Episode 19 - Adopt, Don't Shop (Romanian Dog Rescue) - Delia Botea

WHYLD - Podcast for Bold Authentic People (And Those Who Wish They Were)

Who needs to do something about it?
For Delia Botea, the answer was “Me.”
In Romania, a country where there are 600 000 stray dogs roaming the streets, waiting to be captured and very likely killed, Delia made a choice: If no one helps these poor, often malnourished, injured, sick, abandoned souls… she must do it. Once scared of dogs herself, she started rescuing one dog at a time and had all of her family members host one.

Soon she was running out of safe havens for her rescues, so she rented a warehouse to shelter them. Finally, she took a leap of faith and bought a piece of land in the middle of nowhere. With more hopes than funds, Delia founded CareForDogs Romania and created an impactful rescue center.

Until today, Delia has helped thousands of dogs stay alive, heal, trust again, find joy, and reach a loving forever home abroad. With their spaying campaign as well as educational efforts, Delia and her partner organizations work on shifting Romanian’s attitudes towards animals. Today, there are many more dogs who need saving than there is the capacity to help them. Delia envisions that through educational efforts, the generation of her sweet young son will grow up changing this for the better.

For now though, there is hardly any time to rest. Dozens of times a day, Delia’s phone rings because another severely sick dog was found, abandoned by humans and left to suffer. The situation has increased dramatically since the onset of the Covid pandemic. There is not enough space to take in all dogs found. And funds are tight to ensure medical treatment and food for those in Delia’s care.

YOU can help Delia spread the word and save lives.

This energetic woman, fueled by purpose, will inspire you to live beyond the 9-to-5 and make something greater out of your life.
Would you like to help Delia rescue more dogs?

• Follow & share CareForDogs Romania on Facebook: Facebook.com/carefordogsro
• And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carefordogsro/
• Visit their website: https://carefordogsromania.org/en/
• Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Carefordogsro. If you don’t use Paypal, check out other options to donate on CareForDogs Romania’s website.
• If you are German, you might want to donate via Hunderettung Europa: https://hunderettung-europa.de/

More resources:

• Check out the German partner organization that was mentioned: Hunderettung Europa, https://hunderettung-europa.de/
• Here is "The Dodo" video of Walter (Instagram), the poor dog who had to eat wall paste to survive: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQHZkAxrSMy/

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