We cannot let the 403 dogs at Ferenc’s shelter starve!

1. In Romania, Ferenc has no kibble left to feed the 403 dogs at his shelter. They will starve if no one helps!

"With over 403 dogs at the shelter, there is not any empty kennel - it’s absolutely overcrowded! Dogs’ treatment is heartbreaking here; abandonments of unsterilised dogs are constant! It’s sadly not unusual to find stray female dogs with litters of puppies… 

The local inconsideration towards dogs impacts our shelter a lot: we’re out of space, funding and kibble… Inflation only makes it more difficult each week to feed them. Hence our collection attempts that haven’t been doing well at all for months, while donations are at an all time low… 

Our situation is tragic! Tonight, we won’t have any kibble left in stock… Feeding the dogs is a horribly stressful issue for us: it takes a huge toll on Maria’s and my own health! In these terribly dark times, this campaign’s success will be a ray of sunshine which will save our dogs’ lives…”  

2. The dogs are overcrowded, nervous and hungry: without kibble, Ferenc dreads the worst as winter settles in Romania...      

"Our dogs only have rationed portions of mediocre kibble to eat, now: they’re really hungry! They have entered survival mode and the weather doesn’t help their case… Days are way colder now, so they really struggle to stay warm at the shelter, as they don’t get enough calories and keep losing weight! 

Downpours often prevent them from getting in the dry, so they’re even more on edge, too! We fear they might start to fight soon - most of our kennels have at least 2 dogs inside, they’re cramped, often tussling, so any fit of rage can escalate quickly under those circumstances! Their life is tough…  

One can easily imagine how worse things are for the strays during this season! They’re in permanent danger out there… So many desperately need help and warmth, yet we’ve never felt so powerless; out of resources and kibble, we can’t guarantee our dogs’ safety, nor rescue new vulnerable ones…”

3. Alma is underfed and has a litter to feed: rescued from the streets, the lack of kibble is life-threatening for them all…    

“We rescued Alma from the streets, along with her babies… She’s a timid two-year-old mama dog who’s spent most of her early life in the streets, left to her own devices. She was in an advanced stage of malnourishment and still needs to gain weight and strength - she’s very thin! 

Besides, as she nurses her puppies, she needs energy and nutrients in bigger amounts. It is vital for all of them that she has a proper kibble supply daily! We’re very worried: our lack of kibble will severely affect not only her health, but also her babies’!”

4. Collections aren't working anymore: inflation and low donations prevent Ferenc from buying kibble for the dogs, this campaign must not fail!

“Years ago, before 2020, we were able to cover most of the shelter-related expenses thanks to donations… We would go back from our collections with our van full of kibble bags! Then, everything started to decline and worsen more each month. At that stage, we have almost no donations or support, no volunteers, but still more and more dogs to take care of and feed! Each time, we told ourselves it couldn’t get more difficult but it did: I got sick, Maria got sick, our car broke… 

Every necessary cost item has just shot up, to the point that we can’t cope anymore - our car allowed us to do our collections at the stores and go to vet appointments, but we have no money to get it repaired! And collections have never been so unsuccessful anyway… We’re way behind all our debts, to the point we had to postpone many sterilisations - our debt to the vet is vertiginous! We desperately need to secure the kibble supply for our dogs’ sake and we can’t do it without this campaign!”

5. Ferenc is not asking for money, only kibble to keep the dogs from starving.

"Running a shelter is a nonstop work, it never ceases and more especially with over 400 dogs and only 3 of us (Maria, our worker and I) to take care of them… We have no volunteers to help us and at this time of the year, difficulties only keep adding up, at the shelter. 

We’re the only shelter in the area and it is obvious we’re under constant pressure and stress… It’s getting to us physically: Maria’s immune system is down, she could only get sick! A bunch of people caring for 400 dogs isn’t enough, it’s so hard to continue without help and more support…

There are way more dogs outside, struggling to survive in dreadful situations! We, as a whole society, have to do more and better for them… It’s a never ending heartbreak and it’s a lot to carry upon our shoulders: if we all end up really sick, no one will be there for the shelter and for all the dogs…” 

6. If this campaign succeeds, Ferenc will not receive any money but 2400 kg of kibble, delivered from Animal Webaction's logistics centre in Romania.

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

7. The shelter's supporters cannot cope with the needs of 403 dogs: out of resources, this campaign is Ferenc's last chance to feed his dogs!

"We have two organisations helping us as far as their means allow - one in France, one in Britain… One of them used to pay our worker’s salary, but they now can’t afford to do so anymore, so we had to cut his hours… The help we get from these associations is valuable but alas, the amount of kibble they manage to get is not nearly enough; they simply don’t have the funds and capacity to provide for more than 400 dogs! They’re deeply affected by the state of the economy too - the crisis is worldwide… 

Our fundraisers on Facebook aren’t working well: the current one is online for a month and it’s really, really, slow… We keep switching between each area of our town to try and collect kibble but it’s not fruitful anymore… Feeding and caring for so many dogs costs a lot! We recently had some local adoption requests, but we knew the dogs would have been chained in backyards: it’s not our goal, as a rescue, to get dogs adopted to end up like this! We’re so thankful Animal Webaction organises this campaign for our dogs…” 

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 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 Ferenc's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you want to help Ferenc at the shelter or if you want to directly send some kibble or a cheque, contact him 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.