Save Romanian animals from a cruel life and you’ll have an extra reason to be proud on your Birthday!

Want to make your birthday super special this year? Celebrate it by making a difference for animals!

It’s really easy – and the best part is that everything you need is available through your Facebook account.
1. Get ready: create your Facebook fundraising page here: https://www.facebook.com/fund/ROLDADOGS/. Make sure it’s ready to go on your special day.
2. Get set: setting a goal is a proven way to motivate people to pitch in. Add a zero to whatever age you’ll be this year. For example, turning 30? Go for 300$/EUR/GBP. Remember that no matter how much you bring in, every cent you raise will make a difference for animals.
3. Get creative: personalize your fundraising page. Choose a great photo, and write a short, personal message about why you’re using your birthday to help animals.
4. Share, share, share: share your page with your Facebook friends before and on your birthday so that they know what the perfect gift for you will be this year.
5. Celebrate: don’t forget to enjoy your big day – and remember to thank everyone for the birthday wishes and for helping you make a difference for animals.

Thank you on behalf of #roldadogs and the ROLDA Rescue Team!

Big Surprises for the Residents of Galati Retirement Center on Romanian National Day

To celebrate National Day, ROLDA host a special dinner for the residents of the Galati Retirement Center. To give our gathering an extra dash of holiday spirit, we decorated the center with lovely Christmas ornaments, and we spoiled the residents and the staff with thoughtful hand-made gifts created with love by Romanian artisans.

But our biggest surprise for the 150 residents of the Galati Retirement Center was Tarot, the tiny dog we saved from a boiling tar pit. We are thrilled to announce that Tarot has been adopted and scheduled to meet his new family in Sweden on December  17—just in time to enjoy his first Christmas with them!

So, Tarot was on a mission before leaving Romania. He was determined to spread holiday cheer to all those in need, and he has not forgotten our fellow senior citizens. We believe that the Tarot’s story can inspire anyone to appreciate and give thanks for the little things in life. It can also help us be more grateful that there exists people and organizations in the world who are devoted to helping others—people and animals alike. Tarot is alive today because our generous supporters chose to help him. The elderly in retirement homes are cared for by dedicated staff and volunteers.

“I have wanted to help more people in my community for many years now, and I feel like our charity now has a little breathing room to offer such support once in a while,” said Dana Costin, founder of ROLDA. “Each time my team and I organize an event for people in our community we want them to know that they can count on us to be there. We all live in this county, and we all want to feel safe and happy.”

Watch a short video from this event

In the end, it is compassionate people like you who make our work possible. ROLDA knows that without your generosity and humanity, our programs would have remained just beautiful dreams. But together with you, we can dream further, higher, and bigger. We can #givehope where no one else will.
Thank you from ROLDA Team

Collectible art donations also entitle you to a Fair Market Tax Deduction! There are far more benefits that may be yours once you decide to make a collectible art donation. These advantages include earning a tax deduction equal to the fair market value of your donated items and freeing up wall space to display yet more artwork.

Art is powerful not just because of its “artistic” meaning and value, but because it can be used to support worthy causes like ours. Transform your collectible art piece/s into real help for animals in need! If your artwork collection consists of abstract art, African art, American art, pop-culture art, classic artwork, classic art print posters, patriotic art or original oil paintings, you can donate artwork and support our rescue mission in Romania – next “Ken” that waits with a metallic box stack in his mouth to be saved, or tortured mom with pups waiting to be saved from death, or support our next sterilization event, or Helping poor horses new project.

Collectible art donations can include any of the following: Original drawings by Banksy, Jackson Pollock, Picasso, Andrea Boscoli, Henri Matisse, Raymond Pettibon, Jonathan Green, Walasse Ting, Al Hirschfeld or Max Liebermann.

An original vintage King Kong film poster from 1933, 1967 Monterrey International pop festival poster, Silkscreen posters by Roy Lichtenstein or 1920s vintage French Art Deco travel posters. Folk art and primitives; Textile and fiber art from Chris Roberts, Pablo Picasso, Jean Picart, or Carl Hank can include wool Aubusson tapestries, a baleen basket, embroidered applique art, wall rug portraits, or silk paintings.

Need more ideas?

Donate any of the following: Digital Art, Drawings, Antique art, Modern art, Contemporary art, Folk Art, Mixed Media, Paintings, Photographic Images, Posters, Prints, Sculpture, Carvings, Reproduction, Medium, Acrylic, Gouache, Oil, Watercolor, Abstract, Animals, Animation, Cartoon, Botanical, Children, Infants, Fantasy, Figures, Portraits, Floral, Gardens, Food, Wine, Landscape, Cityscape, Music, Instruments, Nudes, Religious, Inspirational, Seascape, Still Life, Art Deco, Asian, Cubist, Impressionist, Miniature, Outsider Art, Pop Art, Realism, Surrealism, Bronze, Ceramic, Porcelain, Glass, Jade, Metal, Paper, Stone, Marble, Wood, Figures, Nudes, Masks or Religious Statues…Give life to your collectible item/s today! Art is transforming the World thanks to the clever people who appreciate it!

Discover an easy and effective way to help ROLDA save more dogs from your work.

If you’re a current ROLDA supporter or someone who wants to help save stray dogs in Romania, and who believes our charity would make a bigger impact with more contributors, then you can make that change!

How?
Talk to your employer about contributing to our cause through workplace giving.

What is Workplace Giving?
Workplace giving campaigns are annual, employer-sponsored programs that offer employees the opportunity to make a charitable contribution through payroll deduction.

How impactful is Workplace Giving?
Very! Charities are extremely efficient with the contributions they receive. That’s why we always tell you that “no donation is too small.” We are grateful for every donation, and we put every dollar we receive to good use.

ROLDA is no different! We cherish every contribution, and we always ensure that our dogs reap the benefits. Your individual donations make a big difference in a stray dog’s life. But because you and I want to save more stray dogs from suffering, we need to ACT BIG!

Workplace Giving raises collective contributions by raising awareness. Perhaps your employer or colleagues are not aware of the stray dog crisis in Romania but bringing it to their attention may motivate them to contribute to our solution.

Will my employer or colleagues agree?
The only way to know is by asking. It doesn’t hurt to ask or to have a conversation about workplace giving. Just remember that it’s important to respect the decision and circumstances of others and not be pushy.

Even if they do not agree or are unable to contribute now, you should feel proud that you made the effort. And both you and I will always be grateful you did!

Thank you, kindly.

Matching Gift Program: click here
You can also find us on Benevity portal: click here

Put your unwanted car to good use! Donate your car to help rescue homeless dogs.

If you’re reading this, then chances are that you have a car you no longer need or want. Perhaps donating your car wasn’t your first option… and that’s totally okay! Maybe you didn’t even know it was a “thing” you could do. You’d be surprised how many people don’t.

But we’re confident that if more people knew that they could donate their car, they totally would! The process of donating your car is easy! (please go to this link to get started) click here.

Parting ways with your car is difficult. (Well, maybe not all the time. We’re sure there are some people who are just eager to get rid of their jalopy!) But we’re here to reassure you that the act of donating your car to a good cause is always rewarding!

How will ROLDA use the car you donate?

Our ROLDA shelter in Galati, Romania is a 3-hour-drive from Bucharest, where we need to travel often for logistical purposes such as:
● Supply Runs (dog food, medication, veterinary equipment, etc.)
● Veterinary and Animal Hospital appointments (for dogs in need of complicated and/or emergency operations/treatments)
● Adoption Travel (drive dogs that have been adopted to the airport or bus terminal to travel to their adoptive families)

For local purposes, the car will be used for:
● Rescues (drive to rescue stray dogs)
● Campaigns (ROLDA provides sterilization and vaccination campaigns for stray dogs)
● Food Delivery (ROLDA feeds stray dogs in the community)

These are some of the more important things our charity will be able to do more efficiently and more frequently with another car. (Right now, we only have one van which we rely on the fulfill all these tasks and more.) We are extremely grateful for this van. It has saved many lives over the years, but, the truth is, we could benefit from another vehicle. Especially since our goal is to save more lives!

Want to donate your car to ROLDA? Please visit our partner’s page: click here

Every time we rescue a new dog, we try to figure out where he/she comes from so we can try to understand him/her better. When Delu brought Ellie to the shelter, these are the facts as we knew them: A local animal lover called Delu went to pick up Ellie. Ellie and a mixed chow named Bunga were sharing a transport crate when they arrived. The person who called Delu said she found both Ellie and Bunga wandering the streets. She mentioned briefly that Ellie was limping.

It’s clear to us that Ellie belonged to someone. She was abandoned but we don’t know why. Some time ago, Ellie must have been hit by or with something, because she had an old, untreated femur fracture for which she got no treatment. It is heartbreaking, but this is the reality: many homeless animals live in pain, with a fracture or break, and the bone sets naturally – sometimes, in the wrong position, which generates the limping. Plus, probably, pain and more damage/health problems accumulated as time passed.

Ellie is a small, adorable girl who has learned, unfortunately, what it means to be a homeless dog.

After seeing how she limps, we decided it was something serious and rushed Ellie to the vet. There, after a medical exam and XRAY, the vet decided it was the old femur fracture that needs surgery to be corrected and set into the right position.

Being an old problem, there were no guarantees that her leg will recover. But after surgery and a very long recovery period, Ellie‘s pain will stop. In the worst-case scenario, she will lose the leg – but we are hopeful that the vet will do his utmost to save her leg, stop her pain and help her walk normally.

It is sad to think that in a moment, the life of a dog can change so dramatically: from the time when she had a home, until the moment she ended up on the streets, being hit, injured – staying in pain and ending up limping, since who knows when! Thanks to ROLDA friends and supporters, Ellie‘s nightmare will slowly be over.

Making a small gift – Help Ellie’s leg to heal by contributing to medical costs.

More supporters mean more help and during critical times, when your finances are limited, our needs (emergency veterinary costs, food costs, etc) are easier to cover when there are more contributors.

Nothing comes easy in life. Not for Ellie and not for us. Our mission is to work hard, to face difficulties but to make miracles happen for these dogs. And you, dear ROLDA supporter, are part of every step we take to transform each dog’s future.

There is a saying, when someone needs a friend, God sends them a dog. Regardless of your religious beliefs, we can all agree dogs are man’s best friend. ROLDA dogs need a friend, a friend like you, and no dog needs a friend more than Piciu.

After everything I have seen since ROLDA began, I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking I have seen everything, then a story like Piciu’s comes along and reminds me just how wrong I am. You receive weekly – if not daily – heart-breaking stories about our dogs and I wish more than anything Piciu had no such story to tell; I do not know where to begin.

Piciu was the adored pet of a man living with his wife in the village of Smardan. One tragic evening, Piciu became trapped in sharp, metal fencing whilst exploring. In the desperate attempt to free himself, Piciu suffered deep wounds to all four legs and lost a dangerous amount of blood and no, there are no blood banks for dogs here. Piciu was not discovered until the morning, barely clinging to life.

Many would have discarded him like trash, though Piciu had loving owners who wasted no time in rushing him to a vet. It is a uniquely heart-breaking sight – a grown man, weeping and sobbing like a child, inconsolable with grief – cradling his beloved, dying pet in his arms, begging for help whatever the cost.

Piciu is a beautiful, affectionate dog. He needs every prayer to see him through his intensive care and rehabilitation. All four of his legs were grievously wounded, three of which were maimed including one of his front legs that were so irreparably damaged, it required amputating. Furthermore, Piciu is not vaccinated and it would be too risky to vaccinate him in his current state of extremely poor health and weakened immune system.

We have to take extra special care of Piciu, who is exceptionally vulnerable to diseases like distemper, though with our love and expert care, Piciuwill recover and his remaining legs will gradually improve. The most important thing now is to do everything possible to help Piciu fight back to health and reunite him with his family.

Can we, with your help, get Piciu back on his feet?

“My pain is easier to bear when I see you.” that’s what Oscar seems to say when he is around people. Unfortunately, there is no end to the pain that animals feel. It was a regular Saturday. I took a break from writing a report, and logged in to Facebook when the image of a tiny fur ball filled the screen… he was trying to reach a person in a parking lot.

He was too young to understand how dangerously close he was to the busy road. He was focused on reaching the person that stopped the car in the parking lot before she went away, like all the other people who abandoned him behind… hungry and scared… alone in the bitter cold.

He wished to go faster or run as normal puppies did, but he couldn’t… he could only use three legs to move. With one paw suspended in the air, the pain was easier to manage. And so he hopped on, in the night, waiting for someone that would notice him before it was too late.

There is no end to the pain that animals feel, so there is no end to the ROLDA Rescue Team’s mission. Even if it was his day off, Vasile rushed to his van and drove 90 kilometers to Tulcea to meet a lovely girl called Ema.

It was she who spotted Oscar in the parking lot and rang the alarm. Vasile took the small, injured pup back to Galati to the same clinic that once saved Maia’s legs. For this particular case, ROLDA Rescue Team had to cross the Danube River twice and drove for a total of 3 hours and now, veterinary bills are ahead.

We hope that together, we can transform Oscar’s life. Please make a gift to help Oscar heal!

I don’t know if everyone can get an Oscar … but on Saturday, thanks to Ema from Tulcea and thanks to Vasile, ROLDA got one.

Please make a gift to help Oscar and also, help ROLDA reach more dogs like Oscar, dogs that have no one else to turn to – dogs that without you, would die all alone, hungry, injured and scared.

Help Nick beat his tick infestation and help him live! My name is Nick. I was given this name yesterday when I was rescued. Before that, I was a nameless puppy born in a garden in rural Romania like thousands of others. My mother, Greta, gave birth to five pups on a bitterly cold January morning. My brothers and sisters died within the next two months from parvovirus disease, but I survived.

I also managed to outlive starvation. I am skinny, and my bones hurt each time I lay on the concrete. In April, the garden where we lived filled with ticks and fleas which infested my mom and me—we have ticked all over our fur, even around our eyes and in our ears. It’s hard to be born a homeless puppy in Romania! With hundreds of ticks on me, I always feel weak.

The garden’s owners got scared that they might get a disease from our ticks, so they wrapped us in a plastic bag and abandoned us, way outside the village, with no food and no water. We were scared of cars, strange noises, and packs of aggressive dogs defending their territory. My mom and I thought we were going to die out there. We got more and more ticks on our bodies.

One morning I couldn’t open my eyes all the way, but I managed to see my mom shaking from all the fleas and ticks and parasites that were eating us alive. Without a doubt, the first eight months of my life were a nightmare. I didn’t want to bear another day, but somehow, I kept hope alive.

This is how I imagine Nick telling his story. He is eight months old and together with his mother, Greta, who is about eight years old, was found by our ROLDA rescue team. They had been abandoned in the bushes and almost paralyzed by ticks. It was a shocking experience for us because their bodies were completely covered with ticks—even around their eyes and a lot inside their ears.

They were severely dehydrated and emaciated, like walking skeletons.

A monthly donation of €16 toward both Nick and Greta would keep them safe against ticks and fleas. That’s all! Just €16 a month would help end their misery. Make your monthly gift to protect Nick and his mom (and many other dogs) who silently suffer and who desperately need your help.

Help us start Nick’s and Greta’s journey to find a family. Greta is a senior dog, but we are confident someone will want to give her a home. Nick must pass the quarantine after his vaccines, which is not easy, especially if he is carrying any diseases. We have no guarantees that either of them will survive, but our doing our best to save them—as we always do, for each dog in need of our help.

We need you to join Nick’s and Greta’s journey and transform their future. Please, help them.

Prevention treatment is the cheapest and safest solution to protect our voiceless friends and protect ourselves. Help us win the battle against ticks!

Let’s do it for every brave stray dog who suffers every day…even as you read these lines.

Nelu was walking across a field when he spotted the dog laying on its side, twitching its legs. As Nelu got closer, he saw the dog was gasping for air and that its throat was exuding blood from metallic wires wrapped tightly around his neck. Without hesitating, Nelu picked him up and carried him to his home nearby to give him some water before taking him to the vet. Every step of the way, he believed that this dying dog could be saved.

The vet informed Nelu that the dog had a life-threatening wound that needed immediate surgery. When Nelu told the vet that he couldn’t afford the procedure, the vet replied that he couldn’t operate without payment.

In a poor region like Galati, it is uncommon for anyone to perform free labor as it is uncommon for villagers like Nelu to be able to pay for expensive pet surgeries. Of course, Nelu understood the vet’s refusal, but he innocently thought the vet would show compassion given the state of the dog. Sadly, Nelu had to take the dog with him.

But Nelu was determined to find help, and so he found his way to us.

As Nelu related his story, our founder, Dana, was so touched by Nelu’s love for this dog and how he described the dog’s will to live that she instantly thought of the name Romeo. We asked Nelu if he was okay with the name, and he was.

Abuse or freak accident?

It’s unclear how Romeo ended up in this condition but given how tightly clamped the wires were constricting his neck, it appears intentional. However, because no witnesses have come forward, this is only speculation, and a freak accident cannot be ruled out.

It’s heartbreaking to imagine Romeo suffering alone and in silence. He couldn’t bark for help. He couldn’t even whimper. All he could do was hope and fight so that we could save him before he took his last breath.

Romeo is not a lover… he is a fighter! (and a lover)

Everyone was in awe of Romeo’s strength, courage, determination, and patience. He has an iron will that most of us wish we had. He put his faith in Nelu and the vet because he wanted to be saved.

Romeo was just hours away from death and he knew it. We saw it in his eyes—they said, “Please hurry! I don’t want to die!”

Nelu’s love for Romeo. Romeo’s love for life.

While Romeo was in surgery, Nelu shared stories about other stray dogs he’s encountered in the village and said he had never seen a dog in Romeo’s condition. He said he was shocked and afraid but didn’t hesitate to help. He panicked after being rejected by the vet because he felt Romeo was running out of time but said he kept calm for both their sakes. Nelu credits Romeo’s resilience for his self-containment.

After a long silence, Nelu asked if we could help him adopt Romeo. He explained his living situation and believed that with a little support he could be a good caregiver. He said he felt embarrassed and ashamed asking for this after we had already helped him get Romeo the surgery but had to take a chance because he really fell in love with him. How could we say no?

Foster, friendship and fresh air

Our supporters helped us raise enough funds to cover the cost of Romeo’s operation, rehabilitation, aftercare, medicine, and follow-up appointments.

Nelu was able to adopt Romeo thanks to the sympathy and generosity of the people who believe in our work. Time after time, ROLDA supporters read about the animals we rescue, and they always contribute to help us save more lives.

This time, not only did they help Romeo receive the operation and treatment he needed, they also gave a fellow animal lover, Nelu, the opportunity to foster the friend he believes he was meant to find.