You may be aware of the problem of the killing of stray dogs in Romania and the subsequent public interest and sympathy this has created across Europe and indeed further afield to the US, Canada and Australia.

 

In November 2011 230 dogs were brutally euthanized in Botosani public shelter (there was no such thing as humane euthanasia in Romania), when the volunteers came in the next morning there were blood and dead dogs everywhere. They were put into plastic bags and thrown away like rubbish. 

 

Since that time, the volunteers have fought really hard to keep the numbers of the dogs down by promoting them on their facebook pages for adoption, fostering and sponsorship. Many people joined the groups set up by the volunteers and over the past couple of years the groups have grown. Many people now adopt dogs all over the EU,many people foster dogs one at a time and many rescue centres foster so that the dogs can be adopted in time. Even more people sponsor or donate money for the dogs food, bedding and medical supplies. Since the law changed to allow the legal killing of stray dogs, the volunteers have done a wonderful job of getting nearly 800 adopted. The volunteers arrange all the adoptions, the volunteer vets carry out all the medical checks and Elipet were doing the transport. 

 

All of the dogs who were funded or part funded to travel to the EU by sponsorship or donations were no longer given food or water by the public shelter, instead this has been left to the volunteers to organize, often the dogs were going cold and hungry because there was not enough donations for food and blankets. The official 'vet' (and when I say vet I use that term loosely) Mihail Maxim even thought it appropriate a couple of weeks ago to have all the bedding  set on fire so he told one of the members of staff to do this. The member of staff, when asked by a volunteer, admitted to doing it and said he was put up to it by Mihail Maxim.

The adoptions, however, were working well until the public shelter went up for auction a couple of months ago.

 

The public shelter was taken over by a private company called Trioconstruct. This company previously had the contract for dog catching in Botosani, I'm sure you have seen pictures of the brutality of their handiwork. We began to fear for the dogs because this company had won the contract and we know what kind of torture they are capable of. Trioconstruct practice euthanasia, we do not know if this will be carried out humanely.

 

Last week, the wonderful volunteer vets were told that they would no longer be able to medically help the dogs and that only the vet employed by Trioconstruct (who would work normal office hours) could perform any medical services. The volunteer vets are now only allowed to feed and water the dogs and clean their cages. The dogs have no medical help at all out of hours, like they had when the volunteer vets were allowed to practice. We have found out today that the vet who has been given the job of 'looking after' the health of the dogs in Botosani by Trioconstruct is Mihail Maxim, which says a lot about this company.

 

Now the volunteers have been told that there will be no more adoptions unless the adopters actually come to Botosani to sign the papers themselves and also collect the dogs themselves. These officials know that this is nigh impossible. They want us to get a flight to Romania, sign the adoption papers, go home, and then come back when it is time for the dog to be released. They say that one of the Romanian volunteers can become legally responsible for adopting dogs but this will put her in a very precarious situation, she has been beaten and abused by these people before and when the police and media were called they did nothing to help. Our group do not want to see this woman who has dedicated so much time, effort, love and care for these dogs to be further brutalised and bullied.

 

The situation in Botosani is dire for the dogs. If there can be no adoptions then the numbers of the dogs will grow therefore the killing will start. Mihail Maxim will choose which dog lives and which dog dies and when. If there are no adoptions then City Hall won't have to pay anything for medicals, neutering, pet passports etc, therefore they won't have to spend any money and the dogs can be just left to starve and freeze to death. There will be no neutering programme because there are no volunteer vets, therefore more puppies and more work for the dog catchers, a lucrative business.

 

There have been a lot of protest marches over the past couple of weeks,but, it appears that the situation is becoming worse. One MEP Stefan Bernhard Ecks joined the protest in Bucharest on Saturday 27th September and spoke during that rally. There were also protests in London and Glasgow and there will also be one in Brussels I understand. 

 

I think what most people do not understand is why, after a public enquiry proved that the reason why the killing law was introduced in the first place, the Romanian government persist in this.

 

What is difficult to understand is why there are no sanctions placed on this country until such time that they make some changes to their laws on killing stray dogs and allow adoptions to continue. No other country so publicly flouts EU directives the way Romania does and gets away with it. The local Mayor (Major) in Botosani has the power to make changes if he wishes.

 

Please help us to help Botosani and all public shelters like this. If there are no adoptions what is the point in having a public shelter, defeats the object really doesn't it?

The very word Shelter should mean just that and should not be a place of torture,starvation and/or death for these dogs.

 

Many people have already taken action by writing to their their own MEP's.

 There must be change soon. The whole world is watching and waiting to see what will happen and it seems that everyone We speak to knows about the atrocities in Romania. Will you intervene? Please Will you make your voice heard for the stray dogs of Botosani who have no voice of their own.

 

Thank you