his belly up, so I can pet him.

They still don't see very well, and often get scared of each other  They play together and even fight, probably getting ready for "the laws of the jungle". Taking care of them, I realize how difficult it must be for a mother cat to care for 5 or 6 like them, especially when she is just as vulnerable. The streets are definitely not an appropriate place for animals to live and struggle, and I definitely can't understand those who abandon mother dogs or cats with their babies.

Spring fundraising :)

Starting with March 1st I am enjoying for the first time the benefits of unemployment...free time :) I needed a break and I needed a change. My job hunting campaign is going rather well, I have to admit I am playing a bit with my new situation, because it's a once in a life time opportunity when I don't have to care about money that much.

I love my free time and I am using it wisely to develop myself and do more for the animals I love so much.

That's why, this week, I attended two fundraising events. One of them was related to the part of the annual income taxes we all pay - or at least we should - the 2% that every employee has the opportunity to donate towards a NGO. Not many people are aware of this possibility, and not many choose to redirect their money for a noble cause. If these money aren't redirected then the state has the right to use them as it wishes...and when you live in a corrupt state like Romania, you don't want that to happen. The state, of course doesn't have any campaigns encouraging people to redirect these 2%, so this is where us, as NGO representatives, step in.

Only recently, big companies stared getting involved in this, and included such employee campaigns in their CSR activity. One of those companies in Romania is Petrom, the largest oil retailer on the market...and as you can imagine their CSR campaigns are pretty generous. For the 2% donation, they basically did a one day round of several NGOs covering different sectors, offering them the opportunity to present their activity and their plans to the company's employees...while encouraging them to responsibly redirect the 2% from last year's income tax.

Another great fundraising event I attended is SSCG, a tradition among animal lovers. The event is a "garage sale" with things donated by people...clothes, accessories, books, shoes...etc. The event takes place every month and even if it was hosted in different locations in the past, now we hold it a very special place...a dog training school and pet hotel :) There's a lot of work in putting everything out for display and the at the end putting them back together, but it's the only time that gives us (people from different animal associations) the opportunity to come together and exchange ideas, cases or experiences we have. It's really nice to interact with people with who you share a passion...

Pitzu for adoption

Adopted - March 2013

Pitzu had me and a lot of people, confused on whether it's a cat or a tomcat. Though at the beginning he was introduced as "Pitzi the cat"...he proved to be a tomcat so his name turned into Pitzu.

His story portraits the life of most stray cats. He was born together with his brother in a basemen, him being the smaller one. For a long time it seams that his brother basically took care of him, because he was very depended. His brother started "communicating" with people a lot faster and so he was adopted pretty fast.

Pitzu is now alone, in foster, looking for his forever owners. He is still scared and I am the only person he trusts....and not entirely. I had him in foster for about a month. In the past weeks I stayed home a lot so he got used to my presence and started even interacting with me more. He is basically the first cat I tamed :)

Pitzu is a special tomcat looking for a home... preferably somebody who already had a cat and is used with a cat's "precious" character. He is very curious and easily intrigued by anything that moves :)

Pitzu is about 4 months old, and has been dewormed and litter box trained...

Taming cat dragons

Jackie and Hyde are my two new foster kittens. I've had them for 5 days already and they are still afraid of me :) Yet, they've made huge progress learning to use the litter box only and being brave enough to play with cat toys.

Their story is a Romanian classic for stray cats. Born in the basement of an apartment building, living in the dark till their mother had to leave them and they had to get around on their own. That probably happened around the age of three months when their personalities already developed. They had to be caught as soon as possible because getting out of the basement could mean trouble for the two survivors. They are still two young to know what the big world has for them, but they clearly have good survival skills, because they don't trust humans easily. That's their only hope in the city jungle, and they know it...but only if humans were their sole enemies...

I had to deal with "wild" kittens before, but they usually started trusting me as soon as they realised that I was a reliable food source :) This doesn't work with Jackie and Hyde. By the way, they looked really good when they were caught. I would say that they didn't lack food in the basement. They were two very healthy kittens, flee-less and well fed.

I would really like them to get adopted together, because they have a delicious way of taking care of one another. They meaow when one is missing calling for protection, and they are willing to risk themselves to make sure that they are together. They eat together, they sleep together and they even use the litter box together...

They are a delight to watch, and as soon as they will start trusting I am sure they will become wonderful company to their lucky future owner.

I wonder when will this ideal world I am still hoping for will become reality...if people could just become a bit more responsible and sensitive towards other creatures.

Arya the catworrier

Adopted - January 2013

My first fostered cat for this year is Arya. She is a 7 months old cat which was found by one of Robi's volunteers about 3 months ago when she was just a kitty. Though she was adopted after four months of keeping her in their home the new owners decided to move to another place and get rid of the cat. Why?! Well because the real estate agents told them that it's not ok for people visiting a house to see that a cat has been living there. For a so called cat lover that is a pretty lame excuse, especially because the cat is spayed, and I can tell you, very clean!

Anyway, now I have the pleasure of calling her my cat till she finds a new loving house. She is super active when it comes to loving. She loves to purr, to press her head into you till you give her some attention. She loves to be petted and doesn't take long till she turns a loving session into a play session. 

She climbs to the highest peak of our furniture....then gets up on her back legs wanting to go even higher. She is super curious and has to see everything...you cannot hide a thing form her.

Mopi the cat

Adopted - November 2012

Mopi was found in the engine of a car by one of Robi's volunteers. Now she rests in my house where I will foster her until she finds her perfect family.

She's a 3 month old kitten with perfect cat senses :) For me she is a lot like the White Rabbit from Alice. She's a white cat with a grey line on her forehead...she has big green eyes, and she seams to always be in a hurry. 

She likes to watch herself in the mirror and put her paws up in defense, thinking that it might actually be another cat there. She mows for attention every time she does something, as she loves you to watch her doing cat stuff...she is a princess after all. She has no trouble playing alone, but I am sure that she would gladly share her toys and time with friends. She runs around the house and suddenly stops...probably just forgetting why she was running...She loves to curl and fluff her tail at me when we are playing...and when she can't see me, she just goes around the house mowing until she finds me.

There is no sense in saying that she is a perfectly clean cat, litter trained and careful not to stain her coat.

Mopi, just like many cats, is a stray who needs a warm house to host her and a loving family to purr at and play with forever.

If you want her, you can find her here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.401025066635845.92948.376586535746365&type=3

Adopt Monet the ca(in)ter

ADOPTED - June 2012

Monet is my new 3 months old tiger looking for a home.

He's been found up on top of a tree crying his lungs out for somebody to get him down from there. How he got up there if he's so small? Well Monet is not your ordinary cat. He's a naturally born jumper/ climber/ alpinist. Sometimes he is more like a dog than a cat. He runs around the house like a cat on ecstasy and makes sure he gets in places before us. Once there, he drops on his back with his tummy up to make sure you give him a tickle.

He is an adorable baby who needs love and somebody to play with. He would be the ideal cat if you already have a cat :)

Just your average cat Mirela

ADOPTED - JUNE 2012

Mirela is ready to go home. No more scared, she proves to be a normal, loving and playful kitten waiting for her ideal family to come and get her. 

In one week of love, good  food and a soft bed to sleep in, she turned from this almost wild cat into a perfect apartment cat. She enjoys her space, her toys and her humans very much.

She still offers free kitty massages as soon as you hold her and purrs like an industrial machine :)

She's clean and only uses the litter box. She's not very picky when it comes to food. She's quite and allows you to have your personal space as well. 

Yesterday (22.05) I received a call from one of Asociatia Robi's volunteers. They all have kittens and cats with baby kittens fostered at home, so they needed somebody to pick up this 2 months old cat just found under a car the night before. Willing I said yes, and there was Mirela standing in my arms later that evening, after picking her up from the guys who found her.

The tragic story of a some kittens whose mother got ran over by a car, left in the basement of an apartment building when they were to young to take care of themselves. First thought of as being 5...and acknowledge that they were actually 6 (some ladies took them in their care and offered them for a adoption). But there came the 7th - Mirela. After spending days alone in the basement she got brave enough to discover the world...on a cold, windy and rainy day. As soon as she got out she crawled under a car and started crying.

She's still scared, but so very loving. She purrs and offers free kitty massages every time you take her into your arms.

Yoda my ✰

ADOPTED  - May 2012

My new fostered baby cat - Yoda, little whiskered tiger.

His not a shy boy, though he's only 1 month old. He likes to discover, always ready for an enemy attack with super energy powers. He argues with strong meawing arguments when something is not right.When he's tired he loves to snuggle and purr. A true star in need of attention and affection.

He loves his litterbox and would never use anything else.

Falling through life

This week I've experienced the most horrifying possibility through which a 26th year old person's life could end.

I can't really call Lucia a friend, it would not be proper. I share with her my deepest passion - stray animals, and spent my summer with her at fairs and different adoption events. We both love cats especially, so we used to chit chat about this all the time. By chance two weeks ago I started a project at work with her sister, Raluca. Weird coincidence, but the world is not that big after all and I got used to it.

A weird phone conversation with Raluca almost had me collapsing from my chair. Last week we were talking about Lucia and it all seamed fine and now all of a sudden Raluca's scared voice gave me the worst news ever - Lucia had suffered a septic shock. The disease din not have any noticeable symptoms so it was nothing but a shocking surprise.

The doctors knew what she had, but did not know why, so they didn't really know what to do with her. Her lungs and right leg seamed to be the problem. A huge campaign was started for blood donations. She needed thrombocytes, and because Romania, especially Bucharest lacks blood donors, there were non available. They finally managed to get some from other cities so she could be taken through surgery on her right leg.

This is how Lucia in two days went from being normal, with a slight pain in her leg, to a septic shock, to inducted coma and with her leg split in two in search of dead tissue.

Without a clear diagnostic, Lucia is still in hospital. Though she was taken out of the inducted coma she is still on random treatment, as her results did not come yet. It seams to be a mix of viruses - S. Aureus and probably Lyme disease.

Though they had to go through an unpredictable shock, they had to fight with the doctors and the Romanian medical system to make things go faster, her family and friends stood by her strong. It is amazing how many people got involved in the case and did what they could to help a 26th year old continue her life.

Unfortunately all I could do is promote the case. My weight is below the donor's accepted level, so I am not allowed to donated blood. I promise that when I reach the necessary weight, I will become a blood donor. I am sure that Lucia is only one of those many young people fighting for their life right now.

I hope she will get well and go home to her beloved cats :)

Lucia died on the 26th of February 2012....

Lili & Ghita my two new ★

Lili (Lili Ten) and Ghita are my new fostered baby cats. They are not brothers, but they were both unlucky enough to be abandoned and lucky enough to be found. Now they are looking for a house, together or separate, as they are both very independent cats. They are both about a month and 1/2.

Lili is the perfect Tim Burton movies cat. Black, skinny long legs, big green-yellow eyes and a perfect silhouette. She's going to make a great pet for somebody who learns to appreciate her. She loves milk and like any cat loves to purr and cuddle.

Ghita is a small but very brave little man, who can't wait to have a house to play in. He's very deceiving as he likes to pretend to be a scared little cat...lost and alone...but soon shows his real personality and starts running and playing...He's also very proud and doesn't give in the purring game so fast...you have to show him lots and love and make him trust you before he will act like a "small kitty".

They are well educated, clean cats and they both need a permanent house as soon as possible.

ADOPTED Lilith!

Lilith (Midnight) este o pisicuta in varsta de 2 luni, cu o blanita semilunga, pufoasa, de o culoare deosebita - darkly red. A fost preluata din fata unei curti unde fusese abandonata pentru simplul fapt ca este fetita. "Stapanii" nici nu s-au gandit ca o simpla sterilizare ar fi putut rezolva orice problema...au preferat sa se scape de grija aruncand-o...

Ca orice mic aristoCAT (este un metis de Angora) este o pisicuta foarte curata si alintata, toarce la ce amai mica mangaiere si se joaca cu orice pare tentant. Este o pisicuta foarte sociabila atat cu oamenii, cat si cu alte animale. Ignora obstacolele si ca o invingatoare trece pe langa ele ca si cum nu ar exista.

Este deparazitata intern si extern si stie sa foloseasca litiera. 

E mai greu sa facem poze dar vreti sa ma vedeti mai bine ma gasiti si aici:

Asociatia Robi - Adopta o pisica

Skiping murder

This weekend I had two major events with Robi - Pet Expo and the wonderful Street Delivery. We had lots of fun and good time spent together, rain and almost a record beating number of adoptions. I am kitty less for the week...and hopefully for a longer time :)

One of the ladies who adopted my fostered cat - Sisa, gave us a pretty bad start. On her way to our stand she saw two new born kittens thrown in a box, somewhere close to the centre of the city. Me and Raluca went to check things out and just when we thought it was a false alarm...surprise...the kittens where indeed there. You could tell that they had no more than a couple of hours since they came into this world. They were very wet and cold, with their bellybuttons still there. Their first feeling of this world must have been extremely disappointing. Just because whoever did this didn't kill them immediately, it does not make them any less guilty of murder.

They're been taken care of, but we are not sure yet whether they will survive without their mother. I could say that I am tired of this, but I know that it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Sad end for the two babies, who died....:(

ADOPTED Gremlins!

My two fostered gremlins went home. They now have a whole yard and three dogs to play with.

Gil is a 3 months old baby tomcat. He was found together with his brother in the engine of a car.

His brother has been adopted today, so he's now alone. He is extremely playful and brave. He doesn't care in my two older cats try to attack him and make funny sounds to intimidate him...

ADOPTED baby Seth!

Abandoned in a metro station, Seth is a 3 weeks old kitty who needs a home.

His tiny blue eyes are the proof that he needed to stay with his momma longer. He's just learning how to eat and drink water from the bowl. His ears have not yet lifted and his tail makes him look like a funny furry small rat. He finds it difficult to maintain his balance...and when you're that small every step needs a little push.

Even so, he is a brave little kitten. He runs after you and tries to climb into your arms. He likes to discover new places like any curious cat, and his favorite place is under the bed.

Right now he's temporarily fostered into my office, but he needs to find a home by the end of the week.

Please help Seth discover the world and let him hug you for a while.

After learning in less then one week how to eat and use his litter box...Seth was adopted. His new name is Tomi and he has two cat brothers and a dog uncle :P

Why I'd rather be a Dog than a Romanian

Recently an old problem of the Romanian society was brought in the spotlight.

Event:

A woman was killed by a pack of dogs on a private property. The woman did not enter the property through the gate, but through a hole in the fence. Those dogs were of common breed, but were kept in the yard to protect it from scrap thieves.

Reaction:

All stray dogs represent a problem and should be taken off the streets of Bucharest/ Romania, and most likely euthanised because they are too many (about 20 thousand) and it's too expencive to manage them.

Stupidity fact no. 1:

In Romania there is no law that obliges owners to register their pets. Those dogs were kept there and fed with the purpose of protecting the yard. They were unfortunate to be of common breed. If those were, let's say, Rottweilers then they were guard dogs ment to protect that yard - how stupid can one be to think that stray dogs can also be considered guard dogs?! In certain countries you can shoot a person without any question if he/she enters a private property.

Doesn't matter the stray dogs are responsible!

Stupitidy fact no. 2:

Stray dogs have always been a problem for Romania, before and after the communist regime. Because Romanian politics, and the society in general, is built by the same old, lazy, mischevous fucks, nothing has been done until now - and will not from now on either. Stray dogs are a very good argument in campaigns, because people are very sensible to the problem.

After the event, TV channels and newspapers reacted acording to their political color. The media reactions were either extremly harsh, with images of dogs attacking eachother and people...or very gentle, but without realistic solutions to the problem and avoiding to point the finger on those responsible for the situation we are in. The public opinion's reaction was not suprising at all ... depending on what they hear, they react - for example if at the very moment a person has 3 arguments against stray dogs, everybody will agree; if after five minutes someone else comes with more or less than 3 argumets for stray dogs the same group of people will most likely agree again.

It's not the first time I notice that Romanians are mentally unstable. Hitler would be ashamed of how fast he would convince these people to kill eachother.

A lot of money are put in the city's budget to solve this problem, every year...and like magic it becomes worse and worse.The only realistic solution to the problem, but one that would also take some time, would be to pass a law that forces all dog owners to register their dogs and those that are not of pure breed to be spayed and neutered. This law exists but has been waiting to pass the Parliament for over three years. Also, abandoning a pet should be a falony. A law actually exists that punishes those abandoning their animals on the public domain, but from my experience I can tell you that it does not apply. Again, stray dogs are a very good argument in campaigns and bring a lot of money.

As for the stray dogs we already have, I believe that they are everybody's responsability. We are a society and we have to be together for better and for worse.

Stupidity fact no. 3

Romanians like violence. They enjoy blood and murder, just like most of the people on this planet who still let their cerebellar tonsil coordinate their emotions. The general reaction was "THEY HAVE TO DIE!!! We do not care whether they are humanly euthanised or not, whom do we have to pay to kill them?"

Romania is an orthodox country...this means traditional Christians that believe in God and obey the 10 Comandmants. There is a church at every crossroad and 70% of the people on the bus will make the cross sign and say something when they pass a church. Trust me...this means a lot of cross signs in one day. Over 90% of the population has a cross or a picture of a holy someone in their house, their purse, their car (some might even have 50 crosses on the windshield - it's a trend lately), their office etc.When you hear this, you expect a bunch of charitable, compassionate, mersiful, generous, forgiving and pitiful (all sinonyms were needed) people ... but their first reaction is KILL THEM, I DO NOT CARE HOW.

Hmmm....let us reconsider our belief system. Doesn't one of those comendments say "DO NOT KILL"? I don't recall a "P.S. except for stray dogs".

The stray dogs must be responsible for this also. After all, they are the ones fucking with peoples brains so that they don't know what to do and think anymore.

Stupidity fact no. 4

Romanians have no idea about civic culture. I remember I used to learn that in school, in the 3rd grade or something....my sister never did - 11 years later. After all what do we need civic culture for?! We are here to make money and to fight - even if this involves using detours. Romania is Machiavelli's perfect picture at the moment.

For this reason, it's not just the dogs that are responsible, but also those loosers volunteering to take them of the streets and take care of them. They blabel about spaying and neutering, and refuse to understand that the only way to get rid of the problem is to kill all stray dogs :))

These are just a few of the arguments for which I would rather be a dog that's doing what he's "paid" to do than a mentally deranged, mischievous Romanian.

One year of volunteering

I have not been the most active volunteer ever, but it's been a whole year of cats and dogs stories. I decided to do this mostly because I love animals and I wanted to stop complaining about the problems Romania has and start doing something. Though it's not a "strict day to day job" its impact may be greater.

It may seem difficult to work with animals, because you have to learn want their needs are, but as long as you give them space, it will work out right. Animals express themselves easily and know how to make you see though their eyes as long as you are willing. They might be unpredictable sometimes, I almost got bitten a couple of times due to faulty communication, but the answer is to never panic and act as natural as possible. It surely helps you control your feelings better. This hobby becomes serious when you realize that you actually handle lives and just like a doctor you can never make a mistake during surgery.

It's been a great experience. I fostered a couple of cats, I saved an abandoned dog, I attended animal adoption fairs, I learned more about the medical needs of animals, even learned how to vaccinate dogs, I know what an animal shelter looks like and how difficult it is to feed and clean after 100 dogs, I know more about the Romanian policies towards abandoned animals and that the authorities ignore the problem completely, I definitely learned more about the non existing limits of human cruelty towards other beings.  All these with the help of a group of volunteers (mostly girls) who also turned a hobby into a life saving marathon.

I would like to do more this year when it comes to volunteering. It's not so popular in Romania, but I hope that volunteering will attract more people in time. Volunteering for anything helps and raises your self esteem. It adds a great value to you as a person and helps you learn more not just about different things you didn't learn in school, but also about yourself.

My Sun(ny)day

Strange enough, while the weekdays are extremely cold, the weekends are super shiny. As the girls said, the dogs from the association must have their little paws crossed the whole week and pray for a shiny weekend, so they can get adopted and visited at the shelter by lots of people.

I started going to the shelter again, since the cold came. Though I've been there before at the beginning of the year, I skipped during summer. Now, when I went back, I really felt like crying...it was a mix of excitement and happiness to see the dogs again and the sadness of seeing them THERE. It's obvious that for some of them the hope for adoption doesn't exist....and they might spend their whole dog life in that field. At the same time, a whole new row of pens has been build which means that their numbers grew.

Today was one of those Sundays...beautiful weather, lots of people and happy tails. We fed them, cleaned the pens, cleaned around the pens, changed their water, fixed some of the doghouses and loved them. They seamed the happiest creatures on earth. I love to see them happy...especially when I know their sad stories.

I am super tired, but very content for sharing a bit of my time and heart in a worth-full way.