We cannot let the 312 dogs at this shelter starve!

1. In Romania, Maria and Ferenc are running out of kibble to feed the 312 dogs in their shelter. They will starve if no one intervenes!

"We have 312 dogs at the shelter... the number keeps increasing. Only a week ago, we rescued 17 dogs from an illegal breeder, to prevent them from ending up on the euthanasia list in the public shelter... There are so many dogs, and we're facing a severe lack of donations. We can't cope on our own...

We are in a dire situation right now. The dogs don't eat enough, we had to cut back on the portions a couple of weeks ago. The results are visible, some of the dogs are actually skinny now... We have 6 bags of kibble left at the moment, which isn't even enough for one day. 

This is the worst we’ve had it since our first campaign on Animal Webaction. We feel overwhelmed and desperate. We fear that we won’t have enough kibble to feed all the dogs. What will we do when we have to decide which dogs get to eat and which don't?!"

2. The dogs at the shelter are getting stressed and skinny due to the lack of kibble. Before long, they will fall ill or become aggressive and injure one another.

"The dogs become more stressed when they are hungry, both mentally and physically. They become aggressive with each other. They try to escape their kennels to see if they can find food. In the process, they destroy the kennels and are at risk of hurting themselves.

A lot of the dogs are already stressed due to the lack of kibble and extreme heat. Many have become skinny, and without kibble, they will lose even more weight and be at risk of falling ill. The vulnerable dogs will not be able to recover at all...

It hurts to even think about what would happen if the campaign doesn’t succeed. We would have to cut back on food portions even more, and that would be a very dangerous situation for a lot of the dogs. We depend on this campaign to make sure that at least the dogs in the shelter are safe and healthy."

3. Brenda is covered in scars since she was used as a fighting dog and kept in terrible conditions. Emaciated and anemic, she won't survive without kibble.

"Brenda is about two years old. We took her in a week ago, after the animal police found her through an investigation. Her owner had over 30 dogs that he bred illegally, they were living in awful conditions. He was using them for breeding and also for dog fights, although it’s hard to prove that.

Brenda is covered in scars, and she was most probably used in dog fights because of her breed. She was tied up with a chain and left in the sun... She is anemic and very skinny. 

We provided her with her own kennel, shade, and plenty of water so she can rest and recover. She needs kibble to regain her weight and strength. We also have to sterilise her and we need to make sure she has kibble available after the surgery so that she can recover."

4. As more and more dogs are abandoned, debts and bills are steadily increasing. With donations being at their lowest, Maria and Ferenc have no money to buy kibble.

"The lack of donations has severely impacted us. It is very hard. We even went to the bank the other day to see if there are any problems with our accounts, since no money was coming in. But no, there was no problem, we were simply not receiving any donations... 

The biggest issue is the increase in the number of dogs, with all the additional expenses it brings. We owe 1000 euros to the vet clinic, and 1200 euros that we spent on building kennels for the new dogs that we had to take in...

This is only going to get worse. Now that we have public kill shelters in our area, a lot more dogs will be on euthanasia lists, which means that there will be even more that need to be rescued. We are feeling overwhelmed and desperate to find food for the dogs."

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

"We opened the shelter nearly six years ago. Our love of animals brought the two of us together and we soon realised that this is our mission in life, to care and help for wounded and abandoned animals. Our devotion to these animals is endless.

Our efforts are perceived very well because people know that we truly care for the dogs. But as a consequence, a lot of people come and abandon their dogs at our shelter. They know we will try our best to care for them so it is an easy way out for the owners.

It is a lot of work, a lot of emotions and sweat. It is only the two of us and there aren’t enough hours in a day to get everything done. It is important that people support our shelter because stray dogs and animal cruelty is a social issue that should matter to all of us. We can't cope on our own."

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. Maria and Ferenc do what they can to raise awareness about their shelter, but they receive too little help. They desperately need this campaign to succeed!

"It is very difficult to maintain collaborations with other organisations because everybody is in a bad situation right now. All rescuers are struggling and the shelters are becoming more and more overwhelmed... The consequences of the pandemic are a long-term struggle.

We conduct online fundraising. We constantly post on our shelter’s Facebook page and our own personal accounts. We try to raise money, we try to get food donations and we post about all the new cases that we have.

We have no money for paid promotions online so we rely on shares and word of mouth. Every association is asking for donations online and it probably matters a lot how many people you can reach... Our efforts are not enough, people barely donate."

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.