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Best in America The Independent Charities Seal of Excellence is awarded to the members of Independent Charities of America and Local Independent Charities of America that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. These standards include those required by the US Government for inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign, probably the most exclusive fund drive in the world. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards and of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this seal. Romania Animal Rescue has been awarded the prestigious "Best in America" seal of excellence for our hard work!

Spay Days In March, Dr. Pepe Stefan returned to Tecuci for two days to spay/neuter animals in honor of World Stray Animals Day on April 4! In April, Dr. Aurelian Stefan will be going to do spay/neuter in Braila and a nearby village, Tudor Vladimirescu. In addition, Dr. A will also be spaying and neutering dogs in the areas surrounding the Glina shelter, near Bucharest, for RAR. 50 dogs is the goal!

Animal Rights Romania We have started our Animal Rights Romania branch of RAR, to defend the rights of Romanian animals legally. Funds will be used for hiring attorneys, printing papers, filing costs, all the essentials to defend the animals. We will be working in coordination with Carmen Arsene in Romania. Sanda Capatina will be the Director of the program.

New Veterinary Clinic in Bucharest Dr. Aurelian Stefan and Dr. Pepe Stefan now have their Veterinary Clinic in Bucharest. We are working to get the Training Center up and running in this clinic.

DBA Notice Romania Animal Rescue has a new dba name: Animal Spay/Neuter International (ASNI). ASNI is now a part of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) in the United States.

ASNI will allow USA vets Dr. Bachman and Dr. Olson, and Romanian vets Dr. Aurelian Stefan and Dr. Pepe Stefan to help in many countries of the world, as well as provide more help in Romania by becoming part of the CFC. Dr. Isis Johnson is also on our team from Spay Panama. We hope this will generate a lot of funding and help to train many vets on safe and highly skilled spay/neuter surgical techniques.

Genesis Awards Dr. Aurelian and his wife were the recipients of the Grand Prize in the Humane Society Spay Day Photo Contest last year. They attended the Genesis Awards presentation in Los Angeles--an all expenses paid trip for the Grand Prize winners! Dr. A. was able to tell the attendees all about the plight of the animals in Romania, and about RAR's good work to help.

The Big Spayathon in May Volunteers from the USA, Austria, the UK, and Romania will come to Craiova to help with this huge event. Our goal is to spay/neuter 1000 dogs in 10 days. Dr. Bachman, Dr. Aurelian, Dr. Pepe, Dr. Good and his son, Dr. Good, and vet tech, Dave, will all be working hard to get spay/neuter procedures done. RAR has saved for this all year, and will empty our bank account for certain. We trust that our donors will help us to continue great work by donating for our continued services in Romania.

Craiova Spayathon Honors the Dead »

Last year we received a photo of a dog standing by the body of her dead companion, a dog who had been poisoned. This year's Craiova Spayathon is dedicated to that dog and all of the other dogs who have needlessly suffered.

Since the photo was taken, Dr. Aurelian Stefan and Dr. Pepe Stefan have been able to spay/neuter more than 200 dogs free of charge in Craiova. More than 3000 dogs have been spayed/neutered by Romania Animal Rescue in just this past year. Our goal for the Spayathon in May is 1000 more free surgeries for the stray and owned dogs of Craiova. The more funds we can raise, the more animals we can help. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to change lives.

"My Dog" in Moreni »

Romania Animal Rescue often receives requests for help from the people and charities in Romania. RAR helps 20 charities, shelters, as well as many individuals, to spay/neuter, care for and adopt their animals. We received this letter from Anda. With your help, RAR can go to Moreni to provide free spay/neuter for the dogs!

Puppies Rescued »

Click images to enlarge

A rescuer in Bucharest found a litter of five puppies abandoned in a park with their throats slit. An adolescent dog (now named Max) sat with them, tending to their injuries. The rescuer was able to save three of the pups, and now they've been stitched up and are recovering.

The rescuer was desperate to find a home for the dogs where they would never again meet a similar fate. Once again, the "A" team (Romania Animal Rescue, Romania Animal Aid, and Animal Care Austria) successfully coordinated their efforts. Carol is funding the cost of care and adoption of the pups in Hungary, and Chrissy and Nancy split the cost of transport. Go team!

Romania's Future Leaders Discuss Animal Welfare »

The children have spoken, and they want change! Our education program is off to a roaring start, thanks to Lelia, representative of Romania Animal Rescue and Romania Animal Aid in Iasi. Lelia met with many classrooms of children in Iasi and what she reports should give hope to anyone who cares about the welfare of Romanian animals.

The children were excited to talk about animal welfare. Most are already aware of some of the pro-animal, pro-rescue TV shows coming from the United States, like The Dog Whisperer and Animal Precinct. But they have never been to their local shelter, and only own purebred dogs. Lelia is now organizing a debate of 8th graders around the subject of animal welfare and education of the public.

To focus and spur discussion, each child received an educational booklet provided by Romania Animal Rescue which they can take home to their families. Other groups interested in starting school programs have contacted RAR to obtain these educational materials. We are fortunate to have found a resource that only charges 1.6 Euro to print these 19-page color booklets. With your help, RAR can provide materials to others in Romania wishing to start education programs. The children are our biggest hope for a better future for Romanian animals!

Galati Spay and Neuter »

Romania Animal Rescue was able to help Daniela Paun to spay/neuter a number of animals in Galati. She cares for many dogs and cats, and has no resources for help. RAR stepped in, as it does in numerous individual cases as our funding allows. We thank our many donors for the opportunity to help these animals.

Ploiesti Dogs Find Homes »

Baba relaxes in her forever home

The amazing story of the dogs abandoned in a Ploiesti home continues. It seemed a miracle that all of them were able to be transported out of Romania for adoption. Then, the first dog was adopted, and it was the one we were most worried about: The elderly mama dog, Baba. Thanks to Animal Care Austria, Baba had her infected teeth removed, the others cleaned, her ears cleaned again, and an infusion of electrolytes. Congratulations, Baba! Enjoy your retirement. The second adoption was also in Austria—one of the older pups. We are overjoyed by the outpouring of support for these formerly miserable dogs, and we'll continue to follow their stories.

Kashia: Full Dedication »

It was August, 1998, and hot-as-hell; one of those parched, breezeless, scorching, weekends common in Northern California. She was there, waiting for us, in the heat. We noticed her throughout the weekend, as she begged for food and drink, foraged through garbage, and watched for any sign of scraps that might come her way.

She was darling. "Look at the heeler puppy," I declared. Our Buttons was a Heeler/Husky mix, and I had become astute at noticing the distinct pattern that marked the Australian Cattle Dog. At the end of our weekend, when it was time to load the car and head home, my son David, then 12 years old, was playing with her. He elicited my empathy when he said, "She has no home." At that instant, we acquired another canine child. I had traveled to Clearlake with one dog, and came home with two.

We named her Kashia. After three baths, a week of a proper diet, and some visits to the vet, Kashia was healthy and happy. She was the sweetest dog. She lived to play. She never met another living being she didn't like. Buttons and she became inseparable. Kashia was a dear companion for almost thirteen years. She will be deeply missed.

Our Thanks »

Rob, Erika, Rory, Anne, Sanda and Dave, Dogs on Death Row, Jodie, Christina, Judi, Mangala, Leanne, Maria, Jenny, Linda, Becky, Susan, Quaker Concern for Animals, Margaret, Mo, Carolyn, Dita, Alina, Niculina, Mark, Denise, Sharon, Barbara, Mary, Janet, Elizabeth, Kiara, Lori, Katherine, AJ, Dr. Pepe, Dr. Aurelian, Wereldpootjes, roemeensehondonforum.nl, Carol, Chrissy, Corina, Lynn, Bonnie, Eugen.

Thank you to all our Facebook friends for your generous help for Romania Animal Rescue and our affiliate Causes charities for which we provide help!

Nancy Janes,
President, CEO and Founder
Romania Animal Rescue, Inc.
(United States, Tax ID: 72-1546354)