06/06/2026
These sweet girls Demi & Megan from Dunya's Rescue Haven recently visited the Stichting Le Woef shelter, dog hero Stefan, the Center of Hope - Spital Veterinar Piteasca and our rescuers Diana Maria Lazar and Diana Stan. 💖
It was their very first visit to Romania and what an impressive experience it was. They saw with their own eyes the reality behind the stray dog problem, but also how much love, effort and perseverance it takes every day to give these dogs a second chance.
After their visit they wrote;
"It's hard to explain what a few days in Romania does to you, but your outlook on life as a street dog constantly shifts."
What immediately struck us was the difference between people who actually give everything for street dogs, and the context in which they have to do so. Diana, for example, who organizes spay campaigns and never actually sits still. Even when we were having lunch with her, she was already arranging 3.5% tax papers (a portion of the tax you pay can be given to NGOs) to convince people in the restaurant to donate to Center of Hope. It was also very heartwarming to see how happy the dogs were when they saw her car at one of the places where she often feeds stray dogs.
The Center of Hope itself is an incredibly beautiful concept. A veterinary practice combined with a give-back concept: free sterilization campaigns and structural help of street dogs.
The day after we went to Stefan's shelter. Fantastic to see a 75 year old man just making cement to improve kennels, driven entirely by his dogs. This is truly someone with a heart of gold. We thought the contrast with the public shelter was very big, at Stefan the dogs were visibly less scared and they live in much better conditions.
And then Diana Stan, who takes care of more than 68 dogs in her parents' garden and goes out to the streets every weekend to feed and help the dogs. Everything she's got is in there: feeding, spaying, helping wherever possible. And meanwhile the hospitality is also enormous, her mother insisted on making us lunch and dinner.
At the same time, there was also a side that sticks with you because it hurts. The lack of education is so visible and has such an impact on how dogs are treated. At one point we literally said to each other, "You just feel like a criminal when you're feeding dogs." " You are watched everywhere, and people even came out of their homes to say that they would poison the dogs. That's really sticking.
At the same time it became very clear what the real solution is: sterilization. That is the only sustainable solution, but it requires money and structure, exactly what is often lacking, while there is a budget for dog catchers.
And even though our dogs are all rehoming/adoption dogs, it became even more clear that we would always be up for adoption. There are so many dogs that just deserve a home❤️".
Many thanks again for your time, love and effort! In addition to this visit, they have also made a donation of €550,- for sterilizations/castrations! 💝 And of course they are going to work for some sweet little ones that have stolen their hearts!
