Animal Life

“As a foreigner in Romania, you are always prepared for the worse, but I have to say this Spayathlon was one of my happiest memories from Romania. To see all people come together and work like mad for little or no pay, and all the owners who were so worried about their beloved dogs and grateful to Animal Life and the veterinarians for sterilizing their pet, thus giving it a better life.“

Jenny Vestlund
Kodittomien koirien ystavat, Finland

Last summer’s Spayathlon, in the words of our friends in Finland:


Our association here in Finland, Kodittomien koirien ystavat, had been cooperating with the Romanian association Animal Life for almost a year – rehoming their dogs and helping them financially whenever we could. I had personally visited Romania several times so I knew what I could expect, however this was the first time I would actually got to follow a Spayathlon from up close.

We arrived in Sibiu and were as always warmly welcomed by the members of Animal Life – people that put their heart and soul rescuing these animals that no-one else cares for. I have always admired their ability to do fulltime jobs and running a shelter at the same time. They have no spare time, no holidays and no money; whatever extra they have goes to the dogs. I truly adore these people!

The Spayathlon took place Sunday and Monday – the last day in May and first in June. In the morning we were all gathering outside the hotel we were staying at, the veterinary team from Bucharest had arrived the night before. After a quick introduction we drove to the clinic of Dan Gheoca, a very kind man who helps the volunteers in Animal Life a lot. He had generously offered to let the Spayathlon take place in his clinic.

The vet team immediately started working and the first dogs arrived at ten o’clock. Animal Life had done a lot of advertising in the newspapers and they were expecting a lot of people. And a lot of people came, and when there was a small break they neutered some of the dogs from the shelter. I have never seen a vet clinic so hectic yet so organized. Everybody knew their position and everybody were invited to help, even if it was just small things like shaving a dog before the surgery or keeping them warm afterwards.

We finished off the first day at about 6 PM and I have never been as exhausted in my life. The volunteers of Animal Life were also tired and one of the veterinarians, Dr. Aurelian, made a joke about why it was always the volunteers being the most tired although the veterinarians do the hardest part of the job. We had a good laugh and we all agreed that was the case.

The next day would be even more special. The World Woof Tour was coming to town to film the Spayathlon and the evening before we were all supposed to go out for dinner. However, Joanne and Oscar the dog decided to stay at the hotel because they were tired, which is understandable since it was their 13th country visited in two weeks! Instead, we met with Livia from Bucharest and her partner. They were guiding Joanne and the filming crew during their stay in Romania. We had a pleasant evening although we almost fell asleep at the dining table.

The next morning while sitting at the breakfast table I hear the sound of paws marching down the stairs. Yes, it was Oscar. He took his place under a table while Joanne and the camera man ate, but I’m sure he was given one or two treats during the time. Later we all met outside the hotel. Joanne wanted to film at Animal Life’s shelter first and afterwards we went to the Spayathlon. They interviewed Dr. Aurelian and got some great shots of the surgeries. Joanne was clearly enjoying herself and the good company of the vets, but the camera man seemed somewhat dizzy watching a neutering process so up close.

After Joanne, Oscar and the rest of the crew left we continued our day. Again we weren’t finished until after 6 PM and the result from two days work was astonishing: 111 dogs and cats neutered! I could hardly believe my ears.

As a foreigner in Romania, you are always prepared for the worst, but I have to say this Spayathlon was one of my happiest memories from Romania. To see all people come together and work like mad for little or no pay, and all the owners who were so worried about their beloved dogs and grateful to Animal Life and the veterinarians for sterilizing their pet, thus giving it a better life. Some owners donated as much as they could spare – and even if it was only equivalent of 3 dollars it was a lovely gesture. Many of them left with tears in their eyes, hugging their pets as if they were never to let go.

You could tell by the way Dr. Aurelian and the rest of the veterinary team was working that they were very experienced. Not many of the rest of us could keep up with their pace and yet they treated each dog as an individual and with great compassion, and it was heart-warming to see how they some times took a minute to cuddle with the dogs. I have nothing but great respect for these people.

Thank you so much Romania Animal Rescue for the work you are doing, it really does make a difference! And thank you all donors who make Spayathlons like these possible. Through this synopsis, I wish I can convey you some of the joy, happiness and gratefulness we all experienced during these days and above all: the compassion we feel for the animals in this land of suffering.


Jenny Vestlund
Kodittomien koirien ystavat

Hi. My name is, well, not relevant, I’m one of the Animal Life people. And this is one of those days when it feels like we’re fighting a war that’s been lost even before it started. When the memories of the ones who made it out of here doesn’t bring any relief.

It’s cold, very cold, and being out in the open makes it feel even worse. There’s nowhere they can hide from the winter, little good does it do to crouch in the back of the kennel. Provided there was more for them, they would have had a roof above their heads and walls surrounding them. But that’s fantasy. They’re stuck in the middle of a frozen field, with nowhere to go.

I’m getting ready to feed them. It takes a while and it’s not the right time for self-pitying. During winter it is food that helps them through the freezing night into tomorrow. Yet she doesn’t want food. That’s not why she got on top of her kennel. She’s just using the kennel to reach higher, so she can get my attention. I wanna say something nice to her while I pat her head, but she sticks her head right to my chest. She just wants affection, wants me to comfort her. It must be minus 1000 degrees, none of them have eaten anything since yesterday, and all she cares for this very moment is to keep her head glued to my chest. It’s moments like this when the entire sky comes crashing down. They suffer so badly and it’s just so little we can do to make a difference for them. It feels like we’re fighting a war we lost in advance.

It’s Siberia-freezing outside and they are hungry. Time’s up for hugging and weeping. The ice in those water buckets won’t brake itself.

Our Smokey is just one of the dogs who have found a home and a new life in Finland. The pictures below are the best to tell the story:

These are the moments when we feel that our work is worthwhile. We have been asked “what difference does it make sending a dog to Germany?”. This is our answer: for Laika and her family it makes all the difference in the world!

Below are the words of Ms. Ingrid Jakobs. Thank you Ms. Jakobs!!



This is a letter for the nice lady who has taken care of Laika.

Laika has brought love into my heart. She is a real gift and I offer her all of my love.

Laika has a good life and a great time with my children also. Yes, it is true, her wonderful eyes can look straight into your heart. She understands everything and we fully enjoy our time together.

It is wonderful to have her and she has learned so much! During our walks together she tells me the story of her past. I cannot put into words how dear she is to me.

So I thank you, dear stranger, for what you have done for Laika. She really is a special dog.

Ingrid Jakobs

Messages supporting different causes have become common on the internet. Many times we’d rather not read them, afraid to see, afraid to know things which could “ruin our day”. The presentation below will not make you turn your head in horror, it is a story you already know. All you have to do is think about it.

This is a question I would really like to ask a lot of people. Especially the ones who call us in answer to our adds and hang up shortly after hearing that the dogs we offer are of no breed at all. The second thing which crossed my mind was to tell them that we are actually selling some really beautiful “Van der Maastricht” or something similar and let them gaze in adoration at some brown spotted, long ear, short tale puppies, which we’ve just found in the back of a dumpster.

A dog is what you want it to be: it becomes what you make of it.

Since when have our dogs – our friends - become a status symbol? What kind of people would think that a poor creature should live only to make them look good?

Please take a look at our pure Romanian mutts: aren’t they adorable?

They were abandoned and now they’re looking for a home and for a family of their own. They’re approximately 7 weeks old. Would you care to adopt them, please contact us.

This is an article about friendship.

As you may know, people tend to take friendship for granted and, like many things in life, appreciate it only when it is gone.

We get used to our friends, to the fact that they are always there for us and will answer the phone whenever we are in trouble. Most of the time we forget to tell them a simple “thank you”.

This is the kind of mistake Animal Life has also done.

A few years ago when concepts like spay / neuter campaigns and international adoptions were things we could only read on the websites of big organizations, someone decided to take the time and help a few people with big dreams and little money. Someone decided to be our friend.

Our spay/neuter campaigns, the ones we are so proud of, were sponsored by our friend: there were veterinarians operating, medicines and surgery equipment, lodging and travel expenses, things we never could have paid for ourselves.

We got donations, books on medicine and blankets, collars and treatments which helped us through the rough times.

The fact that we were able to participate to an international conference on animal welfare, meet new people and learn how to improve our work was all because this friend was willing to take us with her.

And then, as it usually happens with people, but never with animals, we forgot to thank our friend.

This is our “mea culpa”: thank you Nancy and thank you Romania Animal Rescue for being our oldest friend. We are sorry for taking you for granted!

Dear friends,

The articles on our website become fewer and fewer because we really are completely out of time! As you all know it is puppy and kitten season and this means that our phones are ringing off the hook and the mails are flowing continuously into our inbox.

All of them have the same subject: puppies and kittens in desperate need of help, after being abandoned in boxes and bags, neglected or left for dead in dumpsters a few days after being born.

The decision of not helping is very hard but, unfortunately, we have long passed the point where helping was still an option. After taking in tens of dogs, we have reached our limit of space, effort and resources. We are forced to turn down people because we do not have the actual ground / space where the animals could live. People’s responses vary from the very rude “I thought you are serious, you are paid to do this” and even way worse, to understanding and taking the matter into their hands.

So, here it goes:

No, we are not paid by anyone to help animals. We are a group of people with day jobs and families.

No, we do not have acres of land and a shelter like those on Animal Planet.

No, we do not have a magic recipe according to which all puppies get adopted, all are cared for and live happily ever after.

And finally, YES, every person in this city or country or world can do what we do: stop, take the puppy into your arms, take it home, take it to the vet, place an add, ask friends and do everything you can to find a family.

It is up to you to make a difference: spaying and neutering prevents the suffering of unwanted animals! For information regarding how you can help the animals in your surroundings, please contact us.