1400 dogs are imprisoned in Ecosal, the public shelter in Galati, Romania.  Most of them are kept outside in crowded pens, while hundreds of them are inside an old stone building, where they suffer in dark, windowless concrete cells without daylight and fresh air, in conditions similar to the most primitive zoos in the world.  Daily more dogs are brought to Ecosal by the dog catchers, to suffer there for the rest of their lives. 

Most dogs are depressed and traumatized, while some in despair try to seek attention and climb the fence to escape.  But they can never leave the cells, never escape from the noise of desperate barking and the smell of ammonia and feces, never feel the sunlight, just exist in a nightmarish existence through days and seasons and years, until death finally releases them. Not even at that point they are given the mercy to be put humanely to sleep - they suffer until they die silently in a corner of the cell, and are then disposed off as garbage.  

The treatment of dogs in Ecosal is a disgrace to Galati and the responsible authorities, and a violation of the Romanian law regarding public shelters - "Law no. 258/2013 amending and completing the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 155/2001".  This law requires proper housing, feeding and medical treatment of dogs in public shelters, for which the shelters receive public funds.  In Ecosal the dogs are fed and kept alive from donations fundraised for by volunteers.  

We, the signers, demand an end to the suffering of innocent dogs in Ecosal. The inside cells where dogs are kept for their lifetime without access to outdoor enclosures must be closed, and the dogs transferred to private shelters.  The public funds earmarked for food and medical care must be used for the right purpose.  We demand that the responsible authorities ensure that Ecosal is operated according to the law.