Friday 4 November 2011

Romania Animal Aid - Novermber 2011 Newsletter


 NOVEMBER 2011

It's gonna be one of those months! - Famous last words

Dear Friends and supporters
Do you remember the above title that was given to our September Newsletter? I certainly do...You may have noticed that October was decidedly lacking in the newsletter department. Well that was because October truly was one of those months.
October Aid mission - Well the team set off, Bertha laden with donations from generous supporters and members of RAA, on their way to Romania...Or at least that was the plan. Unfortunately along the way they ended up taking the route via Croatia. This is where all their problems really begun!

Illegal seizure of donationsCroatian border illegally seizes donations - Keeping in mind that the team had been stopped four times already travelling through Europe by police and customs officials including Croatian customs upon entering the country, and each time the goods and paper work was confirmed and the team were given the all clear.
It was not until they were leaving Croatia (already being stopped by the Croatian customs when entering the country) the officials saw there chance and they illegally seized the donations. We can state categorically that this was an illegal seizure for many reasons, without any foundations what so ever. Our team was subjected to inhumane treatment, abuse and racism.
Varying tactics were used by the officials which included but not all:
  • Depriving the ladies of food and water for over 24 hours
  • Forced them to sleep on the van floor in freezing temperatures and not allowing the doors to be closed.
  • Constant interruptions during the night to cause sleep deprivation.
  • During the day they were forced to stay on the bus in the searing heat, put on show in front of passing traffic, again denied water.
  • Total refusal to allow the team to call a lawyer/UK Embassy
  • Refusal to allow an interpreter to be called, one only turned up to help the customs officials after nearly 24 hours of being held!
  • Within an hour of being stopped the officials had chosen the person to lay blame on, this being Anne and not Kendra

However
by choosing Anne to target rather than within an hour of being stopped Kendra they made one fatal error. This means for the entire time in legal terms Kendra was held against her will and her passport taken, this is classed as kidnap. Also the aid mission itself was organised by Kendra, the donations were given to Kendra, Kendra was the only one driving the bus for the entire journey. The aid was not Anne's responsibility but Kendra's. The aid was not Anne's to sign away!
By taking what they thought was the easy route to getting there hands on that aid by targeting Anne, they left the road free for the very person they didn't want spoiling their scam. Upon her immediate release Kendra met with and employed a Croatian lawyer and also called the UK embassy. When she got back to the UK she stepped up her campaign and created a petition as well as bugging the foreign office demanding that they act upon this utter corrupt seizure and her ill treatment.
It has now come to pass in regards to the aid, it is now allowed to be returned to Kendra, and once the paper work and formalities are complete the aid will be collected and distributed to where it should have been in the first place. In regards to Kendra's human rights being violated, this will be going to court...We will keep you updated on this situation.Keep up with the madness
In the meantime, try as they might to stop Kendra filming she has this all on video. See below for the links to footage she shot that awful night.

Well, I hope that you enjoy the rest of this newsletter. Though RAA's wind was knocked out of them for a while, you just cant keep a good charity down. As you will see from below, when it comes to helping animals in need...We just keep going and going and going, because we have to.

Until next month, Keep safe
RAA Newshound xxx
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RAA delivers aid to wher it is neededDOWN BUT NOT OUT - Whilst trying to deal with the above and recovering from the horrendous trip there was still the matter of getting on with what RAA does best. Helping the animals in need.
We decided we could not leave those doggies with hungry bellies and thanks to a large donation by an anonymous supporter, the first chance we got we ordered a load of food to be delivered to the 4 groups that are still awaiting the aid mentioned above and also with the donation helped kick start another groups spay and neuter campaign. The first load of food was delivered last Friday and the other 3 groups will receive there's this coming Wednesday 2nd Nov.


The head of the group Florentina (Animal Crew , Constanta) that received its food last week did a really wonderful thing. So much so I thought I would share it with you. She called it "a donation from a donation". Near where this group rescues and cares for the street dogs there are two elderly ladies who also care for some animals. But these ladies receive no help from anyone, and Florentina thought it would be nice to surprise these ladies with some bags of food. I am sure you will agree, that this was a wonderful act of kindness and are so happy to have been able to help make this happen.
Another happy doggy  Florentina calling in the doggies for dinner  We think this doggy is very happy for the food  
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Recently a public kill shelter in Radauti was flagged up to our charity for all too common reasons like others around Romania. Also extra concerns because the shelters manager is also in charge of the local zoo and dogs mysteriously kept going missing (I will let you guess where they were going) Conditions were beyond acceptable and this was something that RAA could not ignore.
Last week negotiations were started with the local authorities and the newly formed group Radauti Group for Animal Welfare and Romania Animal Aid put the case forward for Catch, Neuter and Return, but also to change the public kill shelter into a sanctuary. That an increase in the budget for the shelter was needed and also that the management of the shelter to be handed over to the care of RGAW.
The mayor is PDL so totally against CNR and a no kill shelter, but thankfully the rest of the council people took on board and actually listened to what was being said and read the information RAA had sent them etc., also confirming our support of RGAW to take over the management of the shelter.
So considering the mayor is PDL and today’s vote, we were not sure how it was going to go.......and the result, amazingly is:
The contract is being drawn up next week for RGAW to take over full management of the public shelter taking affect Jan 2012 when the current contract ends. For the region of Radauti to become catch, neuter and release and in turn the shelter will become a no kill sanctuary for the vulnerable dogs etc.
The town hall will fund in full the basic costs of the sanctuary and this will be increased considerably in Jan 2012 when the management of the shelter to RGAW takes affect. Obviously RGAW will need further assistance and help for extra needs etc, but they will be more independent than maybe some other groups are and will be actively fund-raising within Romania and via their website when it is launched. They will actively be going into the community and promoting spay and neuter at a local level and organising local spay and neuter clinics.
We can not tell you how excited and happy we are by this news.
This week was a good one for the strays of Radauti....We pray that this is a sign of things to come for the strays of Romania, and that one day all regions will be catch, neuter and spay rather than mass slaughter.
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RAA, lighting up one shelter at a timeRAA, LIGHTING UP THE WORLD ONE SHELTER AT A TIME
 
The team recently visited a shelter that was in desperate need of lighting to allow the volunteers to keep check on the dogs at night, would deter intruders who may enter to steal materials from the shelter and hurt the dogs, but extra lighting would mean extra electricity bills, extra bills means somewhere along the line the animals in there care will have to go without either food, medical care or both.
So Kendra being , well Kendra, came up with a brainwave of solar lights and we managed to buy 2 boxes full of garden wall solar lights that will be adorning the doggies kennels shortly. Of course these lights mean no extra bills which mean the furry angels wont go without.
     Click Light to donate today

These lights cost £1 each, please help us light up more shelters by donating to our Solar Light Appeal
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RAA's VIRTUAL WAREHOUSE - Doors open Jan 2012
Imagine just for a moment a warehouse with shelves stocked with food and pet treats. Blankets and duvets neatly folded on top of each other, boxes full of medial treatments, anti parasite tablets and creams, ear drops and pet first aid kits. As you glance around you see in a far corner a mountain of straw perfect to heat any little pups body and keep them dry is piled high to the ceiling. This seems like a dream doesn't it? And, you would be quite correct because it is just that, at the moment. It is our dream that is about to become reality.
After doing some research and a few calls made, we have realised that between monetary donations and material donations this actually can work, this is entirely possible.
How it will work - Basically when a registered NGO has tried all other avenues to find ways to get the aid that there animals need but have hit a brick wall. They will be able to contact us and give us a list of items that is urgently required. Of course depending on what we have available and the stock in the virtual warehouse we can only send or get delivered to them what we can.
How will it work? - To ensure that this is fair and the warehouse isn't used instead of independent fundraising from a group/s.
  • Emergency aid will be limited to 1 weeks or at the most 2 weeks supply. And can only be accessed once a year by any group. (This of course does not limit us helping the same groups with other projects)
  • Apart from the food that we know can be delivered directly to the groups shelter, we will do all we can to get the aid directly to them, but if need be the group themselves will have to make arrangements to collect the aid from a specific location we are able to get it dropped off at.
  • The NGO has to be registered with us, providing their contact details and their official checkable registration number.
Why have we applied limits?  - Considering the amount of NGO's that will no doubt benefit from the warehouse, limiting the amount of times the warehouse can be accessed in a set time period by any one group is the only fair way to do this.
How will the warehouse be stocked? -
  • Monetary donations and fundraising - This will pay for food and straw that we can order and pay to be delivered within Romania.
  • Material Donations - Again this can be in the form of food, treatments or whatever you like, and thanks to a company who twice a month already has trucks that go to Romania, that have agreed space for our aid in there trucks, we can regularly send items to Romania free of charge.
When does the Warehouse open? - Jan 2012. To prepare for this, from our fundraising efforts and collections of aid a percentage will be allocated to the warehouse. This will allow us to hit the ground running when we open its virtual doors in the new year.
If you would like to find out more or want to help us stock the shelves in your chosen way, please do contact us.
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TAKE ACTION NOW - YOU ARE THE STRAYS LAST CHANCE THE VOTE IS 7th NOV - THE STRAYS NEED YOUR HELP NOW!
The respected animal welfare activist Carmen Arsene, recently contacted us to let us know of the dirty tricks now being played by the PDL party of Romania.
 In short what PDL are doing is having postponed the vote to mass kill all strays in Romania is attempting to gain the support of the public by basically fraudulently using pro-euthanasia leaflets and questionnaires using the European Peoples party logo on them, to insinuate that the Romanian Governments horrific plans actually fall in-line with European legislation.
 
Being that Romania has only been part of the European Union for a relatively short period, many citizens within Romania are actually unaware of European legislation. And us fellow Europeans know, the EU is against mass killing of strays, it is in fact pro- sterilisation and responsible ownership. This is also the view shared by the European Peoples Party.
 
Yet here is Romania's political party PDL using the EPP logo and insinuating that mass killing of strays is what the European Union wants. This is underhanded, fraudulent and wholly wrong in every respect. With these types of tactics being used the strays do not stand a chance if we do not act now.
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Or click on the puppy above to donate
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ADOPT A RESCUED ROMMIE FROM RAA
Introducing a new element to our newsletter - Every month along with our newsletter we will be adding an extra section which we hope that you will print off and share with your family, friends and maybe co workers.
In this section you will find a whole bunch of adorable sweet rescued Rommies that are in desperate need of a forever home...and from January 1st 2012 the UK falls inline with the rest of Europe, meaning if there is a little angel here that you fall in love with, after a successful home check he or she could be with you in January. Now that really is one heck of a way to start a new year!
Also to kick start this section we have also included some furry angels that could be joining you and your family this Christmas as they have already gone through the 6 month quarantine period, have there very own passports and are ready to travel this December.
So please check out the special section at the end of this newsletter, print it out and share it with everyone you know..These little guys really need a safe and loving home...

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COULD YOU BE A FOSTER FAMILY FOR A RESCUED ROMMY?

We are always happy to hear from good, reliable short-term fosterers for our dogs. People to give them a week or so to settle in and adjust to a home environment in preparation for their new forever home! Fosterers must be at home most of the day and ideally have experience of rescue dogs.

Also please be aware that you will have to fulfil our strict criteria and agree to regular contact and home checks by an RAA team member,.
 
If you are interested, please contact us for more information
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To all our supporters and fundraisers. Without you guys we would not be able to raise awareness of the plight of animals in Romania and certainly would be unable to carry on our work helping, rescuing, caring and re-homing the animals that we do.
Words cannot express fully how grateful we are for your support.
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If you can open your heart and home, and grant a wish to one of these furry angels, please contact us info@romaniaanimalaid.co.uk
Please note all the doggies below are ready to travel now to forever homes throughout Europe and the USA barring the UK where they will be able able to travel to from Jan 1st 2012.
Each one has their very own page with more information and photos. Either click on the doggies photo or copy their page url into your browser.

BLANCA
UK Jan 2012 - Medium sized, 4.6 years of age

History - She was the "guardian" dog of an institution, and when new dogs came, she tried to protect the area. She got into fight with other dogs and was severely hurt. Unfortunately the people there did not treat her and kept her there for more than a month, she was took to a vet and was at the beginning of tetanus, showing the first signs. She was put immediately on medication and after weeks of proper treatment, she got well. She has no problems, no side effects, no danger in the future.

She is very friendly with humans, she looks for human contact, has learnt to walk on leash. She is more authoritarian towards other dogs. We can keep her in the yard with other dogs, as you see, but she does not really like to play with any of them, she stays in her corner and does not want to be bothered. When she is not happy, she immediately shows it, by growling. She is more of a serious dog, and would probably more suit a childless household without other dogs, where she for the first time in her life can benefit from one on one attention.
 

BOBO
Looking for a forever home now throughout Europe and USA.

3 yrs old, was one of 6 dogs who were part of our big rescue from a deserted house in Ploiesti back in February of this year. They are all currently in a private kennel facility in Hungary
He would like a home with no small children, somewhere quiet where he can learn to trust and build his confidence.
His family needs experience with shy/nervous dogs and lots of love to give to make this little guy feel special

 

BOUNCY
Approx 2 years of age and the most loving sweetest dog you could ever meet.
Some vile excuse of a human being actually tried to run this little guy over in front of us when were in Romania on an Aid mission. Thankfully he rebounded off the drivers door and was more shaken and bruised than anything else. Now all he needs is a family to love him.
This little guy is desperately in need of a loving home, he gets along with cats, is house trained and is up to date with all his vaccines, chipped and recently neutered. He will be arriving in the UK this coming Jan 2012.

BELLA
UK Jan 2012

Female around 2 years old, born in the streets of Bucharest. When she was young, we tried to rehome her, but it was impossible because she was very connected to her brother and you could not separate them. They stayed together 1.5 years in an enclosure, never separated. Until the New Year's Eve when Goldie (her brother) got lost and he was never seen again. Bella was left alone there and one day she escaped through the open door of the enclosure and she was hit by a car. The Xray showed she had hip dislocation, but the surgery was a succes (ligament reconstruction) and now she is almost recovered.

Bella is a little bit scared of strangers, but when she gets to know better somebody she is so loving and obedient. So, she needs time for adjustment with people. She is also getting along well with other dogs.

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Big Boy
A beautiful 8 month old rescued stray from Romania. He is loving, loyal and is looking for his forever home. Neutered, fully vaccinated,chipped and has his passport ready to go to his forever home.



3 Little Angels
1 boy and 2 girls - These adorable little mops are desperately looking for a forever home, together or as individual pups...These little angels are all fully vaccinated, chipped ,passported  and neutered and ready to travel to the UK in Jan 2012 or  Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, Holland or Switzerland as soon as the homecheck is complete and successful.


OSCAR
7 month Rommy looking for a forever home. 

Fully Vaccinated, Neutered, passport and chipped. This gorgeous young pup could be in sharing your life in in the UK from Jan 2012, or if you live in Germany, Austria, Belgium ,France, Holland even sooner.

Nadia
7 month Female
 
Playful, loving and ready for to find her forever home...
Fully Vaccinated, chipped and passported.. Please find it in your heart to offer her a foster or forever home


Wanda

Beautiful 7 month Female, Neutered, fully vaccinated, chipped, passport ready. If you live in Germany, Austria, Holland, France, Switzerland, Belgium she could be part of your family (pending home check) in less than 2 weeks. If in the UK after Jan 2012



 

Honey

8 month old Female looking for a foster/forever home

Fully Vaccinated, Neutered, passport and chipped. This gorgeous young pup could be sharing your life in just 2 weeks (pending home check) if you live in Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Holland or the UK in Jan 2012.



INA

8 Month Female. Looking for foster/forever home

Neutered, fully vaccinated, chipped, passport ready. If you live in Germany, Austria, Holland, France, Switzerland, Belgium she could be part of your family (pending home check) in less than 2 weeks, UK Jan 2012
 
 


 
Clarissa
Female, 1 year old, spayed, 25 Kilos on September 19th, 2011; black with white belly and paws - fostered in private yard

Let us describe Clarissa a bit. She's a very friendly young female girl, but not crazy energetic. She's about average on energy level, very affectionate and calm.
Clarissa is a dog from my neighbourhood, and I used to know her dad who had a super great temperament. Lately, she has developed a problem at one of her eyes, as you can see from her first pictures. My mom tried to take her to the vet, but precisely on the day to be taken to the vet, Clarissa wasn't to be found... So unfortunately her much needed treatment was postponed for a while.

Eventually, we took her to the vet to have her spayed and treated for the damaged eye. The vet decided to only clean up the injury and advised us on how to treat her for her problem. If she is lucky, her injured eye will recover, that's what we were told! So we take really good care of her, give her medication and hope for the best. 


Meat Loaf
Girl, 3-4 years old, spayed, Small size,10-12 kilos heavy; black back, with brown legs and tail
 
Meat Loaf is very affectionate and friendly, both with people and dogs. 

About 2 years ago she suffered from a broken pelvis, probably from a car accident. But she has recovered well and now she is a happy go lucky dog. She'd be a great companion dog. She is small, spayed, and not very energetic, being a bit overweight.
 


Luiza ( aka Ozzy)
Young Adult, Female, Large- about 35 kilos; Spayed, Australian Border Collie cross, playful and friendly

Last winter she had a litter of puppies, on freezing temperatures. A really nice lady in the neighbourhood took care of the puppies and found them owners, and then had Luiza spayed as well. Unfortunately, Luiza still needs an owner of her own.



BAMBI

Bambi- Male, Large, About 22-24 kilos
Fully vaccinated, neutered, friendly and loving




Pisu
Young female adult cat, small size, very friendly and loving
Fully vaccinated, chipped, spayed
Very friendly and affectionate




 

STAR
Female, 50 cm height, 2 years

Star is a young dog, around 1 year and a half, very energetic and full of joy. She is a real good kisser. She is a very obedient dog, very sociable and beautiful.
Even she had an awful life in the past, she stayed for a while in a public shelter, now she learned to trust people again and she hopes one day she will have a real family to feel love and protection.
 


ROBERTO
Looking for a forever home now throughout Europe and USA.

Roberto is 4 yrs of age, was one of 6 dogs who were part of our big rescue from a deserted house in Ploiesti back in February of this year. They are all currently in a private kennel facility in Hungary
He would like a home with no small children, somewhere quiet where he can learn to trust and build his confidence, a very scared and nervous dog.
His family needs experience with shy/nervous dogs and lots of love to give to make this little guy feel special. Out of his siblings he is the least nervous.
He needs a home where he can blossom and free himself from the fear that surviving in Romania has caused.


GOLIAT
Looking for a forever home now throughout Europe and USA.

Goliat is 4 yrs of age, was one of 6 dogs who were part of our big rescue from a deserted house in Ploiesti back in February of this year. They are all currently in a private kennel facility in Hungary
He would like a home with no small children, somewhere quiet where he can learn to trust and build his confidence.
His family needs experience with shy/nervous dogs and lots of love to give to make this little guy feel special. Out of his siblings he is the least nervous.
He needs a home where he can blossom and free himself from the fear that surviving in Romania has caused.


MARTHA
Looking for a forever home now throughout Europe and USA.

Martha is 4 yrs of age, was one of 6 dogs who were part of our big rescue from a deserted house in Ploiesti back in February of this year. They are all currently in a private kennel facility in Hungary
She would like a home with no small children, somewhere quiet where she can learn to trust and build his confidence.
Her family needs experience with shy/nervous dogs and lots of love to give to make this little girl feel special. Out of her siblings she is the least nervous.

MOBY
Male - 5 months of age
Born in the yard of a factory about 3.5 months ago, Moby had a pelvic fracture when he was one month old.

But even in this bad situation, with both his back legs immobilized because of infection, with a big head and a small body tortured by pain, he came into Carmen's way about one month and a half ago.

Now he looks as beautiful as you can see in the pictures, he is a loving small sized dog, getting along very well with other dogs, and even with cats.



Please do contact us if you are interested in either offering these little guys a forever home or a foster home info@romaniaanimalaid.co.uk