RAR has become quite a force in Romania, having funded more than 8400 spay/neuter procedures! In addition, our US veterinary program has trained 22 vets and students in Romania. Specific accomplishments include:

1. Spay/neuter and veterinary services
   RAR has funded the spay/neuter of more than 8400 animals in Romania to date. We have also successfully treated animals for accidents, dog bites, car injuries, mange, fleas, ticks, chewing lice, and more.

    

2. Education
   Our unique education program has sent US veterinarians to Romania to train local veterinarians in becoming excellent surgeons, using anesthesia and analgesia. The veterinarians have also spayed and neutered hundreds of dogs during their training camps in Romania. We have trained vets all over Romania, including Arad, Galati, Bucharest, Jilava, Sibiu, Cluj/Napoca, Buzau, and Oradea. These newly trained vets have also been given surgical equipment to use for their surgeries.

    

3. Veterinary supply donations
   Romania Animal Rescue, Inc. has secured donations and funded supplies for animals in shelters, on the streets, and at veterinary clinics. Frontline®, HeartGard®, Previcox®, Rabissun®, surgical instruments, dog food, sterile gauze, and much more have been sent to Romania thanks to our generous donors.

    

4. Partnership with Romania Animal Rescue Foundation/Adoption
   In October, 2008, we became affiliated with Romania Animal Rescue Foundation who does adoption and education in Romania. Run by Livia Brenner, Romania Animal Rescue Foundation has been very successful since its inception in October, 2008. Their fundraiser, "Lords of the Street," at the Athenee Palace Hilton Hotel, on October 2, 2008 was for World Animal Day in October of 2008. The purpose was to raise awareness of the adoptability of the Romanian street dogs. We literally picked these puppies and mom dog up off the street two days before the event, cleaned them up, dressed them up, and had celebrities such as Leslie Hawke present them as the "Lords and Ladies" of Romania! Leslie Hawke is the founder of Alex' fund in Romania, and the mother of Eon Hawke, the actor. We received much media attention (there were 60 people from the media at the event) and national acclaim for this educational approach to communicate to the Romanian people that "Mutts are my favorite breed"! Since that time, we have given the street dogs the name of "Romanian Wiggy" to signify they are a breed all unto their own, due the respect and love that all dogs need! As of July 1, 2009, RAR and RARF have adopted more than 300 dogs to loving forever homes.

    

5. Partnership with a top veterinarian in Romania, Dr. Aurelian
   RAR also has a partnership with Dr. Aurelian, a co-founder of RARF in Romania, who charges us the minimal cost of $22 per spay/neuter. In 2003, Dr. Aurelian Stefan was awarded a grant from the Louis Pasteur National Research Institute for a project involving the effects of various food ingredients on animals and their environment. He graduated from vet school in Bucharest in 2004. In 2006, he co-authored "Post-operative Pain Evaluation in Pets," --The Scientific Studies Congress of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Timisoara, April 2006

   Dr. Aurelian traveled to the US and apprenticed for four months under the guidance of Dr. Young. He returned to Romania and set up a couple of spay/neuter projects with local groups. He now runs his own clinic where low cost surgeries are performed. The clinic also boards animals overnight free of charge when necessary.

   Dr. Aurelian has held seven Spayathons in 2009 for Romania Animal Rescue, using our mobile caravan. Our Spayathons to date have been performed in cities and for shelters in Galati, Popesti, Giurgiu, and Sibiu. The spay/neuter of the animals was free of charge to the public, and encouraged the community to become involved in humane animal control. RAR was able to provide over 600 free spay/neuters via these seven Spayathons.

    

6. Super Day at Spay Day 2009
   RAR arranged and funded Spay Day 2009 (a HSUS project) for a group, Phoenix, in Giurgiu. We had media attention, and were able to spay/neuter over 105 animals. Dr. Aurelian performed more spay/neuter for Spay Day in other areas of Romania. We were able to fund this event with a grant from the Alice Morgan Wright-Edith J. Goode Trust.

    

7. World Woof Tour
   At the end of May, the World Woof Tour visited our Sibiu Spayathon. 110 dogs were spayed at the event. World Woof Tour brought cameras to document the good work that Drs. Daniel Gheoca and Aurelian Stefan, and all of their assistants did those four days. RAR sponsored the transport of one of the dogs, Zara, to South Africa. He will be fostered in Cape Town until the World Woof Tour's mascot, Oscar, returns from his international jaunt, where they will live and play together.

    

8. Doghouses campaign
   In winter, 2008, Romania Animal Rescue was able to arrange for 100 doghouses to be built. The builders of these doghouses placed them near packs of street dogs so they could be used to shelter them from the cold Romanian winter.

    

9. Rescue in Harsova, Romania
   A missionary from Harsova, Romania, contacted RAR about seven dogs that needed sterilization, and 16 puppies that needed to find homes. There is a bounty on dogs' ears in the city of Harsova--citizens are encouraged to kill the dogs, cut off their ears, and bring them to the city for a reward. We knew we had to help if we could. RAR was able to bring all 16 puppies from Harsova to California for adoption.

    

10. Romanian horses
    RAR funded the cost to purchase two horses from a gypsy man who had been neglecting these horses. The horses were near death from starvation. Thanks to international networking with Animed Arad and Nathalie Klinge, our two horses now live in Holland, where they are happy and healthy! RAR has donated 200 doses of horse worming paste for the horses in the country of Romania.

     

11. The Gas Station Dog Ongoing Spay/Neuter Program
    Street dogs en masse are found at gas stations throughout Romania. These dogs are typically in very bad shape, having been hit by cars and abused by people. Our new goal is to be able to purchase a mobile spay/neuter and treatment clinic to help these dogs. Our caravan, which is 30 years old, is slowly deteriorating. A mobile clinic allows us to travel all over Romania to remote places, shelters and towns that need free spay/neuter help. This is the least expensive way to go because we will not have to invest in land, construction of a clinic, water, electricity, etc. The Gas Station Dog spay/neuter program will be ongoing. As Drs. Aurelian and Pepe Stefan travel throughout Romania with the caravan, they spay/neuter dogs that have been abandoned at gas stations throughout the country. These dogs suffer terribly, and are often hit by cars. Adoptions of these Wiggies (i.e., stray dogs) are also a possibility!

     

Romania Animal Rescue is soliciting grant funding for spayathons in Bucharest, Sibiu, Cluj/Napoca, Girugiu, and Hateg. We are also seeking funding for the ongoing Romanian Gas Station Spay/Neuter campaign. Living around the gas stations are dogs that are very skinny and of course without any basic care.

Street dogs en masse are found at gas stations throughout Romania. These dogs are typically in very bad shape, having been hit by cars and abused by people. Our new goal is to be able to purchase a mobile spay/neuter and treatment clinic to help these dogs. Our caravan, which is 30 years old, is slowly dying. A mobile clinic allows us to travel all over Romania to remote places, shelters and towns that need free spay/neuter help. This is the least expensive way to go because we will not have to invest in land, construction of a clinic, water, electricity, etc. The Gas Station Dog spay/neuter program will be ongoing. As Drs. Aurelian and Pepe Stefan travel throughout Romania with the caravan, they will be spay/neuter dogs that have been abandoned at gas stations throughout the county. These dogs suffer terribly, and are often hit by cars. Adoptions of these Wiggies is also a possibility!

To help us provide the equipment essential for performing modern spay/neuter procedures in Romania, please visit our Wishlist page. Monetary donations are also welcome (especially donations to help us replace our mobile clinic) via our Donation page. Thank you.