Kiia’s report of the trip to Tg-Jiu from 8th to 11th of September 2007

(You can see photos of the trip in Finnish version)

Once again we have visited Tg-Jiu. Anu who was with us asked on our way home if the trip felt any different compared to the previous ones. It was hard to answer since every trip has been filled with emotions and events and you are so in touch with them the whole trip. Every trip has been and will always be unique. In my opinion the most important thing in these trips is that you get to see your dear friends.

Sure this visit was somehow different compared to the previous visits. This time we brought as private individuals a new family member, a deaf little Surda, to our home. There had been a little shortage of family members for some time and after pondering carefully many different options Jukka and I decided that the next member would come from Tg-Jiu shelter. This is because we knew exactly the circumstances in the shelter and how the dogs are treated there. And more importantly, we had already gotten to know to the newcomer during the past two years and were sure that she would fit in to our pack. The first few days here with Surda have indicated that our decision and choice were perfectly right.

Now I feel it’s time to emphasize that as an association Pro Animals Finland still isn’t acting as an intermediary or bringing any dogs from the shelter to Finland. However, as a private person anyone can apply for a dog. This person must be ready for a process that will take a long time and demands resources. This means that first you’ll have to travel to the shelter to get to know to the dogs. If you find a suitable member for your own pack you’ll have to take another trip to the shelter to bring the dog home if you receive an approval from Carmena and Patricia since Pro Animals Romania owns the dogs.

PAFi has nothing to do with this process except that everyone can always participate when PAFi goes for a visit to the shelter. PAFi is still using all its resources on helping locally. The most important tasks are to help the dogs by sponsor dog activity and to educate which aims at getting people to adopt dogs and to change their attitudes. It’s also essential to help build a new safe shelter to where the dogs from the current shelter can be moved. Pro Animals Romania’s new shelter would also have a proper veterinary clinic with competent staff.

Anu, Heli, Jukka and I met early on Saturday morning at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. We had worming and flea and tick treatments, anti-inflammatory pain medications and different kinds of vitamins that we shared to be packed into suitcases.

Heli had been with us on our trip in June and this time she was going to bring home two new family members. On our trip in June she had chosen the dogs and gotten approvals from Carmena and Patricia. Anu was with us for the first time but she is very familiar with PAFis activities from the beginning. She knows every step of the way when it comes to the shelter and most importantly, she knows the circumstances so she had prepared herself mentally as well as possible to see what’s ahead.

The flight to Bucharest was very easy this time since we flew there straight via Finnair. The flight took 2,5 hours. We were happy that Finnair had started the flights straight from Helsinki to Bucharest since we know very well how straining and difficult the flights that stop by at other airports or where you have to change planes can be. Let’s not forget that after the flight there’s a long and rough drive ahead of you, it takes at least 5,5 hours from Bucharest to Tg-Jiu.

We arrived in Bucharest early in the afternoon and as soon as we found our rental car, we headed towards Tg-Jiu. The weather was half-cloudy – just right for the road trip. This time the route was so familiar for Jukka, our driver, that we didn’t need any maps or guidance. We found the right route from the beginning.

During the drive the scenery changes from plains to mountains, you can see quite many things. You could get interesting photos already during the drive but we are always in such a hurry we don’t have patience to stop to take pictures. The photos taken through the car windows aren’t very good.

We drove a couple of hours until we decided to make a quick stop at the gas station. We visited “the toilet section”, bought something to eat and refilled our drink supplies. As we moved back to the car, we saw a lonely little dog. Of course we couldn’t just leave so we said hello to the little thing. There’s more about Ceasar and how the story continues in Anu’s report…

We arrived in Tg-Jiu at about 7 pm. Of course we decided to stop by at the shelter to greet Carmena and Patricia before heading to the hotel. Even though we tried to convince ourselves that this was just a quick stop – especially when we had our travelling clothes on and shelter gear in our luggage – that quick visit was still an hour long.

When we arrived in the shelter, the first things we saw were the loyal guardian dogs Gogu and Kiti. Gogu was lying in front of the warehouse building, looking tired, and for a moment we were afraid our old friend was sick. Luckily Gogu was healthy and only exhausted of the day’s work. After all, Gogu’s not so very young anymore.

Unlike Gogu, Kiti sure did have energy! Kiti was thrilled to see us, the dog was pure joy from head to toe. Carmena and Patricia greeted us as warmly as always. Though they had had a rough week because of the five poisoned shelter dogs, they still were lively and friendly.

We got to meet the dogs living in the warehouse building. Most of them are motherless puppies of many different ages. In the warehouse was also a dog Carmena and Patricia had picked up nearby some garbage area a couple of weeks ago. The dog had been in a coma and full of worms. God knows how many people had taken the garbage and seen this sick dog and still nobody bothered to help. The dog had been in a really poor condition. Carmena showed us this big can that contained worms she picked off the dog, there had been worms in the dog’s eyes too. We hope from the bottoms of our hearts that the little poor thing gets better in the loving care of Carmena.

When we had heard the stories of the warehouse puppies and agreed to meet Carmena and Patricia the next morning at the shelter, we headed to a supermarket and then checked in to a hotel. The hotel we were used to accommodate ourselves on our trips had built an extension this year. This new part of the hotel is very popular place for weddings and there, desperately trying to find a parking spot, we realized there was probably one if not many wedding receptions going on.

When we finally got to our hotel rooms we realized that it was likely that the wedding guests had taken the biggest rooms. We called Patricia and she informed immediately that she’d come and take us to another hotel. When Patricia arrived, we decided that we’d move to the other hotel in the morning since we were awfully tired and just wanted to sleep. I have to admit that after a night of listening to the party people and music, we probably would’ve been perkier in the morning if we had changed the hotel already the previous evening.

On Sunday morning Patricia guided us to another hotel which seemed more peaceful place than the previous one. We unpacked our luggage, gathered up the things we were gonna take to the shelter and decided to take a quick spin at the supermarket before heading to the shelter. We bought a shopping cart full of useful cleaning equipment for the warehouse building and some puppy food to start with. Serban, the vet, would bring a larger amount of puppy food when he’d arrive.

When we got to the shelter we went to the warehouse and unpacked our shoppings and some of the things we had brought from Finland. After that we began to get to know to the little creatures living in the warehouse. We also fed Nutriplus gel to the puppies and sick dogs. We had also brought worming treatments for puppies so we treated all the puppies there.

From the warehouse we moved to the shelter in a company of the guardian dogs to greet hundreds of our friends. This time there were already half a dozen guardian dogs. It’s very hard to describe the feeling and atmosphere when you step inside the shelter gates. I’ve probably told you before but it’s like taking a step inside to a magic world, everything else just disappears. Once again we were surrounded by hundreds of friends and the joy of reunion was tactile.

On Sunday afternoon we witnessed a happy event when two of the shelter dogs got adopted. Carmena had told me that the dogs will be picked up at 2 pm. A friendly, talkative man arrived before 2 o’clock and sat down on the grass outside the shelter next to Jukka talking with great enthusiasm. First Jukka thought that the man had talked about women and would have been eager to marry some of us. Later Jukka had found out that the man had actually talked about dogs he had come to pick up!

Adi carried Negrutzu and Sini to their new owner and after the proper pictures had been taken, the dogs as well as the man pinched themselves into the back of a van. I got to join Patricia on her way to check out what kind of a home would Negrutza and Sini be living in. When we arrived, we found a home of a father and son with quite a large garden. Negrutzu and Sini immediately began to snoop around eagerly when they got to the garden grass. The new owner seemed very friendly and gently petted Negrutzu and Sini’s heads while talking to them constantly. I believe the dogs will enjoy themselves in their new home.

At the shelter the time goes by without even noticing. You get so tightly involved in being present and you’d hope it all would last longer. At some point we had to leave the shelter and get back to the warehouse building. Heli and I helped to feed the puppies and sick dogs and cleaned up the floors while Carmena and Patricia were running errands. Outside the warehouse Anu picked up a big bag full of broken glass.

When Carmena got back to the shelter she had a skinny puppy with her. She found the puppy from a sack nearby the road. Carmena told that Maxy who had been a victim of poisoning had once looked exactly the same so the puppy inherited the name “Maxy”.

Then it was time to feed the shelter dogs. The dogs have a regular feeding time and every day they know when they will get their stomachs full. Adi, the only worker of the shelter, helps in feeding and other chores and from a Finnish point of view does a long day without any particular breaks. Adi is like a heaven sent for the shelter and Carmena said she and Patricia appreciate Adi very much. On Sunday Patricia’s father was also helping at the shelter first time for a long time.

Our first shelter day had come to an evening and we headed to hotel to tidy up ourselves. We were planning to go to Carmena and Patricia’s home for a little visit later that evening.

Patricia came to pick us up at 9:30 pm and as we arrived, we were greeted by a happy dog choir. First we sneaked in the living room and only a few of the women’s pets kept us company during our dinner so we’d get to eat in peace. Patricia’s aunt had made an assortment of vegetarian food that tasted like heaven! We devoured them as if we had never seen food. Sure we were hungry since we hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

After the dinner we unpacked our gift bags that consisted of (among other things) worming and tick and flea treatments, fever and anti-inflammatory pain medications, antibiotics and other conditioners. I had already written down how every single medicine is to be used and dosed, but we still went through the directions carefully with Carmena and Patricia.

Then it was time to let the many pets of the women to the living room. There was a lovely funny chaos after that! It’s so wonderful to see what adorable and sociable individuals these pets are. Of course it was impossible to get every dog fit in to the living room so we moved outside to greet the bigger dogs. When we finally managed to leave back to the hotel, it was almost 1 am and we were all exhausted after a long day’s work.

On Monday morning the first thing we did was to head towards the bank to transfer the donations and sponsorship fees (3000 euros) to Pro Animals Romania’s account. Once again we bumped into some problems but after some clarification we managed to transfer the money. After the bank episode Patricia took us to the only pet store of Tg-Jiu. For the shelter we bought nail scissors’ and balls to play with for the warehouse puppies.

When we arrived in the shelter, of course we greeted Gogu and Kiti first. They always demand their share of affection. Other guardian dogs stayed close too and took the treats we gave but they weren’t so eager to come into our laps like Gogu and Kiti.

After we had said hello to the guardian dogs we began our usual chores in the warehouse building. Of course during our chores we spent some time with the warehouse puppies and the shelter dogs as much as we possibly could.

This time we decided not to photograph so much and focus more on helping. It takes enormously lot time to take pictures and it’s very hard to get a picture of every god dog since the dogs aren’t exactly statues that stay put. Taking pictures inside the shelter isn’t easy either because the dogs are constantly surrounding you and jumping against you begging for hugs and attention. We felt it was more important to keep our hands off the camera and use them to rubs and work.

On Monday we did some chores that had gotten familiar to us. We helped in every way we could. At some point Carmena asked me to witness how a little dog was abandoned to the shelter. A man in a horse carriage parked himself in front of the shelter. The man had a little dog that had a tight rope around its neck and a long hempen rope attached to it. The man told that he had too many dogs. Apparently this little dog surely would’ve eaten so much the owner couldn’t possibly afford keeping it…

In the afternoon Carmena and Adi buried one of the five poisoned shelter dogs behind the warehouse building. They had already buried the other ones. It was very touching to witness this.

We discussed with Carmena and Patricia how easy it is to throw poisoned treats inside the shelter for example from a horse carriage. We tried to think of ways to protect the dogs better. After the poisonings a guard was hired to the business area across the shelter. The guard however works only in daytime. When I asked Patricia why there are no night guards she told that if there were gipsies in the area, one or two guards wouldn’t dare to act even in a case of emergency. The gipsies have a scary reputation and I can understand why since even on our trip Carmena got death threats from them.

It’s hard to build a roof on top of the shelter but some kind of a sheltering net could be possible. Naturally we are trying to find a cooperation partner from a company providing security services. No option probably is free but it’s horrible to think if poisonings become a constant joy for some sick people.

Later in the afternoon Anu disappeared into the warehouse building to feed the puppies and sick dogs and to clean up. On Heli’s and mine schedule was to pick up our new family members from the shelter to get used to the transportation boxes and life outside the shelter in general. Luckily everything went smoothly - the dogs recognized us and trusted on us from the beginning. Even deaf little Surda who had lived in the shelter 6 years walked briskly on a leash wagging her tail as if she had done it all her life.

Once again without even realizing the darkness had fallen and it was time to head back to the hotel. We agreed to meet with Carmena and Patricia later at the hotel to go on a dinner. We took Surda in her big transportation box with us to the hotel. She caught some well-earned attention from the staff and hotel guests.

Carmena’s evening at the shelter prolonged to near 10 pm and when we met her at the hotel she looked really tired. Despite the exhaustion she’s always friendly and happy, for her it’s also completely out of the question to cancel our meetings and stay home and rest. When we came back to our hotel room after midnight our little Surda was cosily sleeping in her box in the verge of her new life.

On Tuesday it was time for Anu, Jukka, me and Surda to travel home. Heli would return with her new family members on Wednesday since there were not enough room for all of the dogs on the same flight.

Early in the morning we gave Surda a shower, she seemed to enjoy the treatment so much she almost fell asleep. When we had washed and dried Surda, Jukka took Anu and Heli to the supermarket to buy more things to the shelter. I stayed in the hotel with Surda and packed our luggage.

At 11 am it was time to go and say goodbye to Carmena and Patricia and also Adi and the shelter dogs before heading home. At the shelter we took Surda out of the car to stretch her legs and to say goodbye to Carmena who was kissing Surda all over. I believe both of them have good memories of the time spent together and of course we hope Carmena would be able to come and greet Surda in Finland someday. After we had hugged the women we promised to come back soon. Heli, though, had still a full day of work at the shelter ahead of her.

The drive from Tg-Jiu to Bucharest took 6 hours and went great. For Surda the drive seemed much more like a fun ride, it was wonderful to see how she was running around happy on our stops. When we reached the airport we took a little walk in a local park with Surda and I felt my heart was bursting with affection.

At check-in I got into a heated dispute with a vet who wasn’t up to date of Finnish regulations on animal import. The vet almost refused to let Surda travel. Fortunately the vet eventually understood he had met a tight opponent and gave up.

During the check-in I also recall hearing some older women deplore behind us on the line. They thought keeping a dog in a transportation box hot and thirsty was animal cruelty. Sure it was warm at the airport but Surda had been properly given water after every short period. Of course I could’ve told these critics Surda’s story and ask that if they felt this part of the story was animal cruelty then what did they think of Surda been beaten nearly to death. I also wanted to ask if they had paid any attention during their trip to all the crippled, famished and sick dogs wandering the streets and asked if they felt animal protection was extending to those poor things. But I let it go and kept my mouth shut.

At Helsinki-Vantaa airport we were excited to know how Surda had survived the flight. When we got her back to us, there was a brisk happy girl in the box. Surda’s passport was checked at airport customs and we were told the passport had been perfect and was well beyond the required regulations.

Now we are happily at home and Surda’s new life as our beloved pet has began better than we’d ever hoped! Heli is also at home safe and sound with Gria and Klenka. I’m sure we’ll hear how things are going there at some point.

Missing and wishing to be back in Tg-Jiu shelter,

Kiia