Introduction - Asociaţia PetHope

Asociatia PetHope consists of 10 active people that came together out of love for animals.

Their animal protection association was founded in April 2010.

They focus on spay & neuter, education and emergencies.

"Basically we focus on spay/neuter as it is the only way to do something for the future of these dogs, but we never turn away when an animal is suffering and help urgent cases. We also help when it comes to adoptions, national and international.

We have at the moment  50 dogs in our care, half of them are dogs that need special care after something bad happened to them. The others are living in a mini-shelter and waiting for forever homes." -Alina, PetHope

SPAY & NEUTER

 

After years of experience Pet Hope has come to the conclusion that the only way to change the situation of stray dogs in the city is to spay and neuter, to act upon the source not the effect.

Stray dogs are mainly found on companies and factories premises. Dogs are fed there by employees and are able to reproduce very quickly.

This is one of the reasons why Pet Hope, together with the Timisoara City Hall, started a program to spay and neuter the dogs living at companies and factories.
  The City Hall will pay for the materials used in surgeries and Pet Hope has to pay for for veterinarian services.

PetHope also has a separate spay&neuter program which they started together with the students from ASMVT (the veterinary students association from Timisoara).

Together with ASMVT we are trying to build, step by step, our own spay and neuter program.

The plan is to build a post-op space (which has already started), to get a car, and to raise money for the spay and neuter itself.

Ideally, some day we dream of having our own spay/neuter clinic (optionally mobile), where vets can volunteer every day.

In order to do all that we need a lot of help: volunteers, funds, support of the authorities. Everyone should get involved because it is a problem of the community, not only of animal lovers.

 

EMERGENCY CASES

 

Almost every day we are called for animals who are suffering, all over the city.
Sometimes, what we see is horrible and the amount of suffering is huge.
Here you can see a few cases:

 BEFORE & AFTER

 

Sometimes people say: "You put so much energy in saving only one dog, when you could save so many others instead!". But look at these pictures, look in their eyes and tell us it is not worth it or that you wouldn't do the same?

Together with the students from the veterinary faculty, 

we are building a space where dogs or cats can stay 

after their surgery, but also our, lately many, emergencies.
The students do a great, great job and without the kind 

donations of some Pet Hope members we couldn't do it.
 

 MINI-SHELTER & ADOPTION

There was a time when PetHope took every puppy from the streets they could find.
But soon realized it just isn't possible to take them all.
Many of them got adopted, but some weren't so lucky. Now they have grown. The perspective of keeping them in a mini-shelter all their lives is depressing.
Newer dogs come from emergencies and abuse.

"These kennels are the best we can do for our dogs right now... Conditions are not the best as you can see, but the dogs are healthy and still sociable. Though they cannot live all their lives in here...."

"These (the ones occupying the mini-shelter at the moment) are just some of our dogs who are strong enough to live like this. Others are in foster homes."

PetHope has partnered up with two animal protection associations in Germany.
Once a month they send dogs and cats which have found families there.
 

"Because Facebook is being such a great help, we have found more wonderful people from all over Europe that are adopting animals from Romania."

EVENTS

In the end of 2011 musician Nicolae Bialis had a wonderful idea: to organize a concert with his fellow artists for the strays in Timisoara by fund raising, but most important to show the support of the artists for the "spay/neuter" method.

"The result has been fantastic, and we thank all the people involved from the bottom of our hearts!"
The local theater and the local opera house took the organization of the event in their own skillful hands and together with Pet Hope, the Art Time Association and the Association for Timisoara Cultural Capital of Europe, put up an astonishing event.

Through the show PetHope displayed a presentation with photos they had gathered during the years of their activities: cases they'd found, animals they'd saved, situations they had recorded and the important message for spay/neuter.
"The guests donated 5033 RON (around 1200 Euros) which we will use very carefully to continue the spay/neuter campaign."

PetHope also arranges adoption fairs, demonstration campaigns, attends festivals with their dogs etc. They also have met local Parliament members in order to promote spay & neuter.

If you wish to be part of the change and help PetHope with their amazing work, please donate, adopt and share!

E-mail:

pet.hope.association@gmail.com

Donations:

Lei Account:

Asociaţia Pet Hope

IBAN: RO96 RZBR 0000 0600 1253 5915

Banca Raiffeisen Bank

CIF 26863617

Euro Account:

Asociaţia Pet Hope

RO45 RZBR 0000 0600 1378 2216

Banca Raiffeisen Bank

SWIFT (BIC): RZBRROBU

Paypal:

pethope@live.com

Asociaţia PetHope - Bobby, the decay of a Romanian street dog

Asociaţia PetHope:

We are 10-20 people that came together out of love for animals. Our animal protection association was founded in April 2010.

We focus on spay & neuter, education and emergencies.

Bobby, the decay of a Romanian street dog

Bobby is a 1 year old street dog. He was living near the site where a 12-puppy litter was born and we went to take care of them, take them to adoption fairs, etc 

Imagine him always being around, always jumping on you and wanting to play. A wonderful dog! The neighbors loved him, fed him, played with him. We love him too. 
  His eye was infected and when we went to take him to the vet he wasn't to be found. Finally, we were called because he was lying on the field and couldn't move. The ladies say he was beaten by someone.

Before and after he was beaten

These are his injuries:
- damaged eye, cannot be saved, will be taken out in the near future (older injury)
- 2 missing teeth
- broken right leg, will recover by itself
- badly broken left front leg, needed to be fixed with metal parts
- wounds on his back leg and ear 

We don't know how this wonderful dog got in such a state, the whole thing is very sad... But we won't rest until we find out. Bobby is a very kind and gentle dog. When we visited him all he wanted was to come to us even when his leg hurt. The vet also said he has rarely seen a street dog with such good behavior.

You can watch a short video of him: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=217480404988418

He really needs a FOREVER HOME, because being the nicest street dog didn't work out for poor Bobby. 


The costs for his surgery and hospital stay are 690 Lei (160 Euro). Any donation for him is of great help because we still have to pay this: 

Lei Account:
Asociaţia Pet Hope
IBAN: RO96 RZBR 0000 0600 1253 5915
Banca Raiffeisen Bank CIF 26863617 

Euro Account:
Asociaţia Pet Hope
RO45 RZBR 0000 0600 1378 2216
Banca Raiffeisen Bank
SWIFT (BIC): RZBRROBU 

Paypal: pethope@live.com

UPDATE #1
Bobby is at Dog City (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001754093545) now, in a dog hotel. Thanks guys for that. The ladies from the neighborhood he lived in collected donations to pay for another month, which is great to see!!!
Bobby really needs this foster place because of the metal frame around his leg. We went to the vet and he said it is remarkable how well the leg is: not swollen, puts it down sometimes, but not when he runs fast. That is very good. The eye will be removed when the metal parts will be removed (in 3-4 weeks), to prevent an infection. The trip with Bobby was great. He has a really wonderful personality and the one who will adopt him will be a lucky man!

UPDATE #2
Metal parts removed before Christmas and now Bobby is walking great! His eye didn't need to be removed.
BEST NEWS: Bobby has a home!!! He shares the yard with a German shepherd lady. She needed a partner to guard the house that is under construction. We visited one evening and he was so excited!!! We will visit him every time we go to Dog City as it is near them. Thank you guys from Dog City for finding him a place to stay!!! Bobby is a special dog and we will keep in touch with him always!

UPDATE #3
We had to take Bobby back because his owner didn't want him anymore :(
He is the same playful and loving dog :)
His legs are fully recovered, his eye is affected but not infected so he can keep it, even though he probably doesn't see with it. The other eye is OK.
Bobby deserves a LOVING HOME! Please consider adopting him!

 
This was Bobby. Always there, always happy, always jumping on you.
People in the neighborhood loved him, fed him, played with him.

He lived at a site where a 12-puppy litter was born. We took care of the pups, gave them up for adoption. Every time we went there he was always by our side. Simply a lovely dog.

 One day we noticed that he had a problem with his eye.
The next day we wanted to take him to a vet but he wasn't to be found.

 Finally we were called that he lies in the field and cannot move. We rushed him to the vet.
His eye cannot be saved. It was an external object that hurt his eye.
But the other problems were much more severe.

People in the neighborhood said he was beaten by someone. We won't rest until we find out what happened to him.

He had wounds on his back leg and on his ear.

The biggest problem is that both front legs were fractured.
One not so bad, it will recover by itself, but the other was broken in 2 places.

 His surgery for the broken leg went well. He will have to carry the metal parts for 6 weeks.

 


  He is such a kind dog. When we visited him all he wanted is to come beside a human being, even if he walks very slow.

The vet also says he has rarely seen a street dog which such a nice behavior.
The eye will need to be taken out, but not now, because he is going through a lot already.

 This is the solution for his leg to recover. These metal parts will come out in 6 weeks.

 It was so sad to see in what a state he was... after seeing the dog he was.

 We really hope, and the vet assures us, that he will make a full recovery and that we'll find a nice loving family for him.

Our lovely partners Dog City made space in their dog hotel for Bobby, because it was such a desperate case and we found no foster home for him.
 

 
 Dog trainer Robert told us Bobby has great character. He is allowed to take walks outside with the other dogs and he is very sociable & nice.
Romanians would say "e un caine de treaba"
 

 Here's Bobby in his last home before being returned by his new owner..... Life being chained just isn't for Bobby (or any other dog for that matter).

 




And this is Bobby now (to the right)
 Who would have thought? One eyed Bobby is the boss of the yard he lives in from day 1!

 
As you can see his favorite thing are still people, which he tries to keep there as long as possible :)

 The students from the vet college came to treat, socialize and take samples. The dogs where so happy, including Bobby of course :D as he is always happy.


















                                                                                                            

For more pictures and updates of Bobby, please visit PetHope's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001793812916

Thank you for taking the time to read about Bobby.

Romania Animal Helpline

For anyone and everyone living in Romania - Romania Animal Helpline

"Romania Animal Helpline was initiated to provide the first structured support Helpline in Eastern Europe with the objective of ensuring that abuse of animals will be successfully prosecuted under the existing Animal Welfare Laws. The Helpline will operate initially in Bucharest with a view to expanding as resources permit.

This initiative is to facilitate the introduction of an animal cruelty Helpline in Romania. For anyone reporting an incident, Helpline will provide them with a 24/7 response by volunteers, who will in turn have immediate access to a veterinary surgeon and legal advice.

 In addition to the animal being afforded swift attention, a legally compliant, evidence supported process will be initiated with a view to prosecuting the person or persons responsible. Arrangements will be made for the rescued animal to receive medical treatment and to be temporarily fostered until a permanent home can be found

It is envisaged that with each successful prosecution, a case history will be created and act as precedent for subsequent cases.. Also as more successful prosecutions are publicised, the likelihood of criminal acts of abuse will diminish with the deterrent  of a fine or custodial sentence. It is also envisaged the the status and regard for animals will increase as they will be equated to a person's financial disadvantage or personal liberty, whereas currently an animals value is freely disposable."

 

 

Donations and adoptions - Trust, Respect and Transparency

Effective and timely information and knowledge sharing

In order to create an overall functioning and trustworthy nonprofit organization, or any type of organization for that matter, there are three basic elements that need to be carried out: Trust, Respect and Transparency.

In today's world there are far too many dishonest, inaccurate and fraudulent nonprofits out there, and people willing to donate their money without any accurate knowledge or research on the organization they are donating to. I have read far too many sad stories of good-hearted people who have donated money to a pleading organization or a private person, only to later find out it was all a fraud, or the money actually went for an entirely different purpose.

Intelligent Philanthropy^TM   has constructed an easy-to-understand standard for creating a trustworthy nonprofit organization, as well as what can break it down, and why.

Here are a few excerpts:

"Three areas where not-for-profit organizations can run into trouble include: financial irregularities, fraud, and extravagant compensation for executives. Misuse of funds contributed in good faith by donors to further the cause of the business can create a firestorm of mistrust. The appropriate, judicious use of financial resources is a measure of the trustworthiness of the organization and once lost can be almost impossible to recover.

Transparency is accurately reporting the financial transactions of the organization as well as any transgressions. Through regular disclosure and reporting, constituents (those who receive services from the nonprofit, the leaderships of the company, funders and the public) will have a greater sense of trust/faith in the company.

Nonprofit status is an important designation which confers a certain legal standing as well as an ethical promise. Tax exempt status infers that the organization will perform an important function in the community, is worthy of the financial support of the government and private donors, and will use funds effectively. Violating this standard will result in legal action as well as a loss of future financial and public trust. Organizational transparency and accountability are important tools for maintaining the public trust and ongoing tax exempt status.

Post Your Audits - Show your donors that your finances are in order and have passed a critical inspection. Allow donors to quickly see the ups and downs, challenges and successes, that an organization has experienced in its programs, operations, finances, and results."

These are the things to consider to further help your cause, build trust and show respect towards your contributors.

A working frame for a trustworthy partnership 

Most Animal Welfare Associations in Romania do not have a clear, unified strategy regarding transparency in nonprofit organizations, and to some extent, this has caused uncertainty between the organizations and their foreign contributors.

What steps to take

In order to create a unified, clear strategic frame to work with, there needs to be clarity about what exactly the organizations/associations/caretakers need to inform/show/do in order to accurately transfer knowledge and understanding to the contributors/adopters etc.

Transparency 

I think we can all agree that confirming donations and showing your audits will improve overall trust for the organization. It is important for the contributors to see receipts and documents where each and every penny has gone. 

• donations could be confirmed and displayed, for instance, 1 x month, 1 x every 3 months etc
• clear, easy-to-understand documents where the public can confirm the money was spent as promised
• effective and timely information and knowledge shared with the contributors and the public

Trust

Also, there has been some uproar about the lack of proper timely information regarding adopted dogs, as well as the dogs that are up for adoption. The organizations/associations/rescuers/caretakers have felt lack of information regarding dogs adopted abroad and knowledge on their well-being in their new homes. And in turn, the adopters/donators have felt lack of information regarding the adoptable dogs at the shelters (ie descriptions, names, backstories etc).

To avoid unnecessary disputes on such matters, there should be a unified guideline on responsibilities.

For instance:

• A common contract for mutual agreements between the association/rescuer and the adopter, concerning adoptions;
• reports from the adopter to the association after rehoming, and how long the adopter is obligated to inform of the pets' new life to the association
• a directional timeline as to when the associations/rescuers liability and responsibility of the pet ends/transfers completely to the new owner

Respect

When people donate specifically for a certain dog (or other animal), it becomes very important for them to get updates on the animal/animals they are helping. This is understandable, yet sometimes difficult for the associations to carry out. What needs to be understood is that usually the associations run entirely by the help of volunteers, and they do everything in addition to their daily work and everyday life. Still, there should be agreed guidelines on the matter to avoid frustration and possible disputes.

It's like one amazing volunteer told me when giving me updates; " I`m glad to answer anytime it`s possible. I know what it means to you, and it`s about respect and gratitude, even if time does not always allow us to answer right away."

• For instance, monthly updates on the animals of the association/rescuers for clarity
• info to donators/possible adopters when an animal is adopted/no longer at the shelter

Trust, respect and transparency together are a strong chain. Nothing will help these animals more than unified people - pulling together on the same side.

By: Teresia Laaksonen

Those donating for Magda Radu and Magda's Angels Place - READ!

Unfortunately, there seems to be some sort of confusion for some regarding the difference between Magda's Angels Place and Giurgiu Shelter.

This bulletin is meant as a clarification for people to better understand the difference.

Magda Radu and the private shelter she runs is called Angels Place and is LOCATED in Giurgiu, Romania - the Romanian county (see the map below).

This is not to be confused with the public shelter of Giurgiu which has nothing to do with Magda or Angels Place.

It seems - due to language barriers or lack in research on the subject - that people confuse Giurgiu shelter with Magda Radu's Angels Place and vice versa.

For further clarification, the ONLY account for donations to Magda Radu and Magda's Angels Place is:

PAYPAL: phoenix_animale@yahoo.com

IBAN and Swiftcode:
NGO Phoenix-animal protection and human care;
RO95BTRL01904205852050XX
swift BTRLRO22GRA