August 2023
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The whole of July and August were very hot months this year. There were more hot days than in recent years. For days on end, temperatures stayed above 40°C in the shade during the day and the nights did not really cool down. Extreme stress and strain for animals that had little or no access to drinkable water.
Früh morgens starteten wir in Richtung Trusesti. Ancas Auto befüllt mit Trockenfutter, Nassfutter Dosen und auch Transportboxen. Man weiß ja nie, was kommt. Die Fahrt gestaltete sich angenehm, da nun nach ca. 3 Jahren Bauzeit, die Landstraße endlich fertig ausgebaut/saniert wurde.
Erster Stopp, die Tankstelle kurz vor dem Dörfchen Siliscani. Dort lebt eine ältere Hündin und wird vom Pächter der Tankstelle geduldet. Auch finden sich hier immer wieder Straßenhunde ein, um ein bisschen Trockenfutter abzubekommen.
We continued to the rest area just before Drislea. Anca has not only set up a feeding station here, but she also always checks the bushes at the side of the road, because unfortunately pets are often abandoned here, sometimes even stuck in a bag. As Anca got out, a dog came running towards her from the other end of the rest area.
It was a small dog. He crawled the last metre towards Anca, lay down on his side at her feet and looked at her pleadingly. The little male whined softly and his tail wagged slightly. Anca took Nico, as the little one would later be called, in her arms. Nico's whimpering stopped and he pressed himself very tightly against Anca's chest.
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Kurz nach der Grenze zu Trueseti besuchen wir eine große Herdenschutz Hündin, die sich seit Tagen bei einem Handwerker Gelände aufhielt. Sie ist eine hübsche, freundliche Hündin, aber sie bleibt auf Abstand. Anca möchte das Vertrauen der Hündin gewinnen, um sie einzufangen und kastrieren zu lassen.
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The industrial area behind the railway station in Trusesti.
There are currently 5 stray dogs living there and other dogs join them from time to time. Of course, a stop is necessary, because the furry noses are waiting for Anca. These 5 dogs would like to be sponsored so that their food supply would be secured. (Category animal sponsorships)
We would also like to visit Cristina, Aca's foster cat home, to take new photos and videos of her charges. Unfortunately, we don't have an association that supports us in adopting cats at the moment. Therefore, we are urgently looking for an association with which we could cooperate, so that "our" cats could get a chance for a carefree life. Therefore, if anyone knows of an association or can give us a tip on whom we could contact, please let us know.
Before we arrived at Cristina's, Anca received a phone call. A lady told her that she had taken in a puppy girl from her neighbour who had emigrated. Unfortunately, they could not keep the little girl and needed help. We picked up little Lisa on the way to Cristina.
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We arrived at Cristina's around lunchtime. First, of course, Nico and Lisa were taken care of and then it was time to take pictures. They are beautiful, friendly and very cuddly cats who are all longing for a carefree home. Cristina tries to be a surrogate mum to her charges as best she can, but there are just too many for one person. All the cats know dogs as Cristina has 2 dogs of her own and the cats live with them. After about 3 hours of cat photo shooting we were done. Of course there was always cuddling and lots of petting in between.
Little by little we will introduce more velvet paws in the cats category.
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Again Anca got a call. A lady told her that 2 small females had been abandoned a few days ago on the road to the high school in the centre of Trueseti. The two dogs would always stay in the same place. Anca asked for a description of the spot and we drove there. When we arrived at the place we saw the two furry noses lying on a meadow. It seemed as if they were waiting for something. They were certainly waiting for their owner, who had certainly dropped them off there, but he would never come back to pick them up again.
Armed with a can of wet food, Anca approached the two females slowly and carefully. Both females immediately ran to Anca when she crouched down to offer the females something to eat. Without shyness they both let themselves be stroked. Anca grabbed the first female, who was startled and gave a short cry. This was enough to make the other female run away. She fled under a parked car. Anca first brought Antonia to safety and then secured the other little female. But Masha didn't trust Anca at that moment and ran to the other side of the road. Slowly and in an arc we approached the little Masha, but this time she did not run away but came towards us. Masha willingly let us take her in our arms and bring her to safety.
Both females have been offered a foster home by our partner
through our partner organisation Hundehilfe NRW e.V. and will soon be able to leave the country.
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We continued to the high school to meet Gipsy, a long-time schoolyard dog, and her dog friends. As every time, Gipsy's joy was enormous when she sees Anca coming.
Gipsy is looking for sponsors to support her. People who would like to help finance Gipsy's annual vaccination and provide her with spot-ons. Various sponsorships are possible!
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Of course, a visit to Ion's pack was not to be missed. 6 stray dogs (all females are spayed) found a shelter with Ion (unfortunately Ion passed away in 2019). After Ion's death, the 6 furry noses were allowed to continue living there if Anca would continue to take care of the pack. Recently, another furry nose, a young female, has been living there. She was kindly accepted into the pack. Soon she will be castrated.
Castrations are very important. Animal suffering can be avoided through castration. Not only can the useless and usually very painful death of puppies be prevented, but females also have a somewhat more carefree life through castration. They only have to take care of themselves and not their offspring as well. A castration costs 32 Euros. Anca is very happy about support to have more castrations of stray dogs and cats carried out.
In between, Anca stopped every now and then to feed stray dogs she saw at the roadside. Most of them know Anca and everyone is very happy, and not only because of the food they get. Cuddles and kind words - for Anca's stray dogs the highlight of their day. Here are a few examples.
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On the way home, the last feeding place is the rest area at the small wood Deal Mare. About 7 or 8 dogs live at this rest area and in its surroundings. Every day, the dogs wait there for Anca and her daily ration of dry food, cuddles and kind words. And many a time, a new furry nose or velvet paw awaits Anca there. A pet that has been abandoned by its owner and now needs help.
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There are not only nice moments, like helping a furry nose by securing it or the look on a street furry nose when it gets food or the look on a dog's face when it realises someone cares about it.
There are also sad moments every day.
Animals run over at the side of the road or when Anca is called to an emergency and she can no longer help. Like a car accident where the dog's spine broke on impact and no one cared for the furry nose that was still alive. The only thing Anca can do is to take the furry nose to the vet to relieve the pain and suffering.
This is also part of it and takes a lot of strength.
Often you don't understand the world anymore, why didn't anyone see the suffering and pain of the animal?
Why did they just leave it there without giving it a second thought? Why?
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In addition, some repair work was necessary at the Safe Place this time. Hinges on the enclosure doors had broken off due to urine, droppings, wear and weather, and needed to be replaced. The safety of our animals is high on our To Do list.
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Over time, the outdoor enclosure, which is located on a slope behind the enclosures, became a big problem. Due to weather and earthworks by dogs, the slope/earth slid more and more towards the enclosure. Only a wooden hut and plastic pallets kept the earth masses from sliding further. But how long would this hold?
So a solution was needed. A long-term solution.
A protective wall was built with concrete piles and sunk one metre deep into the ground. Everything was done by hand, in great heat. This took over a week. Dave, Lexy, Cosmin, Odin and Kenzo kept a close eye on everything to make sure the workers were working properly.
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One of our main tasks has always been to photograph and film the dogs of the Safe Place and to get to know them for a good description. Because only when "our" furry noses/velvet paws are seen do they have a chance of finding families who want to adopt them.
Through and with the help of Elena, Anca's daughter, we could photograph and film furry noses from morning to night over several days.
Elena's skill, love for animals and the way she treats furry noses gave us the opportunity to capture great moments and show the dogs in photos and film.
Elena, thank you very much.
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You are also welcome to support Anca with her work for the stray dogs and cats.
She would be very happy about it.
Paypal: amelinte13@yahoo.com
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