Sadly, cruelty against animals knows no bounds. Humans are the only animals that are capable of inflicting pain on other beings out of pure pleasure alone. Fortunately, some of us are willing to go to any lengths to help out an animal in need. But no one knows what people are capable of better than the staffers at Barking Mad Dog Rescue, a group of superheroes who rescue and rehome abandoned dogs in Romania. They’ve stumbled upon some horrific finds in their many years rescuing pups. But when they got a call by a local city hall about a group of abandoned dogs outside a church, they weren’t mentally prepared for what they were about to encounter.The staffers at Barking Mad Dog are no strangers to the abandoned and stray dog overpopulation that Romania is facing at the moment. When the local city hall contacted them, they immediately sprung into action and sent out a team of volunteers to investigate the reports.
But when the team of volunteers realized what was going on, they couldn’t help but gasp in horror. Outside the church, there were 18 chained pups who were heavily malnourished. But that wasn’t even the worst.
The wonderful team at Barking Mad Dog Rescue are all about saving dogs, one by one. They struggle to raise awareness and fix the ever-growing problem Romania is facing, but when they stumble into a life and death situation like the one they were facing, they can’t help but lose their faith in humanity.
These poor helpless creatures had been chained up for a while now, but there was no food or water in sight. The rescuers were stunned. How could anyone be this cruel? Despite being so heavily mistreated, these noble creatures welcomed the rescuers with wagging tails and friendly faces.
But those 18 helpless pups didn’t chain themselves to the church’s pillar, now did they? As it turns out, the church’s priest was the one who decided to tie them up in the yard. According to him, he had “rescued” all 18 stray dogs off the streets. But he obviously didn’t have a shred of sympathy for the poor helpless animals that were starving to death in the yard.
The fact that he didn’t see anything wrong with that statement tells a lot about the general lack of education we’re facing today. Evidently, the team of rescuers would have to work really hard to keep raising awareness about proper animal treatment. All 18 pups were in desperate need of water, food, and some attention and love.
But this would be no easy task, as the rescue relies solely on the generosity and compassion of people who want to put an end to the mistreatment of animals. Besides, they barely had any physical space left, as they were already spread pretty thin. But they didn’t care about the logistics. They were dead set on rescuing these defenseless creatures and get them out of that place as fast as possible.
The dogs eagerly accepted the food and water, and were visibly excited to see some friendly faces The team of rescuers proceeded to build additional enclosures that would allow them to accommodate all 18 pups. But their shelter was full, so they had to leave 12 pups behind with enough food and water, and only take 6 dogs that were in critical condition. They promised to come back for the rest, and they did!
The remaining 12 pups joined the rest of the gang. All 18 dogs were finally getting the medical care they desperately needed, asides from food, hugs, and a lot of attention. Despite being heavily mistreated, nothing was able to break their loving spirit.
All these pups wanted was love and a bit of attention, but most importantly? They wanted to be free and far away from those chains. Now that they were starting a new life, the team of rescuers decided to give them names. “Most have been named, choosing something that suits their characters,” said Jess, one of the volunteers at Barking Mad Dog Rescue. “Walla, Shima, Saphira, Poldi, Pepsi, Liesel, Gwendy, Flocke, Elli, Bobby, Bingo, Bao, Anton, Adena and Emely. The last ones we are still to find the perfect names.”
“They are all so friendly, they will make excellent fur family members,” Jess said. But unfortunately, these loving and kind-hearted creatures aren’t the only ones who are desperately looking for a family to call their own.
Unfortunately, taking care of an animal is a costly responsibility. Most of these pups have been hurt, starved, beaten, and deprived, so it literally takes a whole team to nourish an animal back to health. But there’s a lot you can do if you want to help.
You could always send food, volunteer your time, or offer temporary housing for a pup. But some animal rescue centers allow people to sponsor their rescued dogs as well. Barking Mad Dog Rescue’s site is pleading people to consider lending a helping hand to the many stray dogs roaming the streets of Romania. They wrote, “We know that there are many dogs and puppies in need on our shores but the dogs in Romania do not stand a chance. They are routinely tortured when caught or live a life of begging, fear and slow starvation on the streets.”
They continued, “Sponsoring one of our dogs means full bellies, medication & clean pens. Actual costs for each dog vary depending on their individual size and needs. Some will be receiving medical treatment, some will need special food and new dogs will need spaying or neutering, vaccinations, microchips, flea & worm treatments, and full vet checks. You can sponsor a dog from £10 per month. An average monthly cost to keep a dog in our shelter is £30 but part sponsorship is welcome.” This is one of those clear instances where a little goes a really long way, don’t you agree?
