I am currently traveling in Romania for work and while the country is beautiful and there is a lot to do, I find my experience plagued by the constant reminder of how bad dogs are treated here. There were two puppies near my work that were on deaths death's door when I arrived. I ended up feeding them, and getting them some medicine. They have been doing much better and recovering.
Last week the area was supposed to be cleared of dogs, which means they were going to be sent to a city shelter that kills them. I had warmed up to the puppies so I tried to move them to a shelter, which required me to sponsor them. That got canned last minute by testing positive for parvo... So I had them sent for parvo treatment.
I am now trying to adopt them to send them home... But the problem is that the vet can't keep holding them, and they can't go to boarding yet. I'm not a resident and my hotel won't let me keep dogs in my room.
I am working with the SPCA now and they have assured me that they are working it. Either way, after all this time and effort it has been total hell and I really don't want to fail them.
You might say, why? There are so many strays... But it is these 2 in front of me that I am helping.
Just kind of venting... It has been a bumpy ride, I left out some details for brevity.
This country is hell on dogs. I was working with some folks from a local shelter and really seen some awful stories. There are so many strays here that you basically can't find help unless the dogs have been injured, tortured, set on fire. It is an ugly situation, especially if you have a heart for animals.
UPDATE: I just thought I would drop an update in here for anyone that may remember this story. The story kind of progressed down a long road, but I'll try to give you the highlights.
The dogs ended up staying at the veterinarian for quite a long time, I assumed all expenses myself, paying for treatment for parvovirus. It was shady for a while because I was constantly being told that the dogs couldn't stay there, but I had nowhere else to bring them.
Around July 27th, the story took another turn. I had gotten the SPCA to help me with the boys, and the vet also agreed to keep them until they could be transferred. They were scheduled to leave on August 15th, both had recovered from parvovirus and would be flown to the states by SPCA. July 27th they found out both dogs were now testing positive for distemper. They had been exposed while at the vet.
Unfortunately this started a long chapter. Distemper is even worse than parvo... fortunately the vet really stepped up and assured me they would see this through. They promised them care until they recovered, but I paid for additional medicine to ensure the best possible care. After recovery, distemper dogs have up to 120 days before they stop shedding the virus... I left Romania on September 9th for England. The last time I seen the dogs, Eddie was negative but Jim was still positive and showing some possible nervous symptoms... over the next month the symptoms progressed and by the middle of October he was euthanized, the virus was too severe and I didnt want him to suffer.
Eddie stayed after his brothers passing...
Yesterday I drove down to NYC and picked Eddie up. He is around 8 months old now, he doesnt understand any English, isn't house broken, and I have a road to rehab infront of me...
What can I say? He is a very sweet dog with a great disposition. Despite his mutty roots, he is actually pretty good looking. He doesnt seem to understand most things a dog of his age would. He was hesitant to enter the house, didnt really understand the steps, seems curious about every little thing, and really appreciates toys, time outside, and being free in the house. He has a lot of training to do, but I am experienced with dogs and I am up for the challenge. We integrated him with my dogs, which went very well, they are all laying together as I write this update. I gave my dogs a full update on their shots months ago, when I anticipated this happening.
I want to also plug SPCA!
They have a program called Baghdad pups, which allows them to help deployed military members with any pets they may befriend and be forced to leave behind when they come home. The program manager was absolutely amazing. She was with me the whole way, assuring me that the boys would be cared for, she intervened and worked with the veterinarian on my behalf to get the dogs continued care, and assumed a ton of cost to make this all possible, including care, movement, flights... it was an amazing endeavor that involved a bunch of amazing people. If you dont already, please consider donating to SPCA, they are really out there doing amazing things and putting the money where it is needed.
Last week the area was supposed to be cleared of dogs, which means they were going to be sent to a city shelter that kills them. I had warmed up to the puppies so I tried to move them to a shelter, which required me to sponsor them. That got canned last minute by testing positive for parvo... So I had them sent for parvo treatment.
I am now trying to adopt them to send them home... But the problem is that the vet can't keep holding them, and they can't go to boarding yet. I'm not a resident and my hotel won't let me keep dogs in my room.
I am working with the SPCA now and they have assured me that they are working it. Either way, after all this time and effort it has been total hell and I really don't want to fail them.
You might say, why? There are so many strays... But it is these 2 in front of me that I am helping.
Just kind of venting... It has been a bumpy ride, I left out some details for brevity.
This country is hell on dogs. I was working with some folks from a local shelter and really seen some awful stories. There are so many strays here that you basically can't find help unless the dogs have been injured, tortured, set on fire. It is an ugly situation, especially if you have a heart for animals.
UPDATE: I just thought I would drop an update in here for anyone that may remember this story. The story kind of progressed down a long road, but I'll try to give you the highlights.
The dogs ended up staying at the veterinarian for quite a long time, I assumed all expenses myself, paying for treatment for parvovirus. It was shady for a while because I was constantly being told that the dogs couldn't stay there, but I had nowhere else to bring them.
Around July 27th, the story took another turn. I had gotten the SPCA to help me with the boys, and the vet also agreed to keep them until they could be transferred. They were scheduled to leave on August 15th, both had recovered from parvovirus and would be flown to the states by SPCA. July 27th they found out both dogs were now testing positive for distemper. They had been exposed while at the vet.
Unfortunately this started a long chapter. Distemper is even worse than parvo... fortunately the vet really stepped up and assured me they would see this through. They promised them care until they recovered, but I paid for additional medicine to ensure the best possible care. After recovery, distemper dogs have up to 120 days before they stop shedding the virus... I left Romania on September 9th for England. The last time I seen the dogs, Eddie was negative but Jim was still positive and showing some possible nervous symptoms... over the next month the symptoms progressed and by the middle of October he was euthanized, the virus was too severe and I didnt want him to suffer.
Eddie stayed after his brothers passing...
Yesterday I drove down to NYC and picked Eddie up. He is around 8 months old now, he doesnt understand any English, isn't house broken, and I have a road to rehab infront of me...
What can I say? He is a very sweet dog with a great disposition. Despite his mutty roots, he is actually pretty good looking. He doesnt seem to understand most things a dog of his age would. He was hesitant to enter the house, didnt really understand the steps, seems curious about every little thing, and really appreciates toys, time outside, and being free in the house. He has a lot of training to do, but I am experienced with dogs and I am up for the challenge. We integrated him with my dogs, which went very well, they are all laying together as I write this update. I gave my dogs a full update on their shots months ago, when I anticipated this happening.
I want to also plug SPCA!
They have a program called Baghdad pups, which allows them to help deployed military members with any pets they may befriend and be forced to leave behind when they come home. The program manager was absolutely amazing. She was with me the whole way, assuring me that the boys would be cared for, she intervened and worked with the veterinarian on my behalf to get the dogs continued care, and assumed a ton of cost to make this all possible, including care, movement, flights... it was an amazing endeavor that involved a bunch of amazing people. If you dont already, please consider donating to SPCA, they are really out there doing amazing things and putting the money where it is needed.
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