May 2010

Another busy month with more dogs arriving.  It's high time we said a HUGE thank you to all the team at Irish Retreiver Rescue (including their fosterers) for helping rehome so many Romies.  With just 2 more scheduled to arrive before the Winter we are so greatful for all their wonderful help - a total of 13 Roms would've found great homes via our collaboration with IRR and we couldn't be more thankful.  Miss Bonny also arrived to Joan and Dave, more updates on this special lady to follow! 

April 2010

Lots of new Roms arrived this month (photos can be seen under the Happy Endings page) all lovely as ever and all found great homes, settling nicely.  Special thanks this month go as always to 'Auntie' Jan for looking after all the hounds on arrival, feeding them her nutritious homemade dog dinners and generally getting them ready for their new lives.  Thanks too goes to Terry and Rod for their wonderful help with transport.

In addition, my sincere gratitude goes to Fionna and Mick at Lizzies Barn Sanctuary http://lizziesbarn.co.uk/default.aspx for their kind help wth Apollo and support going forward along with Dave G who's doing a grand job coordinating newsletters, transport, homechecks etc. not to mention getting ready for a new arrival of his own... Miss Bonny!

March 2010

Special thanks this month goes to the lovely Anita who's fostered for us for the first time and been just brilliant.  Suzie/Ian for helping with Bill and Tess.  Kerry/Adam too for fostering Valentine and running around all over the place plus accompanying me to Brussels to collect the latest arrivals.

Thanks also to Lizzy at GSD Rescue UK for her fantastic help in finding foster space for Tess (with Annette and her boys) plus her on-going assistance with finding her the forever home she deserves.

December 2009

The last dogs of the year arrived a couple of weeks ago and are now all settled into their new homes.  Today (December 6th) Lisa from All Dogs Rescue and myself hosted a stall at the annual 'Christmas Without Cruelty' event run by the charity Animal Aid. We had a great day, met lots of new potential volunteers, raised funds and enjoyed some delicious vegan food.   We will definitely be back next year!

     

October 2009

Special thanks this month must go to Ruth and Alan at Rolvenden Cat Rescue and Cynthia at NESSR for helping with the rehoming of our latest arrivals.

Also, huge thanks go to Lin Toynbee and her team (including the wonderful Jane) at the Cats Protection League, Hythe Branch for collecting so many blankets, pillows and all manner of other sundries to keep the dogs and puppies at the SOS Dogs Oradea Shelter warm this Winter.

August 2009

Jan from the charity R.O.A.R. UK visited SOS Dogs Oradea and also to collect 3 dogs from Dana at ROLDA.  Jan had a fantastic time seeing the work being done at both the city and open shelter.  Jan drove to Romania and back again on her own which is no mean feat given the distance and the fact that she suffered two cracked ribs halfway through the journey home!!  HUGE thanks go to Jan for bringing home Comet, Sue and Ellen and well done making the trip alone - truly exceptional!!  Thanks also go to Dana for making the 24-hr round trip from Galati to Oradea and all the work that she does to get the dogs ready for rehoming! 

June 2009

Recently back from third trip to Romania, this time to see the work being done by the FPCC charity in Oradea.   Lisa from All Dogs Rescue came with me and enroute we also picked up Magdelana from Germany who works for the global campaigning charity PETA.  It was an amazing trip and great to see the successes the FPCC are having in significantly reducing the street/stray dogs in the region.  Not only does the charity have a successful and extensive spay/neuter operation, they also run an efficient adoption shelter plus a pioneeering open-shelter scheme where more nervous and unrehomable dogs can live in total freedom whilst still being fed daily and receiving vet treatment as and when necessary.

                            

    

Whilst in Oradea we also visited Oradea Zoo, one of several Romanian zoos where the animals are living in truly appauling conditions which wouldn't even meet the most basic EU standards.  Thankfully there are plans for a much needed renovation of the zoo and possible relocation of some of the animals which would leave behind more space and better conditions for those that remain.

During this trip we met with Dana from ROLDA to collect 6 more dogs to bring back to the UK with us.  Four had homes to come to but two of them were rehomed by Irish Retreiver Rescue and for their help we are very grateful!

Exciting news also for Dana at ROLDA, the charity is being supported in an awareness campaign by the Spanish actress Monica Cruz (sister to Penelope).   Monica is a life-long animal lover and was very happy to lend her name to the good work being done at ROLDA.

   

April 2009

It's been another busy month, this time looking after the arrival of 6 dogs from a shelter in Oradea in the North of the country close to the Hungarian border.  All dogs happily adjusting to life in England.  Billy and the wonderful team at The Retreat Animal Rescue kindly took in 5 of the dogs and Lisa from All Dogs Rescue took one too.  They have all now been rehomed.

Special thanks this month also goes to Eileen in Leicester who's been so supportive especially in the rehoming of Adi, one of our very first dogs.  It's great to have you on board!! 

March 2009

After weeks of planning, Tracy and I collect 6 more ROLDA dogs en-route to new homes.  We drive to Ostend and meet Nathalie who for many years has been working for the FPCC Foundation.  The dogs travel well back to the UK and are now happily settled into their new homes or temporary foster homes.  We are so grateful to Kymm and Kelly, two of our wonderful foster carers who looked after our dogs so well at the very start of their new lives here in the UK!

                                                 

                                 Arriving at Ostend                                     Mica rides up front!

February 2009

Special thanks goes to Lisa of Animal Samaritans for her huge help and support.  We look forward to collaborating with you in the future. 

Lisa's lovely poem...

                                                            A lady came from far away

and soon learnt of our plight

unlike so many who walked away

she stood up to fight the fight 

 

Working every hour that god sent

and with the cash she'd made

she started a charity just for us

ROMANIA ANIMAL AID

 

In a land called the UK she finds us homes

and the ones with the jammiest luck

get picked up by a man with a smily face

and we travel to her in a truck

 

Dear Chrissy on behalf of all of us here

we thank you for all that you do

we all know our lives would be so different

if it wasnt for people like you

 

Dont give up your dream when things get tough

as we need you & each night we pray

that you'll come back again & take more of us

to the land that they call the UK

 

(from the romanian dogs)

 

January 2009

A BIG thank you goes to our Rom-dogs supporter Moyna Kelly for collecting blankets, towels and food which will be donated to The Retreat Animal Sanctuary in return for their on-going support to our charity. 

Thanks also to Veronica the ROLDA UK co-ordinator who also collects food and supplies on a continuous basis.  You're one in a million!!

November 2008

Our first ever and very generous donation comes from Adrienne and Tony Matthews, my best friend Emily's wonderful parents.  Our huge thanks for caring, you are amazing and we are so, so grateful!

Thanks also goes to Emily for setting up RAA as a Facebook group.  This helps to raise awareness in these early few months and establishes a platform from which to promote the dogs and help find them wonderful homes.  Ems also has lots of fantastic ideas for the future and her unwaivering support and encouragement is enormously appreciated!

On behalf of all the ROLDA dogs... Pawz Up!! xx