A while has passed since I was a contributor on this blog about animal cruelty in Moldova. I am now not in touch with my friends and NGOs in Moldova, but I wish them the best and hope that the issue of stray dogs in the country is now improving.
Let’s just say, it couldn’t exactly get any worse than when I was there!
I wanted to take this opportunity to share a link to my new blog, where you can read all about my year of saving stray dogs in Moldova:
You can click on the image (it is me with my favourite stray dog from Moldova) or click on the title of the story.
It really is a very interesting and enlightening read. From that page, you can also access other stories about my work with stray dogs and my other stories from the Republic of Moldova.
Thank you for visiting and for caring about the stray dog situation in Moldova!
To read more about my experiences in Moldova working with stray dogs, and doing other things in the country, please check out my new blog Meglio Vivere at the address:
On that site, I write about everything that happened to me during my three years in Moldova – including my work with stray dog NGOs. As well as writing about my volunteer experiences in other parts of the world, I also share the travel tips that I have learned from the last ten years of travelling. Those include things like how to travel for cheaper or for FREEÂ and Why you should consider adding volunteer work to you travel plans.
According to Adopta.md, Moldovan adoption portal, charred remains of a stray dog were found in a school yard at Buiucani district of Chisinau.
The dog was burned alive, several distinctive pools of blood covered the ground nearby. The poor animal was then ran over by a motorcycle. Witnesses of the dreadful murder could not be found and the local residents could not establish with certainty whether it was one of the local dogs.
Police refused to come to the scene of one of the most despicable acts of animal cruelty that the Moldovan capital has ever seen. Chisinau police did not arrive in the 2 hours after the dog was found, calls on the next day were left unanswered. Knowing that Moldovan animal abusers go unpunished in the absence of an animal protection law, the sheer fact that police of the capital city of Chisinau refused to even register the incident is abhorrent.
This is the heartbreaking story of Teffy, a beautiful sweet natured dog who has been left with a permanent disability following repeated brutal and violent beatings carried out at Necropolis, the notorious public dog ‘death shelter’ in Moldova. These beatings have affected her spinal cord which in turn have affected her motor skills and she can no longer walk in a straight line. Teffy was rescued by staff from the Areal Moldavian Dog Rescue Shelter and she now lives in safety at the sanctuary of this Shelter and despite her disabilities, she is a happy and loving dog. Everyone who meets her adores her, she is a true survivor of Necropolis.
The Areal Dog Rescue Shelter was set up in June 2014 by a wonderful woman called Natalia Nasa. This remarkable lady and her small team of dedicated staff work endless hours, often donating their own money in order to help rescue the stray, abused and abandoned dogs, many of whom are traumatised and provide them with a safe place to live where they will be loved, fed, vaccinated, neutered and looked after. Some will find loving homes, other dogs like Teffy may not and their forever ‘home’ will be the Shelter.
I founded Friends of Moldavian Strays (FOMS) in the UK following a donation I sent in July 2014 and as I learnt more about the work of the Shelter, the staff who run it and the appalling and cruel treatment of the stray and abandoned dogs in Moldova, I was determined to help them and this has now become a huge part of my life to raise funds to support the continuing good work of the Shelter. Friends of Moldavian Strays is a small committed team run by three ladies in the UK and one in Canada. This Shelter is run purely on donations.
I am writing this appeal for help because the Shelter has a crisis situation and with the best will in the world we cannot raise funds quickly enough to help. The Shelter has recently been forced to find a new plot of land to relocate to due to a high increase in the rent on the current plot, which we cannot possibly continue to pay as well as covering costs for veterinary treatments, neutering and sterilisation, food, fuel, etc. A very large plot has been found for 100 Euros a month and is available for a long-term rental period of 10 years and through previous fundraising efforts, we have paid for three years rental in advance. However there is an enormous amount of work needed here before the dogs can be relocated. The main work includes fencing, gates, the connection of water and electricity, building dog aviaries, dog kennels, renovation of a small building to use as an office/shelter for staff as well as the need to pay for the transportation costs for 250 the dogs.
Without this Shelter dogs like Teffy would have died a terrible death in the public shelter, now she and others like her can live in safety. Time is of the essence here, so can you please help us by making a donation in order that we can get this urgent work completed for our new Shelter. For more information about the Shelter please visit our Facebook page Areal Moldavian stray dog rescue or our website  www.moldaviandogrescue.com
Yet another victim of Moldovan stray animal abuse, this dog was found near a Moldovan highway on February 19, hanging from a tree. The poor animal was buried on the spot. The image was taken from Casa Katarina dog shelter’s Facebook page.Â
A few days ago, Andrei got in touch with “Live” shelter workers. Right before his eyes a car hit a stray dog and rolled on, the driver didn’t even bother to give another look at the injured animal. As the dog tried to crawl off the road, Andrei came to its rescue.
Andrei took the injured dog to the vet, who preceded with a full check-up. The results, unfortunately, were heartbreaking. The back was broken. The vet refused the payment, Andrei bought the meds and brought Nameless to “Live”.
As the days passed, “Live” workers tried to gain trust of the feral dog and continued injections. Andrei and his wife kept calling about the dog and coming over to visit. Sadly, the damage was too great, as the blood stopped flowing to its hind paws, the dog started developing necrosis and had to be put down.
Countless dogs become victims of car accidents, very few of them survive. While some of the injuries may heal, a broken back and inability to move two paws is, in most cases, a death sentence. Many of the dogs with such injuries do not even make it to the shelter altogether, while the others are likely to be destined for a life in the shelter. While “Live” managed to obtain two trolleys thanks to the kind donations that have been pouring in over the last few months, it should be noted that the trolleys are quite rare. They are too expensive to afford for the shelter or an average Moldovan citizen and have to be ordered from abroad.
A few days ago we got a disturbing message regarding a Central Asian Shepherd dog, injured in a hit-and-run accident near the city of Orhei. According to our contact, the dog, unable to move its hind paws, spent two days by the side of the road.
Thanks to a prompt reaction from our Facebook community, our stray animal protection activists and a group of Orhei locals managed to locate the man who found the dog and finally take the dog to “Live” shelter.
Named after Irene, the lady that was bringing her food and water after the accident, the dog is eating well and already trying to get up. We are hoping for a full recovery.
This beautiful old lady is called Via, she’s a pitbull that taken to Necropolis by her owners.
For those of you who do not know it, Necropolis is the HQ of the Chisinau city pest control service, responsible for killing hundreds of Moldovan street dogs every month. Instead of humane euthanasia, Moldovan stray dogs are risking a terrible fate every day – the weapons of choice of Necropolis’ workers are death by metal bar to the head or poison, when it comes to strays that wouldn’t approach the dog snatchers. Sometimes, their victims aren’t just strays – pets may pick up poisoned food during walks and die in terrible agony.
Via’s owners have given her a death sentence, because according to them she has grown old, but still eats a lot. Yes, you read correctly. The malnourished, old, cancer-stricken dog was abandoned to her death because she eats too much. These are the exact words that the “Live” shelter workers heard when they came to her rescue.
Unfortunately, “Live” shelter is currently overcrowded, so Via is forced to live by the gate in literally one square meter of personal space.
Via is severely malnourished and has several breast tumors, as you can see on the photo. We are trying to raise funds to give this old girl a chance and maybe even find her a loving family. She is very tender and social, however, unfortunately,due to the fact that she’s a pitt adoption may be difficult.
Aside from surgery and medication, she will be needing a personal kennel while she stays at “Live”. Via deserves to spend her twilight years healthy, well-fed and in peace, so please help us make it happen!
Even the smallest contribution would be most welcome. You can send your donations through PayPal to fomsuk@hotmail.com, Friends of Moldovan Strays charity helping ALGA and the Moldovan shelters to fundraise for a great cause.
British Ambassador to Moldova Phil Batson and his wife Jo visited “Live” shelter, brought its furry residents supplied and discussed the issues of stray animals with the keepers. The Batsons also adopted a pup named Rosie from the shelter.
What are our needs and how can your donations help? Here’s a short post to give you a brief outline of our current situation, extra photographs and additional reports, daily cost estimates and extra projects details are to follow shortly.
SMILEY IS A STRAY FROM THE STREETS OF MOLDOVA. A FEW WEEKS AGO SHE WAS VACCINATED, SPAYED AND WITH AN EAR TAG IN PLACE FOR IDENTIFICATION, WAS RELEASED BACK ON TO STREETS . YESTERDAY SHE WAS FOUND WITH TERRIBLE INJURIES. SHE WAS OPERATED ON IMMEDIATELY AND IS IN NEED OF A SECOND OPERATION AS HER LEG MAY HAVE TO BE AMPUTATED. SHE IS IN NEED OF URGENT HELP.
PLEASE CAN YOU HELP US TO SAVE HER LIFE.
SMILEY IS NOW SAFE AT THE ‘LIVE LIFE’ SHELTER RUN BY ALGA MOLDAVIAN DOG RESCUE, HOWEVER THEIR FUNDS ARE DESPERATELY LOW AND IN ORDER FOR THEM TO SAVE HER LIFE, THEY ARE URGENTLY APPEALING FOR DONATIONS TO PAY FOR HER MEDICATION AND VETERINARY FEES FOR HER SECOND OPERATION. SMILEY WILL NOT BE RELEASED BACK ON THE STREETS AS THE SHELTER WILL BE LOOKING FOR HER TO BE ADOPTED INTO A LOVING HOME. SHE DESERVES THIS CHANCE.
THE LIVE LIFE SHELTER PROVIDES A SAFE HAVEN FOR HUNDREDS OF DOGS, AND RELY PURELY ON DONATIONS. CURRENTLY THESE FUNDS ARE VERY LOW, AND WITH NEARLY 300 MOUTHS TO FEED, THE DOGS ONLY GET ONE MEAL A DAY. THERE ARE ONLY 20 DOG KENNELS, THE REST SLEEP OUTSIDE IN THE YARD. WITH YOUR HELP THE STAFF CAN BUY FOOD, MEDICATION AND BUILDING SUPPLIES TO BUILD MORE KENNELS.
PLEASE HELP SAVE SMILEY AND PUT A ‘SMILE’ BACK ON HER LOVELY FACE BY DONATING WHATEVER YOU CAN VIA PAYPAL TO ANNOSTIN91@GMAIL.COM. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHELTER, PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THE FACEBOOK PAGE ALGA MOLDAVIAN STRAY DOG ADOPTION PAGE.
THANK YOU!
Everything about stray dogs in Moldova 