8/05/2013

Spay/neuter is the new pink



Of course, we each have our own idea of what high fashion is nowadays, so you can turn “pink” into anything you want. The idea is that SPAY/NEUTER is the way to go and there is no doubt about it.  Only with spay/neuter can we solve the issue of unwanted animals born to suffer.  The benefits of spay/neuter are enormous, aggressive behavior is deterred with neutering, mammary and testicular cancers are prevented, roaming to find a mate is eliminated.  Unwanted animals are no longer born into a world of suffering, and our beloved animals live a healthier, longer life.

But why is spay/neuter so important for Romania?
It is known that Romania is faced with a severe problem, the increasing number of stray dogs on the streets, caused by the Communist Regime who wanted to transform all the villages into cities and all the peasants into workers.  People were forced to leave their homes behind and their animals became stray animals. Their chaotic breeding was no longer controlled by their owners (they used to drawn the puppies immediately after being born), so it soon turned into a major problem which was handled poorly for more than two decades.
Over the years, the local authorities came up with a lot of methods to exterminate the unwanted dogs, one more inventive than the other, but few of them are willing to try the only solution that works: the TNR programme, which means “trap, neuter, release”. People find it hard to believe that a problem which was ignored for over 20 years, can’t be solved in six months; they have had enough and they are not willing to give TNR a chance, simply because it is not a “quick fix”. But this is starting to change, more and more pet owners choose to have their animals spayed or neutered. 

As an NGO, I and my colleagues never grow tired of explaining to people that the stray dogs on the streets are not the cause, but the effect. We try to plea to their practical sense and make them see that when a water pipe gets broken and the house is flooded, one never tries to get the water out before they fix the pipe. For more than 20 years, the Romanian Gouvernment has been working on getting the water out of the house, but the pipe is still broken. Sterilizing all the animals, strays and pets (along with other additional actions which would prevent the abandon of pets on the street)  means fixing the pipe, putting a stop to the cause, before dealing with the effect.





By talking to people over and over, we hope to make them understand that SPAY/NEUTER is the solution for the problems they face on the streets. They complain there are too many dogs, we tell them it can be solved by sterilizing as many stray and owned dogs as we can; they say they are afraid to walk on the streets and we show them that issues such as hunger, over population, breeding or nursing can cause them to be more irritable, but we can also fix those problems by spaying or neutering them. More sterilized dogs means less dogs, less reasons to fight each other, less accidents on the street. Sometimes it feels like talking to the walls, but we are resilient people and we don’t mind talking all day long about our favorite subject: the importance of spay and neuter in Romania.
So, spread the word: Romania has only one solution, SPAY/NEUTER! You can be part of the problem, but I hope this virtual journey throughout Romania will convince you to be part of the solution. Join me and the RAR Dream Team of veterinarians in an attempt of preventing more unwanted animals to be born in an undeserving world!


11 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. "A righteous man regards the life of animals" - PROVERBS 12:10; "If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion & pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men" - FRANCIS OF ASSISI; "I hope to make people realize how totally helpless animals are, how dependent on us, trusting as a child must that we will be kind and take care of their needs...(They) are an obligation put on us, a responsibility we have no rights to neglect, nor to violate by cruelty...." - JAMES HARRIOT; "The greatness of a nation & its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" - MAHATMA GANDHI.

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    "Un om neprihănit ceea ce privește durata de viață a animalelor" - Proverbe 12:10; "Dacă aveți oameni care va exclude oricare dintre creaturile lui Dumnezeu la adăpost de compasiune și milă, vei avea oameni care se vor ocupa, de asemenea, cu semenii lor" - Francisc de Assisi; "Sper ca pentru a face pe oameni să înțeleagă modul în care animalele neputincios sunt, cât de dependenți de noi, încredere ca un copil trebuie ca noi va fi un fel și să aibă grijă de nevoile lor ... (Ei) sunt o obligație a pus pe noi , o responsabilitate nu avem nici un drept să neglijeze, nici să încalce cu cruzime .... "- James Harriot; "Măreția unei națiuni și progresul ei moral pot fi judecate prin modul în care animalele sale sunt tratate" - Mahatma Gandhi.

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  3. It always makes me shudder when I hear of people breeding dogs and horses - and any animal! - when there are so many precious souls already in need of homes. Then you hear of the "need" to kill them because of the overpopulation leading to their becoming nuisances! THEN STOP BREEDING THEM, AND START ADOPTING THE ONES THAT ARE ALREADY IN NEED - AND THEN FIX THEM!!!!!!!!!!!! *Do not breed or buy while so many abandoned animals die.*

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    Ea face mereu să mă cutremur când am auzit de oameni câini și cai de reproducere - și orice animal! - Atunci când există atât de multe suflete prețioase deja în nevoie de locuințe. Apoi auzi din "nevoia" să-i omoare, din cauza suprapopulării duce la daune lor devenind! Apoi opri imperecherii, și începe adoptarea cele care sunt deja NEVOIA - si apoi le repara!!!! * Nu cresc sau cumpărați în timp ce atât de multe animale abandonate muri. *

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  4. Thank you, I enjoyed reading the above post. I think it is important to mention that over the past 20 years Romania has been given millions of euros to help with the stray animal situation. Instead of using this money in spay/neuter programmes, corrupt officials have employed henchmen to kill these dear animals in the most barbaric ways, whilst lining their own pockets. If the money had been used for the purpose it was given then the stray animal issue in Romania would not be as it is today. Romanians, vote the corrupt Mayors etc out of office.
    Deborah Reilly

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    1. Yes, Deborah, you are right! We, who are involved directly in animal welfare in Romania, get to see it with our own eyes, but no one believes us. I myself made a lot of complaints about the illegalities committed in the public shelter in Moreni and finally managed to close it down. Corruption mixed with indifference and irresponsibility caused the situation that we are now facing, but RAR is determined to help us, the ones who want to change something in Romania. Everyone can get involved in this fight, donating, sharing, getting the message across to as many people as possible. The future looks bright thanks to RAR!

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    2. Wait, who was giving all this money for the animals that was spent improperly??? How were they not informed of this??? If they earmarked the money for the welfare of animals and found out that it wasn't spent for that, wouldn't they stop giving it, so to force their hand into using it appropriately???

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    3. Despina, the corruption in Romania goes up to very high levels, which makes it harder to fight against it. Animal welfare people in Romania have made various complaints to the EU Parliament about it, but we have yet to wait for a reaction. Meanwhile, Romanian authorities do their business on the backs of innocent animals.

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    4. Heartbreaking. The need is so obvious, it is clear that they are purposefully ignoring it. My heart, thoughts and prayers are with all those precious four-legged angels, as well as the people who are so very desperately doing everything possible to help them. Xx

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  5. Thank you for your reply and for helping to get the public shelter in Moreni closed. I do support RAR with donations, and will continue to do so, as I think they are an excellent charity. My husband and I have also recently adopted a Romanian stray dog. To be honest Anda, I am sickened by what is happening to animals in Romania (and globally) and will be contacting various MEP's about the situation because it can't continue as it is.The barbarity inflicted on these dear creatures is heartbreaking, as you yourself are only too aware. Thank you for helping to make change happen.

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    1. Happy to hear you are such a loyal supporter of RAR, they are doing an excellent job here. We all do our part in helping these innocent victims of humans' cruelty and the best thing is to keep fighting, no matter if sometimes we feel hopeless.

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  6. I agree with you Anda, and Despina you can find out about the high level corruption online, there's plenty to read! And yes, many petitions have been submitted, people have been vocal, questions have been asked in the European Parliament and still the Romanian authorities do nothing to stop the barbarity. The dear animals continue to suffer daily and it's truly shocking.

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