We can't let this shelter's 334 dogs starve!

1. In Romania, Maria and Ferenc are running out of kibble to feed the 334 dogs in their shelter. They will starve if no one intervenes!

"We currently have 334 dogs at the shelter and their number keeps on rising. Our shelter is the biggest one in our area, among small towns like ours. Our rescues truly make a difference for these dogs, here they are no longer in danger, they receive the help they need.

We try to rescue the most vulnerables dogs : young ones, very old ones, very skinny ones, sick or injured ones... Their survival depends on us and our ability to provide food for them. But with that many dogs to take care of and only my husband and I involved, it's very difficult.

Our many fundraising attempts aren't successful, we've had to ration the food for several months now. At this very moment we have 20 bags left, which is less than a day’s worth of food. We are trying to be hopeful but it is getting harder each month... Our dogs need food to recover and live a better life and ultimately, they need it to survive..."

2. Without kibble, fights will break out in the shelter and risk getting out of hand... Maria and Ferenc will not be able to take in any more dogs in distress!

"The first thing the dogs need to survive and live a calm life is food. If they can’t be fed, they become desperate and feel trapped, they try to escape the kennels and get injured in the process. Not having enough food also makes them aggressive and in our shelter it's a dangerous situation because in a lot of the kennels there is more than one dog, so if they start fighting it won't turn out very well...

We want to avoid these scenarios at all costs, for the dogs in our shelter but also for the many dogs in distress that are living on the streets. We worry for them and want to rescue them, to give them the best life we possibly can. But without food, we are unable to help them, it is utterly heartbreaking..."

3. Left to die after being run over by a car, Freddy is now paralyzed. His survival depends entirely on Maria and Ferenc's ability to feed him...

"Freddy has been in the shelter for 8 months. A woman found him in a supermarket parking, he had been hit by a car and didn’t have a microchip so we suspect he might have been on the streets his entire life...

He is very sociable and loving towards everyone, but sadly, the vet has said he will never walk again. Freddy is completely dependent on us, us taking care of him, feeding him, making sure that he is healthy. He wouldn’t survive in any other situation. We are his only family and we need to be able to provide for him otherwise he doesn't stand a chance at a healthy life."

4. Debts are piling up and donations are at their lowest. Maria and Ferenc have no money to buy kibble.

"Our call for donations aren't as succesful as they used to be, I think the pandemic has made enough changes socially and economically that will last a few years... We are in a very bad place financially speaking.

We have debts at the vet and no money to pay them back and we fear and know it will take a long time before things finally start getting better...Our biggest fear is that one day we might actually have no food at all to give the dogs...

It is important for people to support and help us because it is hard for two people to take care of so many dogs. We need this campaign to succeed for the dogs and for us, so we can breathe easy for a while, knowing that they are fed properly."

5. Maria and Ferenc are not asking for money, only kibble to prevent the dogs from starving.

"Before we opened the shelter, we had an apartment we lived in. We sold the apartment years ago so we could invest in the shelter and the land we needed for it. Our days are spent at the shelter. We don’t have any free time, we don’t go on vacations, we don’t go out to dinner, we spend our whole time here!

We sacrificed our whole lives and we don’t regret anything, but we are not getting any younger and it is getting harder and harder to keep fighting. We still maintain hope that people are generally good and that in time, they will learn to value all life forms, and see the hard work we put into our shelter.

After all, having a shelter in a town is a community issue, and should be regarded as such. Thanks to our actions, there are less dogs on the streets, less future puppies on the streets and so on... And when they come here, dogs are safe and their quality of life is improved, some of them even find loving forever homes. These happy endings and the love we have for these animals is the main thing that keeps us going and helps us remain positive."

6. If this campaign succeeds, Maria and Ferenc will not receive any money but 3000 kg of kibble, delivered from Animal Webaction's logistics platform in Romania.

Animal Webaction has a logistics platform in Romania which enables us to intervene quickly and deliver kibble.

7. Calls for donations and in-store collections are not enough anymore for Maria and Ferenc to get by. The partner associations are doing their best to help, but the needs of the shelter are too great, they need this campaign to succeed!

"We post on Facebook anytime we need help, about the bad cases or other issues we face at the shelter. It helps, but it doesn’t make a very big difference. People like, comment, share but don’t really donate much... Our strategy of staying near supermarkets with signs used to be super effective before the pandemic, but now it no longer works either.  Last time we went we came home with one bag of dry food and only a few cans of wet food...

It's not all bad news thankfully, we've recently managed to set up a new collaboration with a French organisation. They help us with adoptions and they've even come here to visit us over the summer. This new collaboration is a blessing for many of our dogs who will hopefully find their forever homes in France!

In the meantime , we still have many dogs to take care of and feed, so having this collection succeed would be a breath of fresh air, to be honest I don't even dare to imagine what would happen if it weren't successful..."

8. Campaigns launched on Animal Webaction often fail.

When a campaign fails, Animal Webaction cannot deliver the products. The beneficiary doesn't receive anything and the buyers are refunded. 

9. In Romania, it is difficult to find funds for kibble, there are no grants, no foundations... Many abandoned dogs die alone in the streets, in complete indifference...​

If you know of a foundation or NGO that could help Maria and Ferenc, please invite them to contact us so that we can put them in touch with each other.

If you represent a foundation or NGO for animal protection, please help Maria and Ferenc's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you want to help Maria and Ferenc at the shelter or if you want to send them kibble or a check directly, contact them via Facebook (note: direct help is done on your own responsibility).

10. If you make a purchase on Animal Webaction, it will be protected by our guarantees.