“There you lie, fearful and uncertain, hidden in a corner of the garden. Tethered to a short, iron chain, so tight that it’s almost impossible to loosen. Your “home” consists of nothing more than a stone with 2-3 loose planks thrown over it, attempting to shield you from the sun, rain, and storms. Impossible! An empty cut-off bottle sits beside you, but there’s no water anywhere. And all this in the extreme heat!”

“You couldn’t find a comfortable position, so you started barking. It took a moment, but then you realized we were there for you. To cuddle you and take you to the Center of Hope. For your sterilization and any other care you might need. Well, it turns out, you do need it! You’re suffering from anemia, just like many dogs now, due to the tick season. You need a blood transfusion and a warm place to sleep.”

You’d want to save them all, steal them away, give them a better life! But you know that won’t solve the problem. Because before you know it, another dog is lying on that same chain…

For us, this is so surreal, but the people there don’t know any different. They live in a house, if you can call it that, without windows and with a sheet as a front door, and a garden without a fence.

It shouldn’t be a reason to treat your pet this way, but perhaps you can understand why it’s so challenging to convince the people to take better care..

With this project, we patrol the streets, visit people’s homes, provide education, and aim to offer medical care. Not to mention, we strive to improve the lives of as many chained dogs as possible. In the past years, this has led to the rescue of dozens of dogs from chains. Our mission is that one day, these chains will finally be prohibited by law. Until then, we are working step by step towards that goal.

With great regularity, we visit Romania and are consistently confronted with the appalling living conditions in the shelters. In response to this, we started our first kennel project in 2017. This initiative arose after witnessing that some animals had to sleep without shelter or, worse, in the snow.

By now, this has become an annual project. Every year, especially for the winter, as many new dog kennels as possible are constructed. In the summer of 2022, this project was even mostly funded by Reuvers Construction, which generously sponsored all the materials for the construction.

With our team, accompanied by our strong men, we flew there to build and paint dozens of new dog kennels. The result surprised us so much that we intend to expand this in the coming time and perhaps implement it at other locations as well.

Please note, unfortunately, we cannot rescue every dog from the shelter, but we can at least ensure a more comfortable living environment. Additionally, we find it important to create a positive atmosphere for the caregivers.

This is our latest project, something we have been looking forward to and working on for a long time. We will be using the animal ambulance to go to the most impoverished villages to sterilize as many animals as possible. This project will initially take place in the village of Sohatu in Romania.

In collaboration with veterinarians from the Center of Hope, volunteers, and some members of our Le Woef team, we will provide as much medical care as possible in this village over two days. Thanks to the animal ambulance, we have the opportunity to sterilize animals on-site. Followed by the Spay Shuttle, which, if necessary, can transport animals to the Center of Hope to sterilize even larger numbers.

At the same time, we aim to deworm as many dogs as possible, treat them against ticks and fleas, and provide people with explanations on what to observe and be aware of. By offering these services for free, we hope that people will seek help more promptly when it is truly needed.

With this initiative, we hope to save as many lives as possible and raise awareness for people to take better care of animals. Unfortunately, this is an environment where people are so incredibly poor that they can never afford the costs. It’s one of the main reasons and causes of this significant stray animal problem.

Fortunately, we are surrounded by people who believe in our essential work and want to contribute to it. In this way, we can still make a little difference.

A man who dedicates himself day and night to saving thousands of animal lives should, at the very least, be well taken care of himself.

When Stefan could finally establish a shelter in 2012, it started with just an open field and a few pens and kennels. Over the years, more structures were naturally added. The number of dogs quickly grew, requiring more space. For 8 years, Stefan had to live in a caravan on the premises. He only had cold water and couldn’t even take a warm shower.

This became our reason to finally put an end to it! It was a costly project, prevented from building a house due to zoning restrictions. However, with the help of many dedicated followers and donors, we managed to place a double residential container for him in 2020. It comes with warm, running water, and heating! After all these years, Stefan can finally shower, sleep, and warm himself up normally.

This project originated with the establishment of the Center of Hope in 2017, a veterinary clinic dedicated to combating animal suffering with heart and soul. This created the opportunity to help not only ‘house’ dogs but also those living on the streets. The aim of this project is to provide as many animals as possible with any form of medical care they need, including fractures, infections, amputations, and various diseases.

The majority of the animals brought here have no owner to care for them, and there is no one to cover the medical costs. To still provide the necessary care, this project has been successfully established. Through fundraising campaigns and donations, we can patch up these animals and ensure a better future for them. Hundreds of animals have already been taken in as a result.