My job training at homeless dogs’ shelter of Tg-Jiu

It’s been already several weeks since my and Inkeri’s job training ended. We worked at homeless dogs’ shelter of Tg-Jiu, helping in taking care of over 400 dogs every day. At times it has felt so surreal: did we really see all that I now see from the pictures on my computer?  The job training at the dog shelter has been one of the greatest experiences of our lives so far. Romania alone as a country is so much different from Finland, the greatest difference being the situation of animals which was something we went to get to know to.
 

Most of all the people I have told about everything that has happened have wondered how I have coped with all of it. Usually I’m not very sensitive and I’m able to face some hard issues, too. In Tg-Jiu I got to see all those faults I have been very interested in and I had to deny myself from thinking things more deeply so I could keep myself together. Only on few nights the thoughts haunted me so badly I couldn’t get away from them. Every day I wondered how the locals could close their eyes from what was happening in their country; there are people who aren’t well and animals that aren’t well. They say that in a country where people suffer from poverty the animals’ conditions are even worse. It sounds rather crazy to me. A person who deliberately causes pain to an animal won’t get anything concretely good in return.
 

The day man started to breed animals for its own purposes he also became responsible for the wellbeing of the animals, as far as I think. The dogs that have been abandoned to the streets won’t survive and they shouldn’t even have to survive on their own. The only one responsible of animals’ suffering is a man. E.g. some animal rights associations suggest solutions (spaying/neutering of dogs, adoption to new homes) to stray dog problems so the already born dogs could live lives worthy of living and there wouldn’t be new dogs born to being homeless. These possibilities should be considered and implemented. The poisoning of the dogs, torturing to death etc. is utterly wrong, no one asked if the animals wanted to born into this world. I can’t never understand how it’s “normal” to see homeless animals and animals in a poor condition somewhere – I never consider it normal and never will. Maybe it asks for character to dare to question the society and underline its faults and to determinedly work to improve those faults.

At the shelter I noticed myself unintentionally playing with the thought “if I got to choose only one, who would I choose?” Metaphorically I was like a little girl in a toy store. I miss many dogs of the shelter and I hope from the bottom of my heart that they are doing well. Often I feel myself so frustrated since I can’t be helping in daily routines of the shelter, spend time with all those hundreds of new friends and help change things and attitudes.
 

I want to thank Carmena and Patricia for taking us to work at the shelter without any prejudice, for giving us time though being busy and telling all what was happening at the shelter. Due to the language barrier they were the only ones at the shelter with whom we could communicate and who we could ask of anything on our mind. I greatly admire these women’s will and persistence to build better tomorrow for the homeless dogs of Romania. I don’t even have words big enough to describe how grateful I am to Carmena and Patricia of how they accepted us with open arms to learn how different things can really be and how much they do for animals.

The more there is cruelty in the world, the better the rest of us must be!

Tuuli Matero
 

Greetings after the job training in Tg-Jiu dog shelter

 
It’s been many weeks since returning from Romania. The time has been spent in things relating to school, managed even to stop by at home, too. I notice myself still thinking of Romania and especially the shelter every day. At first it felt odd to be at home with my own dog when many dogs of the shelter and streets of Romania were left behind and continue their lives without us. As I think of the whole trip I can’t help thinking of all the sad things: sick dogs, abused and abandoned dogs. And then, of course, all the joyous moments and all the furry friends we got in great numbers. I will miss those wetnoses and shelter and of course Carmena and Patricia.

 
The last day at the shelter was busy, we cleaned cages with Vasile. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to the dogs properly. Vasile had to wait and hurry me so he could close up the shelter. I keep thinking of many dogs that I also have begun to miss. The last night we spent at Patricia’s and she made us wonderful dinner. We felt wistful when spending the evening talking and looking through Patricia and Mihai’s wedding pictures. Mihai we didn’t see but a quick glimpse on our trip.

 
We were deeply touched by how interested people in Finland were of our trip and we wish to thank our support troops. Thanks especially to Kiia who has been our “guide” and contact member when it comes to the shelter and the whole journey and to Jukka who bravely drove us to Tg-Jiu despite having an awful stomach ache. Big thanks to Patricia and Carmena for welcoming us.

Regards,

Inkeri

Below few pictures of Inkeri and Tuuli with dogs of Tg-Jiu shelter

Tuuli ja Inkeri and a couple of Carmena's pets