A look at Romania
Gut Aiderbichl helps dogs in need
Long before Gut Aiderbichl was founded, Michael Aufhauser was very concerned about street dogs in southern and eastern Europe. He could not let go of their fate - he had already seen and witnessed too many cruelties. In 1991, he was one of the first to report on the killing of dogs in Spanish perreras (animal shelters) and did not miss the opportunity to buy many of these poor dogs himself and place them in good homes.
Just like Michael Aufhauser back then, this topic still occupies the Gut Aiderbichl team today - almost 30 years later. Because in 2017, we decided to launch the "Stray Dog Project Romania". An animal lover asked us for help at that time, because she had to leave the area where she lived with her nearly 300 dogs. Without help, this was not manageable for the woman, because even the daily care of her dogs was already a big challenge for her, without electricity and running water.
But why are there so many street dogs in Romania? Romania is an extremely troubled country that has to deal with many problems from the past. Communism changed the country, the cities and their inhabitants forever. And thus also the lives of the dogs, because they found themselves on the streets and more and more of these former pets became street dogs.
For the neutering of dogs and cats, many did not and do not see the need. Others do not have the money to finance this operation, because they have to feed their children. Accordingly, there is a cycle that is difficult to break. As in many other countries, for example Greece, the State is responsible for the strays and has tried many solutions. Among others, the placement in state-run shelters, which are unfortunately very often mismanaged and the dogs have to endure in terrible conditions until they are killed after a grace period of 14 days...This practice is not new and can unfortunately also be found in Spanish perreras, in the USA, Greece and many other countries. Unfortunately, there are no serious animal protection laws there.
For all animal welfare activists working for street dogs, it is particularly important in Romania, as in other countries, to keep showing positive examples. It is important to support the population in dealing peacefully with weaker people, to be a role model for them and to show alternatives.
But castration projects are also very important. More than 2,000 dogs and cats have already been neutered on site by the Gut Aiderbichl team in recent years. Thanks to the hard work of other organisations, the situation in Romania seems to be improving. We also receive this information from other countries. But there is no time to rest on our "laurels" - there is still a lot to do and the suffering of the street dogs and cats is great.
Since the beginning of our stray dog project, the Gut Aiderbichl team has already been able to take around 453 dogs (as of 16.02.2021) off the streets - of which 309 have already found their way to a new loving home.
The trend is of course increasing and we hope that we will be able to help many more. And we owe this to people like you, who place enormous trust in us and support us financially!
Simon Hahn, the head of the stray dog project in Romania, remembers almost every dog rescue, but one in particular stuck in his mind: dog Vanessa. He found her badly injured at a petrol station in Bucharest. When she saw him, she immediately started wagging her tail as if she knew perfectly well that he was her saviour in distress. Without hesitation, the brave dog crawled towards him, because she didn't have much left to lose. She entrusted Simon Hahn with her life and her trust was not disappointed: Today, the three-legged dog lives at Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf and absolutely enchants everyone who meets her.
By the way, she is still looking for a loving home.
"One should want to help one’s conviction and keep one’s faith in the good. With all the negative and sobering experiences you have in animal welfare in general, there are always touching encounters and stories that show that our commitment to animals is ALWAYS worthwhile. We must not give up, we simply owe it to our fellow creatures!" (Simon Hahn)
The belief in providence and the rightness of our actions, let us always fight on. Together, we have already achieved a lot and we can do even more! Only thanks to your support, dear animal friends, we can help so many dogs in Romania and give them a beautiful life until the natural end of their lives. Please continue to support us with a symbolic sponsorship or a donation. We and our animals thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
