Our history and our Mission Statement going forward in 2021 

It all began with the adoption of one little dog from Botosani in 2012, following the mass destruction of over 200 dogs at the Public Shelter Botosani in Romania on 11th May 2011, and the public outcry which ensued. There had been no warning, and dogs were destroyed indiscriminately and inhumanely. You can see more information here: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/rita-pal/botosani-brutality_b_4097202.html

 

In the aftermath of this atrocity, various animal welfare and rescue groups came forward and began to organise adoptions to different parts of Europe. The Botosani events are not unique in Romania; killings still take place, strays are often poisoned, and the stray dog problem is one of immense proportion and concern all over Romania. However, volunteers in Botosani (and elsewhere in the country) have worked tirelessly with the Romanian authorities and with the adoption agencies to prevent mass killings of this type and scale from recurring.  Many NGOs are providing free spay and neuter clinics and are trying to educate the public with regards to responsible ownership. 

 

The efforts of the PS Botosani volunteers have paid off, as there has been no mass cull in the public shelter in Botosani since 2011. The work of the volunteers is constant, and includes carrying out free spay and neuter clinics in Botosani and the surrounding areas, providing additional food, helping with care and veterinary treatment, and assessing and promoting the dogs for adoption. The shelter has a capacity of 850 dogs, and, despite ongoing spay and neuter campaigns run by the Botosani volunteers and others, new dogs are abandoned and brought in by the dog catchers every day. This is not a 'shelter', a place of safety, as we know them in the UK, but a government-run pound, whose only purpose is to provide a place to detain unwanted dogs; it is most certainly not safe. Volunteers have no official role in the shelter, but are constantly working with NGOs and negotiating with the public shelter management to improve conditions and increase adoptions, thereby ensuring that healthy dogs are not euthanized. 

 

Meanwhile, here in the UK, after adopting her little dog Jazz, Kaz Gilbert maintained a close friendship with the volunteers at Botosani, and in January 2014 she was asked by Lidia Nistor who was the vet for the Public Shelter, if she could help co-ordinate the UK adoption effort. The Romanian volunteer team in Botosani felt that a UK co-ordinator would benefit the adoption process and would take some of the pressure off the team in Botosani. And so, Waggin' Trails Rescue was born.

 

Since that time, over 400 dogs have been brought to the UK from the Public Shelter Botosani in Romania. Pictures of some of our dogs can be found on our home page, some before and some after their adoption. All of these dogs are in their forever homes now, enjoying  wonderful lives, the public shelter horrors now behind them thanks to some wonderful people who have adopted.