ANIMAL lovers across the dale have been thanked for contributing a huge amount of goods to a charity dedicated to saving street dogs in Romania.
A van packed with 800kg of donated items arrived at Gabriela’s Souls and Paws, based in Brasov, Transylvania, late last month.
The charity helps tackle the problem of street dogs, which is a legacy of life in 1980s Romania when industrialisation under former dictator Nicolae Ceausecu saw large numbers of people migrate from the country to the cities – forcing them to abandon their pets.
Moved by their plight, Barnard Castle animal lover Lucy Taylor first adopted pets Hobnob and Saxon from Souls and Paws, which is run by Gabriela Marilena Porosnicu, and then began supporting the charity.
Having helped collect enough goods for two shipments, Ms Taylor, a team leader at the Barney town centre Co-op store, launched an appeal earlier this year for more donations.
Due to the war in Ukraine, she said collecting the goods proved more straightforward than getting them across to Ms Porosnicu.
“After I launched the appeal, it just went crazy,” said Ms Taylor.
“People were dropping off stuff at my house and bringing things to the shop. I even had dog baskets brought in a taxi. The Manor House also did a collection for us. I am hugely grateful.”
She said everything from tins of food to medicine, flea treatments, beds and collars was sent in along with donations of cash.
The collars will be distributed by the charity in the hope owners will use them instead of chaining up their pets, Ms Taylor added.
Getting the donations across to Romania proved more tricky than in the past.
Previously, Ms Taylor and her small network of about a dozen fellow animal lovers who support the charity, would pack goods onto vans returning to Romania having brought dogs over to the UK which were being re-homed here.
“Defra put a temporary ban on dogs coming from countries bordering Ukraine,” she said.
“I managed to get some supplies to a shelter in Macedonia, but this was the main bulk of it which finally went across to Romania at the end of November after the ban had been lifted.
“With winter coming and supplies low, Gabriela was getting very anxious so this has come at just the right time.”
Ms Porosnicu, who runs the shelter with her husband, said she wished to “massively thank” those who had supported the charity.
“I feel my words are small in comparison to what I feel, but thank you for caring about our strays.”
Ms Taylor said she planned to continue to support the charity.
“The streets are just overrun with dogs no-one wants. It is just heartbreaking,” she said.
