Local family show support for a Romanian dog shelter
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A CHARITY for stray dogs in Romania has received a much needed boost thanks to the efforts of a local woman and her family.
At the end of August, local Paws2Rescue volunteer Angela Henderson went out to Baia Mare, a city in north western Romania along with her son Logan and husband Gerald of GMR Henderson Builders Ltd, to help concrete some of the enclosures at a dog shelter.
Working in heats of around 35 degrees, Mr Henderson and his son, along with just one other volunteer had to work quickly using wheelbarrows and shovels to spread the ready mix concrete which was dropped off in large quantities.
Angela, a former support auxiliary at Lybster Primary School, said she started following the charity on Facebook after someone she knew adopted a Romanian dog.
The local animal lover explained that she later learned the plight of a dog that had been wandering around a small village area for a couple of years. The little dog was thought to have no eyes as it had tumours on its forehead which had grown so long they flopped down blocking its vision.
She said: "I was not really in the market for a dog, but then Adi's picture came up. He was picked up and operated on to remove the tumours, and after making a full recovery was put up for adoption."
As Angela was just about to give up her work she felt the time was right and sent a message expressing her interest and once passing a home check she got Adi in June of this year.
Describing her dog as being like a Shetland collie but in a corgi style body, she said: "We got Adi and never looked back. He is absolutely adorable, he is just the easiest dog in the world."
Wick is proving a good place for rehoming animals, with another Romanian dog arriving for adoption in September and one more is coming to the area in mid October.
Paws2Rescue, a UK registered charity which works to relieve the plight of Romanian dogs by supporting private shelters, also run a Christmas shoe box appeal for orphan children and disadvantaged families, which Angela has also been involved in.
It was through her offer to help with the shoe box appeal that the local campaigner was asked if she had ever thought of volunteering.
When she heard about the concreting project at Adapostul de caini din Baia Mare on August 24, she asked if her husband and son could come along and lend a hand. They worked alongside Paul, the husband of Viorica who runs the shelter.
Angela said: "It was quite a task and all the dogs had to be got out of the kennels. They were working from 8am to 3.30pm in the afternoon non-stop every day with no breaks."
While the concreting was in the expert hands of her husband and son, Angela helped with the dogs, cleaning and walking them.
There are still some enclosures needing to be concreted and Gerald and Logan will go back out to Baia Mare next Easter to continue with the project along with additional help from GMR.
Angela said: "We are not going to stop until we finish off every dog enclosure. As a family our hearts are in it – this is just where we feel we can make a difference. It is one of the most rewarding things I have done."
She explained that when it rained at the shelter it gets very muddy in the dog areas that are not concreted.
The animal campaigner, who lives in Dunbeath, took the opportunity to return to the Romania last Wednesday for a week to help look after the rescued dogs.
The Henderson family will also be helping with this year's Christmas shoe box appeal, with Gerald providing transport to get the donated items down to Sutton in Surrey in time for the onward journey to Romania before the temperatures there drop too low.
Angela pointed out that she had found it hard on discovering that when some of the children were asked want they wanted for Christmas some simply said they wanted an orange.
Thanking those who helped in the concreting appeal, a Paws2Rescue spokesperson said: "Your support for the amazing team at Adapostul de caini din Baia Mare means the world to the dogs there, many of whom cannot be re-homed and will live here for life.
"You have made their world so much easier, as it means they won't be standing in mud, and the enclosures can be cleaned easier too."
