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Help us make Agripina well

Your donation

You know how children, especially in adolescence, go through developmental stages, many with anger at their core? Well, Agripina became a rocker.

And we accept and love her as she wants to be. She, to be honest, is feeling more and more loved, because we see clear progress in her behaviour towards many people at Hope.

To those who don’t know, we remind them that, at the beginning, we couldn’t even put a hand in Agripina’s paddock. She is the puppy that was originally fed with a wooden handle. Now, after many steps at Messengers of Hope, Agripina accepts cuddles and, on her best days, even seeks them out. We are proud of her.

Please continue to donate to Agripina.

Agripina’s progress is becoming evident. One step at a time, we are taking important steps in her emotional recovery. Agripina is now receiving specialist help and is included in our desensitisation programme ‘Messengers of Hope’.

There is still work to be done, for now we are just two people she has come to trust and as you can see in the video, she is approaching us for food.

We are confident that our efforts will be rewarded and we are already dreaming of the moment when Agripina will be walking freely around the shelter (for now she is not leaving the ambulatory) or, why not, she will go happily to her home.

But until then, please continue to help us, our success is entirely due to you!

Agripina’s progress is slow because her wound is a big one. Since we don’t know how much and how our dogs were injured, we let them set the pace of progress in terms of confidence. Initially we couldn’t even get close to her at all. Feeding her was an adventure. Then, we started using a wooden “handle” to be able to give her food. After a long time, we were even able to touch her, but she still is very sensitive to touching.

It’s still extreme sport when we have to treat her. Who knows what trauma this puppy has been through that she is still so scared, even though we do everything humanly possible to prove to her that we are good people. But we don’t give up, slowly we will succeed. Both us and Agripina!

In the meantime, please continue to donate for her. To have the patience our dogs so desperately need, we must have time, and to have time we must have money. It’s a harsh reality, but that’s how things are.

So thank you!

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AGRIPINA'S STORY

Agripina is now on the road to recovery

We called her Agripina, with Gala Galaction’s “To the vultures!” novella in mind, because she is a fighter and a symbol of resilience.

Agripina was found in this deplorable state, in a village in Prahova county. We could not remain indifferent when asked for help.

We can’t know exactly what happened to her, but we do know what we have now: a dog with two sides of the same coin, the coin of trauma. One side is almost constant fear (of people, mostly), the other is aggression.

Whatever happened to Agripina, it’s clear that one or more people hurt her. And for good to happen, she will need our patience and affection. Robert, in particular, our trainer who visits the dogs three times a week, is ready to give her a run for her money. And Anca, our vet, is ready to heal her and turn Agripina into a real princess.

Agripina suffers from a generalized form of parasitic disease, represented by the appearance of extensive lesions over most of her body, comedos, follicular cysts, papules, lichenification, alopecia, oedema and plantar pain. Treatment is long-term and consists of anti-itch medication, antibiotics, antifungals, immunotherapy, vitamin supplements for skin and coat, solutions and shampoos, hypoallergenic diet.

Be an Ambassador of Hope

Now you can create your own fundraising campaign to help us care for the more than 500 dogs in the shelter.

Watch the video and then click the button below to start raising donations with the help of your social media community.

The Speranța Shelter Foundation was founded in 1996 by Florina Tomescu and, since its inception, has contributed decisively to the welfare of animals in Romania, especially abandoned and suffering dogs.

On the night of 18.04.2001, the staff of the Speranța Foundation, together with the Vier Pfoten Romania team, rescued 300 dogs from the city hall shelters, dogs that would otherwise have fallen victim to the new euthanasia law. It was a real act of mass rescue at a terrible time for both animals and animal lovers.

The dogs at Speranța were rescued from the streets or from various life-threatening situations. Our shelter is home to about 500 dogs. Of these, 7 are paraplegics (they receive special care and are moved around with the help of prams) and about 200 are seniors, i.e. over 12 years old. We have a lot of older dogs in the shelter, but we are constantly trying to find families for them.

The Speranța Foundation is working hard to find adopters for the dogs in the shelter, including offering the possibility of distance adoption. Speranța Foundation is constantly organising events to promote adoptions and to raise awareness of the responsibility we all have towards animals.

Every year, the team from Speranța Shelter conducts sterilization programs for dogs and cats with owners, a pro bono project for those interested.

Speranța Shelter relies entirely on private donations to care for its more than 500 dogs each year and to fund all of its programs. The shelter’s monthly maintenance costs amount to more than €20,000.

In addition to maintenance expenses, we continually need financial support to improve the living conditions of the dogs by providing them with a clean, safe and loving environment. The shelter has been constantly upgraded, the paddocks have been rebuilt to be more comfortable and welcoming for their residents, 4 playgrounds have been created for the dogs, the 2 medical clinics have been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

Speranța Shelter is also actively involved in campaigns to promote adoptions and to educate and raise awareness of the responsibility we all have towards animals, in order to prevent abandonment and acts of cruelty towards them.

For more information on the work of the shelter, visit the About Us page

Any contribution, no matter the amount, can make a difference in the lives of many animals. Here are a few reasons why you should consider donating monthly:

Continuous support:
Monthly donations provide a stable income stream for the foundation, which allows for long-term planning and implementation of actions for the good of the dogs.

Save time and effort:
Setting up a monthly donation is an efficient way to contribute without having to remember to do it every month.

Personal Satisfaction:
Regular donation gives you the feeling of actively contributing to an important cause and having a direct impact on the lives of animals.

Sustainability of the activity:
A steady stream of monthly donations can help the shelter weather tough times and continue to do valuable work.

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We need your help for Agripina’s treatment.

It is only thanks to your donations that Agripina will get better.

Avem nevoie de ajutorul vostru pentru tratamentul Agripinei.

Doar datorită donațiilor voastre, Agripina se va putea face bine.

On behalf of the animals at Speranța Shelter,
thank you for any contribution!

On behalf of the animals at Speranța Shelter, thank you for any contribution!