Romanian Dog Names

It's no secret that Romania has a stray dog problem. It's an issue that has prevailed since the 1980's, when dictator Nicolae Ceausescu aimed to industrialize Romania. People were suddenly forced to leave the countryside and head into the city in order to make a living. Problem was, there wasn't enough space. Soon, small homes were paved over to make room for apartment blocks, and some were so expensive that several families had to share one. And the pets? Well, they got abandoned, because there wasn't any space for them. And once the dogs began reproducing more and more, well, you had yourself a stray dog problem.

One of these dogs was Theia, an emaciated dog covered in fleas and ticks. She lived in a city pound, with broken spirits, having lost all hope of ever being welcomed into a loving family with enough space for her. But alas, she was rescued. It took 2 months of intensive medical care to begin seeing improvements. Soon, she'd doubled her weight and began looking like your typical black Labrador mix.

Her owner, who goes by Howl of a Dog online, wrote a post on Theia: "It’s been now 8 months since we saved Theia, she has become a part of our family and we cannot imagine life without her. We rescued her and she rescued us. There are millions of dogs like Theia waiting for a chance in shelters from all over the world. Sadly, many of them never get to know the love of a forever family. Please consider adopting a shelter dog: he will give you in exchange his loyalty, unconditional love and infinite gratefulness for being his savior."

That's the thing about Romania's stray dog situation: it's not like they're not trying to solve the problem, it's just that it's been decades of trying and failing. The shelters are full to the brim, so much so that illness and disease is running rampant in them. It's not until someone adopts them that they get out of those dire circumstances, and there isn't a guarantee of that even happening. As Howl of A Dog stated, many of them never get to know the love of a forever family.

It's cases like Theia's that can change the world for the better, not just Romania. So if you're willing and able to help out, please do! Volunteer, learn more about what happens behind the scenes, and stay as informed as possible.