Bred for profit. Dumped to die.

Two small Bichons, almost certainly related, were found together on the streets of Romania. Their bodies were so buried beneath thick mats of dirty, knotted fur that you could barely see the dogs underneath. Exhausted, terrified, and clinging to one another, they were the only family either of them had left.

Breeders are among the worst contributors to Romania’s stray animal crisis. Female dogs become commercial assets, valued for the puppies they can produce. When they stop generating profit, or when demand for their breed fades, many are simply abandoned.

Lately, everyone across Romania wants Bichons, in cities and villages alike. But a breed becomes a trend, and trends fade quickly. The dogs pay the price.
We can’t say with absolute certainty what happened to these two. But the evidence points clearly enough. They were found together. They appear related. And a litter of Bichon puppies brings in the kind of money that some people will be cruel to chase.

By the time we found them, their withered bodies told us how close they’d come to not surviving at all. Their fur was so badly matted that the clippers clogged repeatedly as we worked through it. Beneath the layers were two small dogs who had never known kindness. Never known safety.

Tests revealed they were both suffering from babesiosis, a malaria-like tick-borne disease that destroys red blood cells and causes extreme lethargy, pale gums, fever, dark urine, and jaundice. Without treatment, it can be fatal. With it, recovery was possible, and the prognosis for both was good.

Several weeks on, the update from our partners at the association in Târgu Frumos is the kind we live for. The Bichons are still in the association’s care, but they are no longer the terrified little creatures we first met. They are feeling better every day, growing in confidence, and slowly learning to trust.

Most touching of all is how dependent they are on each other. After everything they’ve been through, the bond between them is one thing they were never able to lose. For that reason, our team is now searching for a family willing to take both of them, so they can stay together.

These Bichons were once treated as a product, and then as rubbish. They will never be someone’s afterthought again. They are safe now, and that is only true because of the people who refuse to look away from the animals that the rest of the world has discarded. Thank you for being one of those rare, kind people.