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Sari’s travelogue from the Tg-Jiu shelter from September 26 to September 30, 2009
I have been visiting PAFi’s homepage for quite some time and I’ve been especially interested about Kiia’s travelogues. I started to think whether I should visit some shelters, too, as PAFi makes it possible. I had previously visited animal shelters in Tallinn and Vyborg so I had some idea what to expect but I still had to consider whether I was emotionally ready to see what was happening in Romania. I decided to go because I had some time off from work and didn’t have to make special arraignments to leave. Kiia welcomed me to join her for the trip so I started to wait for September 26 with excitement.
I had an early Saturday morning - my alarm clock woke me up at three. After a fairly sleepless night I said goodbye to my cats and headed for the Tampere bus station. The day would consist of nothing but travelling.
We had agreed to meet with Kiia at the airport departures hall. Kiia’s party had a large dog cage with them which would make it easy to recognise them. I didn’t have to walk too far before I noticed a happy couple with a fully-loaded cart. I had seen photos of them on PAFi’s homepage so I didn’t have to rely on the dog cage alone.
During the long trip from Bucharest to Tg-Jiu I had time to ask Kiia about PAFi and how it works, about being at a shelter, about animals in Romania in general and how Romanians perceive animals. I have six cats so I was especially interested to learn about cats in Romania, which is something you don’t get to read much on PAFi’s homepage. Both Kiia and Jukka said, and I also noticed it myself, that there are stray cats in Romania but they are hiding more than dogs.
Mutta koiria olikin sitten joka paikassa; tehdasrakennusten ja huoltoasemien pihoilla, ravintoloiden läheisyydessä, pienien kylien kaduilla, jopa tienvarsien levähdyspaikoilla, joiden läheisyydessä ei ollut minkäänlaista asutusta. Näihin paikkoihin me pysähdyimme sekä meno- että tulomatkalla, kumoamaan ruokapurkkeja nälkäisille suille. Lähtemättömimmän vaikutuksen minuun kuitenkin teki koiranpentujen pelastusoperaatio, mistä Kiiakin jo kertoi omassa matkakertomuksessaan. Olin nimittäin jo tottunut siihen, että minä olin yleensä seurueessa se ainoa friikki, joka kävi silittelemässä kaikki kulkukoirat ja –kissat, toisten kärsimättöminä odotellessa. Nyt olinkin päässyt porukkaan, joka kääntyi vilkkaalla, mutkaisella tiellä puolen kilometrin päästä takaisin vain noutamaan kahta koiranpentua. Vau. Ja siinä vaiheessa tunsi jo tehneensä aika paljon, kun sai ne kaksi pelastettua varmalta autonallejäämiseltä.
There were dogs everywhere - on the yards of industrial buildings and gas stations, near restaurants, on the streets of small villages and even at rest stops where there were no houses or people. We stopped at these places to feed the hungry on arriving and leaving Romania. The most memorable experience was rescuing puppies which Kiia talks about in her own travelogue. I had become used to being the weird one who always had to pet every stray dog and cat while others were waiting for me impatiently. Now I was with people who turned back on a busy road just to get two puppies in the car. Wow! At that point you felt you had done a lot by rescuing those two from getting hit by cars.
At around seven pm we finally arrived at the shelter. The first experience of the shelter was that it was noisy. When several hundred dogs welcome you, you can almost hear it in the next village, as well. The second experience was to see where the shelter was located and that certainly wasn’t pleasant. The so called yard between the cages and the road wasn’t too large and the road was too busy, even at that time of the day. At daytime the situation was worse when in addition to speeding cars there were huge trucks passing by. In the middle of all this there were the shelter’s guard dogs, other stray dogs and Gypsy-owned horses who returned home from pasture on their own. I’m amazed how these animals are still alive. I particularly remember a shelter dog who seemed to be suicidal. The dog was pretty timid otherwise but when a suitable-looking car passed by, the dog had to bark at it and chase it, or actually run next to it, too close to the tires. I hope this dog has survived its suicidal hobby.
We didn’t stay at the shelter long that night, we only said hello to Carmena, Patricia and Vasile, who has previosly worked at the shelter. We were invited to Carmena’s brother for dinner and we headed there after a quick visit to our hotel.
During the following days, we had a certain routine - after some tea in the morning we headed for the market for some shopping and then went to the shelter with what we had bought. Others were helping Carmena and Patricia by taking dogs to the vet or picking up injured dogs, but I kept myself busy spending time with the smallest strays at the shelter. There were two cats in the infirmary and one of them was just a small kitten and crippled, as well. In an RV, I also entertained five heartbreakers who had almost been crushed by cars. They were puppies who had all been somehow injured in a car accident. One had a twisted foreleg, two had their backlegs operated on and one was missing a paw. Wonderful and lively puppies nonetheless.
The cute puppies we rescued were now living at the shelter and I went to visit them, as well. They now had five friends who were about the same age as them and during a couple of days they were sleeping in my lap. I sat in front of their cage with my legs stretched out and they were all over me, reaching from my lap to my ankles. I don’t think you can spend your time any better than that. My backside and my legs did fall asleep but I didn’t want to wake the puppies.
We visited places outside the shelter and I got to see the property which would possibly give home to the new shelter. It seemed perfectly okay, at least it was quiet with no neighbours near it. Since then, there have been complications as Kiia explains in her own travelogue.
We also visited the city shelter which was quite an experience. I can only agree with those who have visited it before me. The dreary building was so noisy inside that we had to step outside for a moment. Carmena and Patricia’s shelter isn’t great either but at least the dogs seem happier there.
The days passed by quickly and as soon as I had learned the routine and started to get the hang of shopping and collecting card board, we had to leave home. The atmosphere was bittersweet in the morning when I wondered whether I would come back here, and that if I did, whether I would find some of the same dogs and cats here anymore. I couldn’t leave the shelter without shedding any tears.
I’m happy that I had the courage to take this trip. I was afraid that I would cry the whole time because of all the horrible things I would see and that I would end up fighting some animal abuser but luckily, neither of my fears came true. Having visited the shelter in Vyborg earlier, made it easier to see what was happening in Romania. The shelters are pretty similar to each other. Every one of us is hoping to get a new shelter quickly instead of having to overcome more obstacles all the time.
I wish all the best to Carmena and Patricia. It must be hard and frustrating to solve one problem and then face another. I couldn’t bear doing that every day.
My third wish is to keep feeding the hungry at the shelter in the future, as well. It feels inconsolable to know that the Foundation Brigitte Bardot will no longer offer food donations. Especially now that I’ve seen how much food the animals eat and how fast a large amount of food ran out during these few days.
Would I take the trip again? Yes I would and I’m going to if another opportunity arises. I couldn’t do anything groundbreaking there but I felt more needed than I have for a long time. Even though Kiia’s vivid and interesting travelogues are a pleasure to read, it’s another story to see everything with your own eyes. So, if anyone is having similar thoughts about visiting a shelter, I encourage you to take the trip and help bring joy, and maybe a few sausages, to Romanian stray dogs.
- Sari
- SM
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