Carmena's and Patricia's own pets 

9.3.2006

"Just returned home from Bucharest and thinking of writing you too. I did finished the project until Sunday night, but didnt sleep more then 7 hours in three days, tried to hold on with coffee ( although I dont usually drink but had to).  Yesterday I had the final exam and finished it with 10 ( in other countries the equivalent is "A"). Anyway, I was glad that it was all over.

10.3.2006

"I am leaving now to Craiova city at that vet. We had a worse thing happening just a few minutres ago. Tuta almost died, had no reaction, no heart beating and we thought she died. We were distroyed. We talked to her, my mother was making her heart massage and she woke from death. I am going with her now at that vet. I will write you when I will be back."  

11.3.2006

"Thank you for your thoughts. I arrived late in the evening from Craiova. the vet extracted again some liquid from Tuta's belly, as she was very big. The liquid was with blood and the vet said that usually this is the last phase. Since I returned from Buchraest Tuta was standing still and followed me with her look all over the room. I told to my mother that something is not right, she is feeling that something is going to happen. Yesterday, when we saw her in that state, that was the first reaction, to wake her up. All her way to Craiova and back stood on right seat and looked at me, all the way. In our way back, she fall down again, but to be honest, I wasnt prepair to let her go, not there. I talked  to her all the way.I asked her and God to arrive home, to be in her house.

I know that we must let her go, but it is extremely hard. She has 14 and we were together since we were little. I cant stop crying when thinking that she will not be anymore, but like you say, she knows we love her so much and our love will go beyond death. Always be with us and we will meet someday again. It hurts so much. I know that she woke up only because we talked to her ( I heard of similar things with people) but have to  learn to let her go."

12.3.2006

"Tuta is eating and she jumps from the bed, goes and drinks water, this morning played with Bursu. She dont seem to have pains now, as she is  waving her tail when she sees us around or when I play with her. I try to make her days as comfortable as possible. 

I also intended to update the site and even to make another newsletter but hadnt any time for it. The weather is fortunately warmer now, it is just raining. This morning we had some problems with the neighbors regarding the dogs that we have across the street, saying that they are disturbed by them, that they eat their chickens ( an impossible thing as my mother feeds them everyday) and the ladies in which courtyard they stay, said that they dont want to keep them anymore. So, me and my mother decided to put some fence around, make another courtyard and put them there.  We also have to catch three of that females to neuter them.

My mother spoke to the vet to go on Tuesday with some dogs to be neutered, some cats and also a female from the shelter who has a problem, to be operated.

Also, my mother will bring home from the shelter Lassie ( maybe you remember her, she is fat, had a sticker tumor - I have told you her story once). So, we decided to take her home as at the shelter it is not a life for her, as she tries to escape all the time. We are thinking that at home is different for her, he is used with my mother and we will try to make her accept that this is her home and not to leave anymore.

As for updating the site, maybe you can add some comments  - if you didnt do it already - about the winter that passed, about how hard it was. About all the problems we had  and have with the employees. To tell you something else. When my mother arrives at the shelter, she asks the employees if, in the morning when they come, if they find dry food in the kennels, left from the day before - in the shelter or in the room. They always said that no, they dont find not even one piece in kennels as the dogs eat all. My mother told me that this is impossible so in the morning, yesterday, I went at the shelter in the same time with the employees. What to say, I have found the bowls full of dry food in the room and also in the shelter down, in the bowls or on the concret. So, the employees were gathering all the dry food left from the day before, lied to my mother that they didnt find anything and they were selling it or take it home for feeding their animals ( pigs, chickens etc).

In one of your last messages, you were right, we concentrated so much on what is happening in Romania that we didnt focused anymore on Tg-Jiu and the shelter. It was a big work by sending emails and protests all over, consuming time and energy. Unfortunately, in Bucharest nothing changed. First the authorities anounced that they agree to cooperate and now said that no, declaring in a national newspaper that they can kill 50 dogs every hour and that they already killed about 1000 dogs in 2006. The worse part is that Bucharest is an example for almost all the big cities."

13.3.2006

"Just now my mother called me crying from the shelter. She was up in the room making some treatments when she heard the dogs barking bad in the shelter. When she went outside she saw some of the dogs from the shelter outside in the street, as one of the employees, the young one who is all the time with his mind away, left the gate of the shelter open and the dogs went out. Juts in front of my mother a car hit and killed a small beautifful female that was staying with Tasha in the kennel. We took her from Bumbesti-Jiu city some time ago, we neutered her, gave her also for adoption but their owners brought her back. She was so happy in the shelter and so funny, a small white with black and fat.mY mother was crying so bad I couldnt understand what she was saying. And all this, happening because of the lack of responsability and care of the employees. Also, as if it wasnt enough, some gipsies who leave behind the shelter, came at the shelter and said that our dogs ate their geese and that they will give poison to the dogs. This was impossible as the dogs stay only in the shelter, couldnt have eaten it ( but they have seen them now when they escaped)."

15.3.2006

"I had been busy today since early in the morning. I am sending you some photos made today at the vet, neutering a cat, Julie, and operating a female from the shelter who made an infection on the chest , having a tumor. She is amongst the few dogs that we had from the beginning. We took her home because at the shelter we couldnt let her like this. Although I put her in the basket and covered with a blanket near the stove at home, probably because it was too hot - as she passed through a very frozen winter at the shelter- she likes to stay on the floor."

16.3.2006

"As for the shelter, yesterday, we found out that the gipsies made complaints at the police that our dogs ate their geese so the police came and took them declarations, made photos around the shelter etc . One of our employees hear the gipsies who were saying to lie to the police to say that our dogs ate more then 1 goose, much more so to blame our dogs and put us pay for their geese. We will see what is happening next.

As I have told you in a last email,With the dogs that we have across the streets we have problems also, THe neighbors, told my grandmother today that they will bring police to fine us because they cant stand the dogs anymore, they cant stand the barking etc etc.I am so sick of all this people, so mean people with no heart, but unfortunately we are surrounded by this kind of people evrywhere and have to face them also."

17.3.2006

"This morning we met the architect as I have told you. We spent there 4 hours and were totally disapointed of what he told us. First he told us the price he asks - only for the 80 kennels made in concret, 3200 Ron , this makes about 950 Euros or so ( depending on the exchange rate),  not including the building in front with the clinic and the other rooms needed ( this is other price).

Now, we have to find the neighbors first and take them both to a lawyer to give us their official agreement that they let us build a shelter. Without this we cant do anything. Next, I must go again to the city hall to change the Urbanism Certificate ( that I obtained last year in May) because there are some changes that must be included in it. After this, we return to him, - to the architect to start making the project. He told us that we need other  projects also for the sewerage, for the electricity and probably for the well. After this there are a lot of things to be done, but I dont tell you at this time as you will going crazy ( as we did this morning).

I wish so much that people abroad can understand that things are not easy here, that we cant make even a fence without papers and approvals,and things are moving extremely slow.

As for the other funds given by the EU, I know that are many but they dont give for shelters or animals. I also know that there are some subinstitutions from EU specialised in different fields who also give grants for various fields. The only funds that maybe we can take, are for education part or something involving people, not animals. I heard something about a lady from Bucharest - but I dont know if this is sure info - that she made  a project for voluntary work in her shelter, for people to train , to educate etc- and she took a fund from EU of 20.000 Euros some hears ago. The thing is that the people who work in this field, for giving EU funds, have to follow how the money received are used, so if you receive funds for education, must be used for education not for anything else. If they notice that the money are used for other reason you must give them back I will  look on the webpage you sent me and also have to see where I can ask here in Tg-Jiu about this."

19.3.2006

"I have looked on the webpage you sent me regarding the EU funds. Indeed,  as I have heard, EU gave  lots of  funds to non-profit or non-governamental organizations, for childrens, for education, for reabilitation, for finding ways of decreasing the unemployment rate etc. Many of this funds were already taken, so now there are only few remained. I dont think how can we obtain such funds, maybe , with small chances, make a project for education the people towards the respect of life/ animals etc.

I do think that the most important part of this work for animal welfare, is the education of people. If we would have financial possibilities, we could make that small weekly/monthly newspaper and give it for free in schools, or on the streets.

Last evening I went into city with a friend of mine. We stopped at a food shop to buy something and I have seen at the entry, on a small carpet, a little puppy. outside it was cold and she was staying crowded on that carpet. At a moment, probably being hungry, she entered that shop and the seller hit her with something and took her outside again. But, she came back on that carpet again at the entry of the shop and I have hear the sellers that they must do somthing with the puppy as there boss dont let them with animals there. So, when I saw her so little, looking at me with her sad eyes and I thought that what life can she have there, probably killed by a  car/ or caught by the catchers etc, I took her into my arms nd brought her home. She slept all night long in a box in the room with us and now she is playing. Besides the courtyard and the lobby, the little room, our room where we sleep is also full of dogs, but I couldnt let her there.I will send you later some photos with her.

Yesterday, my mother had problems at the shelter. Those gipsy who told that the dogs ate their geese came at the shelter and behaved so rude with my mother, told her so bad words, so she called the police. But, those policemen were so stupid, didnt know anything about animal protection law, just say that we must keep Gogu, Cutica and Leutu inside the shelter  ( who stay outside now) and that they were bitten by dogs also and why dont we let the catchers to catch dogs and kill them? They were even teaching that gipsies how to make complaints against  us etc. Now, the gipsies are passing near the shelter and throw stones in Gogu, Leutu and Cutica just to make them angry."