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The shelter has an area of 5000 square meters and 105 paddocks. These are of different sizes, depending on the needs of the dogs. The dogs are placed in paddocks taking into account important aspects such as: their friendships, size, age, special needs, family, etc. Of the 105 paddocks, 6 are heated and are intended for very old dogs. We have recently refurbished and refitted all the paddocks, trying to make them more comfortable and welcoming for their residents.
Every day, the work starts with washing and cleaning the paddocks, during which time the dogs are taken out to the play areas one at a time. They are then fed and their water is changed inside the paddocks. Old and sick dogs are given two meals, one of which is hot.
Caring for puppies that arrive at the shelter is different and more expensive than caring for adult dogs.
First, they need to be isolated. Puppies are extremely vulnerable to all sorts of diseases, so it is essential that they do not come into contact with other animals until their immune systems are fully developed, with our help. This is a difficult step both for the pups, who, usually without a mother, want to interact with anyone and anything, especially humans, but also for us.
During this time, puppies are fed much more often than adult dogs and are also given various medications (vaccines, deworming). In addition to all the materials involved, which we have to buy, we also have to make sure there is at least one person constantly looking after them. It is therefore a very costly procedure, both financially and in terms of time. And that’s also why it’s very important to donate and support us when we have a lot of puppies housed.
Only after we have done the above steps can we finally let the puppies out to play and interact with other dogs, then finally find them families. Here, our mission ends and yours begins.
Over 220 dogs at Speranța are ‘pensioners’ (each at least 12 years old). The elderly also need special care, as some have age-specific illnesses. But most of them are still perfectly adoptable!
In fact, in January 2022, Buni became the oldest dog adopted from our shelter and quite possibly one of the oldest dogs ever adopted. At 19 years old, after a lifetime in the shelter, Buni found her first family of her own.
6 of our dogs are paralyzed in the back and can only move with the help of a special cart. The shelter has a specially designed room for paraplegic dogs, each dog has its own ‘studio’. They are sanitised whenever necessary. Every day they use individual carts built for their needs. Recovery and maintenance therapy is done according to individualized programs. Over time, 5 out of our 23 paraplegics have not needed a wheelchair after physiotherapy sessions and have started to walk on their own.
We pride ourselves on our physiotherapy practice dedicated to the paraplegic dogs that have come (and most of them remained) in the shelter, usually as a result of road accidents or aggression from people. Over the years, thanks to this practice, but also to the patience and superhuman efforts of our colleagues, we have been able to work wonders and get dogs back on their feet that no doctor ever thought could be recovered.
They can’t be physically adopted as they need special care, but any ongoing donation (we also call it “remote adoption”) would mean the world to us and to them.
Thanks to our partners and donors, our shelter benefits from 2 modern and high standard veterinary clinics that have state-of-the-art equipment. One is dedicated to surgical interventions, but also to the necessary analyses for medical investigations. The second clinic is intended for light veterinary activities such as ‘monthly vet check’, but also for registers, registration of dogs in our files, keeping of medical records, adoptions, entries, deaths, etc.
We employ a veterinarian and collaborate with other doctors, especially for more complicated interventions. This allows us to treat most health problems of the dogs ‘in house’. However, we still have high costs for medicines and equipment for analyses and investigations, which we could also use, but we cannot afford them yet.
Separate from the clinics, we have also set up a physiotherapy office in another area of the shelter, dedicated to the recovery of dogs with various locomotor problems. The practice is equipped with a banded pool and water. The importance of this place has been demonstrated on many occasions, most recently with Stafidă, who was paralyzed in the back, but made a miraculous recovery and can walk today after about a year and a half of work in the practice.
Recently, we have set up 4 very useful playgrounds in the shelter, which the dogs use intensively:
Speranța Foundation was founded in 1996 and, for more than two decades, we have done everything in our power for the welfare of our silent friends, especially for abandoned and suffering dogs.
