YOUR DONATIONS ARE PUT TO USE WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST: The construction of the first stage of the new animal shelter Help Labus in Galati, Romania is in full swing.

By the end of September, we were finally able to put the first dogs into the first completed wing of the new animal shelter. It was a very special day for all animal lovers who have long been working towards this moment. Most notably, it was a very special day for many dogs: Most of them have never been in a closed room or have never lain on a blanket or in a dog bed. A wonderful experience, which these animals owe to the donors of Susy Utzinger Stiftung für Tierschutz (Susy Utzinger Foundation for Animal Welfare).

There is still much to do: Around 120 dogs can be accommodated in the first hall. Until all 900 dogs of the old animal shelter Help Labus can be well catered for, we still need to collect a lot of money.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE ANIMAL SHELTER WITH THE HELP OF SUST (SUSY UTZINGER FOUNDATION FOR ANIMAL WELFARE)

For several years, Susy Utzinger Stiftung für Tierschutz (Susy Utzinger Foundation for Animal Welfare) has been increasingly focussing on the prevention of animal suffering in Romania by large-scale castration actions to curb the overpopulation of stray dogs in the long term. However, there is still a lot of work ahead of us, and we will of course continue to strictly monitor the situation.

In the meantime, many stray animals that were rescued from the street and from killing institutions end up in animal shelters, which struggle daily for their four-legged friends’ survival. One of these shelters is particularly close to our hearts. Corina Grigore runs the shelter “Help Labus” in the Romanian city of Galati with the simplest of means, volunteers who go to their physical limits and a lot of lifeblood. More than a thousand dogs and cats are given security, hygiene and regular meals in this shelter. The ongoing costs of food, firewood and veterinary care can be covered by donations (which often come from SUST). For urgent structural measures, however, the regular donations are not sufficient.

While in summer the heat is the biggest enemy of humans and animals in this shelter, the living and working conditions are particularly hard in the cold and wet season. Every winter, the weakest animals die of exposure, despite the best possible countermeasures. In their open enclosures, they are at the mercy of the freezing cold.

It is our goal to ensure that in the future no animals have to die unnecessarily only because their need for a safe shelter cannot be met. Therefore, we plan to turn this reception camp for stray animals into an exemplary animal shelter built according to European standards.

THESE ARE OUR PLANS

The new building is planned to be built in two stages. In addition to the heated halls with annexed run areas, it will include a surgery, a quarantine facility, animal quarters, an office building and a common room for the helpers. The progress of construction will be regularly monitored by us on site. With the German builder Bernd Bartolg, we have also found a trusted project partner who is experienced in the construction of Romanian animal shelters.

This winter will presumably be spent in the new houses by 250 dogs and all the cats from the shelter.

Despite careful planning and focus on essentials, this project is facing us with a great financial challenge, which we can only meet with your help. We depend on further donations for the halls in which we will accommodate the remaining dogs of the shelter.

–> Here you can watch the SRF documentary on our work in Galati, dating from 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBcmwHlqu-Y

–> Learn more about the reasons why the construction of a new animal shelter is so urgently needed in Galati: http://www.susyutzinger.ch/…/SUST_Arbeitsblaetter…

–> Here you will find the construction plan of the new animal shelter of Susy Utzinger Stiftung für Tierschutz (Susy Utzinger Foundation for Animal Welfare): http://www.susyutzinger.ch/…/Bildschirmfoto-2014-07-04…

–> Please help us bear this financial burden. Here you can donate online to help build the remaining buildings of the animal shelter: http://www.susyutzinger.ch/…/einzahlungen/einzahlungen/

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