Dumping trash in public. It happens, and we all hate it.

People choose abandoned fields, quiet back roads, empty lots, parks and riverbanks. Places and times where no one is watching. They leave what they no longer want. Things that once had value suddenly become disposable.

Behind one elderly woman’s home, there is a field where this happens far too often. Bags. Broken furniture. Cardboard boxes. So when another box appeared, no one thought much of it. Just more rubbish.

But after a few cold, rainy days, something about this box seemed different. Uneasy, the woman decided to walk out and check. What she found inside was heartbreaking. Four tiny bodies were curled together. Two were already cold and lifeless. The other two were barely alive, too weak even to cry properly.

The surviving puppies were brought into our care immediately. A kind volunteer, Andreea, welcomed them into her home for intensive 24-hour care, offering warmth, safety, and a chance to recover.

Once strong enough, they were dewormed and vaccinated. At first, they were so small they nestled safely among some older, calm cats Andreea cares for. As they grew stronger, they graduated to the company of dogs. With kindness, food, and constant love, their fragile bodies began to recover. Their eyes brightened. Their tails began to wag.

Then, two weeks ago, those same puppies, now lively, playful, and full of curiosity, were adopted. They have been given the names Letti and Lisette by their new, loving owner.

Today, they have what every animal deserves: a safe home, a secure future, and a family who will never throw them away. They will never be separated. They will never be left in a field.
This is a happy story.

But it is only happy because someone walked toward the box rather than past it. Because a volunteer stepped forward. Because someone chose to care.

This is Bronya. He is elderly. He is blind. And until very recently, he was living on the streets of Ukraine. Bronya could not see the danger coming. He could not defend himself. At this stage in his life, he should not have been fighting to survive. He should have been resting, safe and protected.

Instead, Bronya was attacked by other dogs. Younger, stronger dogs fighting over food and territory left him with a large, penetrating wound to his neck. Injured, frightened, and unable to escape, Bronya was left in a situation that could easily have, would probably have, cost him his life.

Thankfully, someone stopped to help. Passerby and animal lover Olga brought Bronya to the clinic, where he finally received the care he so desperately needed. It was there that vets also discovered he was suffering from liver problems, something that had gone unnoticed for far too long while he struggled to survive on the streets.

Bronya’s story is not unusual.

Across Ukraine and Romania, dogs wander the streets hungry and afraid, searching each day for food, shelter, and a place to feel safe. With so little to go around, fights break out, leaving many dogs injured and in pain. Those wounds are rarely treated, and what begins as something small can quickly become life-threatening. All the while, these dogs are exposed to harsh weather, illness, and constant danger.

For elderly dogs, this life is especially cruel. Their bodies are tired. Their senses fade. They can no longer run, compete, or defend themselves, yet they are still forced to face the same threats every day. Blind, sick, injured, or weakened dogs are left struggling to survive in a world that no longer shows them mercy.

Life on the streets is unforgiving. There is no safety, no rest, and no guarantee of another day. Without human help, many dogs suffer in silence until it is too late.

This is why intervention matters.

With support, dogs like Bronya can receive urgent medical care, relief from pain, and the chance to experience safety and kindness, sometimes for the first time in their lives. And when they really need it most. Without it, they are left to face hunger, injury, and fear alone.

Bronya should not have had to endure what he did. Neither should the many dogs still struggling to survive on the streets of Ukraine.

Your support reaches them through ROLDA and transforms their experience of this world.

Her name is Krasotka – it means “beauty” or “pretty girl”.

When volunteer Olga found Krasotka on the streets of Ukraine, she was a beautiful tabby cat. But one who was clearly not well. When Olga managed to get near, she could see large tumours on her belly. Krasotka was a beautiful cat whose body bore the signs of a tough life on the streets.

Street cats in Ukraine face impossible odds even in peacetime. But in a country where war has stretched every resource to its breaking point, where survival itself requires constant vigilance, the plight of stray animals often goes unnoticed entirely. Olga noticed.

When she came across Krasotka struggling to move, weighed down by tumors that should never have been allowed to grow so large, she didn’t look away. She saw a living being in desperate need, and she acted.

Krasotka was brought to Inessa, who runs a ROLDA-sponsored shelter in Korosten, Ukraine. Even for someone who has witnessed countless cases of neglect and suffering, Krasotka’s condition was shocking. The tumors on her mammary chain were large and enflamed. This cat had been used up by years of breeding, litter after litter draining her resources, until her body could no longer sustain itself.

Mammary tumors in cats are often the direct result of repeated pregnancies without spaying. Each heat cycle, each litter increases the risk. For street cats who have no choice but to breed, the consequences are almost inevitable. And without intervention, these tumors grow, spread, and cause unimaginable suffering.

Krasotka needed immediate surgery. Thanks to the support that makes ROLDA’s work in Ukraine possible, Inessa was able to get Krasotka into surgery quickly.

The procedure revealed just how dire her situation truly was. When the veterinary team shaved her matted fur in preparation for surgery, the full horror of her condition became visible. Underneath, her body was skeletal, every rib visible, her skin stretched tight over bones. She wasn’t just sick; she was starving. The tumors had grown so large that they’d taken over her entire mammary chain, and what little energy her body could muster had gone toward simply staying alive.

But Krasotka survived the surgery. She’s now recovering at the shelter, wearing the cone that will protect her surgical site as she heals. Her belly, finally free from the weight that had been pulling at her, is stitched and bandaged. For the first time in years, she can move without pain dragging at every step.

And perhaps now, finally, her name fits again. Because beauty isn’t just about appearance; it’s about resilience, about surviving when everything is stacked against you. In that sense, Krasotka has always been beautiful. She just needed someone to see it.

But Krasotka’s story represents something larger than one cat’s suffering. She is one of countless female street cats trapped in an endless cycle of breeding and illness. Without spaying programs, without intervention, these cats will continue to produce litters they cannot care for, continue to develop preventable diseases, continue to suffer needlessly.

This is why ROLDA’s support of shelters like Inessa’s is so critical. Every surgery performed, every cat spayed, every animal rescued breaks the cycle. It prevents future suffering, saves future lives, and offers hope in a situation that often feels hopeless.

Krasotka is recovering now, but her treatment isn’t free. The surgery, the post-operative care, the medications she needs; all of this requires funding that Ukrainian shelters simply don’t have on their own. In a war zone where resources are scarce, international support isn’t just helpful. It’s the difference between life and death.

Your donations make stories like Krasotka’s possible. They transform a suffering street cat into a survivor. They give volunteers like Olga and Inessa the resources they need to answer the call when they encounter animals in desperate need.

Krasotka, the beauty, the pretty girl, is getting her second chance. She’s one of the lucky ones. But there are so many more still waiting, still suffering, still hoping that someone will notice them the way Olga noticed Krasotka.

Will you help us reach them?

Purrl, a young stray Romanian kitten, has already endured incredible amounts of illness at such a young age.

Lying alone on the cold concrete outside an apartment building, poor Purrl was on the brink of death. Barely conscious, severely emaciated and hypothermic, Purrl was hanging on to her last moments. This was when Simona from ROLDA animal rescue partner ‘The Great Catsby’ spotted her. Purrl was so small and motionless, Simona almost tripped over her tiny, unnoticeable body.

Simona delicately and lovingly scooped her up and then rushed her inside, only to discover Purrl was in even worse condition than it first appeared. She was jaundiced, ulcers had taken over her mouth, and the poor little kitten was just skin and bones.

After speaking with the local vet, Simona did everything she could to help Purrl survive the night. She gave her fluids, antibiotics, pain relief, anti-nausea medication, and wrapped her in an electric blanket. In a perfect world, she would have rushed Purrl to the 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic immediately. But with so many starving and sick animals to care for that week, the cost was more than could be afforded.

Thankfully, with care, dedication and determination, Simona helped Purrl survive the night and took her to the clinic the very next morning. As expected, testing and lab work revealed Purrl’s numerous challenges. Inflammation has taken over her tiny body, causing severe damage to her liver and pancreatic functions.

Her mouth remains extremely painful, with severe ulcers, bleeding, and rotting teeth. While she’s receiving pain relief, Purrl is still far too weak to undergo anesthesia for the dental procedures she urgently needs.

The next frightening discovery was that her stool was completely colourless. Even more alarming, her stool contained a significant amount of blood. A fecal sample and abdominal ultrasounds will be conducted to assess the condition of her organs and see if they reveal any further clues.

Right now, Purrl is doing better than when Simona discovered her, but is still in terrible shape. We are doing everything in our power to save this poor fur baby and prevent her suffering.

Purrl is just one of so many innocent animals suffering on the streets every day. With your help, we can not only continue her fight for life, but also be there for the next desperate soul who needs us. Your kind donation is often the crucial difference for cats like Purrl, giving them the chance and care they need.

When the Vet Calls

The phone rings, and my heart already knows what’s coming.
It’s another veterinarian, voice heavy with the weight of an impossible situation. Another injured animal sits in their clinic, caught between hope and heartbreak, while the clock ticks toward a decision no one wants to make.

A Day That Started Like Any Other

Parents had brought their children to enjoy a sunny afternoon at the local park when they noticed him—a dog in the middle of the playground, clearly in pain and growing more agitated by the moment. Concerned for their children’s safety, they called the council for help.

When the dog handler arrived, the full scope of this poor soul’s suffering became clear. Angry, infected wounds circled her neck where a chain had been embedded—likely for months or even years. Her body was shaking with pain and fatigue, but it was the large tumor growing on her belly that made everyone’s heart sink.

No identification. No owner stepping forward. Just another stray whose world of pain had finally intersected with humans who cared enough to help.

The Question That Haunts Every Animal Lover

“We have a dog here,” the veterinarian explained when they called us. “She’s quite young, maybe three or four years old. Under all this suffering, she’s got so much life left in her. But without surgery and treatment, we’ll have to put her to sleep. Can you help?”

How do you answer that call? How do you look at a young, treatable animal and decide whether she gets a chance at the life she deserves, or whether her story ends on a steel table because no one can pay for her care?

This is the Reality Veterinarians Face Every Day

Across Romania, compassionate veterinarians receive injured strays brought in by Good Samaritans who can’t afford the treatment costs. These vets chose their profession because they love animals, but they’re caught in an impossible position: provide free care and risk their business closing, or euthanize animals that could easily be saved.

That’s when they call us. When they call ROLDA.

The Weight of Yes

When that call came about the dog from the playground, we didn’t hesitate. We said yes before we’d even calculated the cost of her surgery, her tumor removal, her wound treatment, her recovery care.

We said yes because that’s what ROLDA is—a network of people who believe that when an animal needs help, we find a way. Even when our budget is stretched thin. Even when we’re not sure how we’ll cover the next emergency call.

We said yes because somewhere out there are people like you who understand that these calls aren’t just about one dog—they’re about the promise that no animal suffers alone when help is possible.

Every Month, Every Call, Every Life

The veterinarian worked with us to keep costs as reasonable as possible—because they care too. The surgery was successful. The tumor was removed. The wounds are healing. That dog who was dying in a playground is now wagging her tail in recovery, probably for the first time in months.

But even as I write this, I know our phone will ring again next week. Another vet, another animal caught between life and death, another split-second decision that determines whether hope wins or gives way to heartbreak.

Your Voice in That Decision

Every time we say yes, it’s not just ROLDA speaking—it’s every monthly supporter who has chosen to be part of these life-or-death moments. Your support doesn’t just fund medical care; it gives us the confidence to answer “yes” when that next call comes.

When the phone rings tomorrow with another emergency, will you be part of the voice that says this animal’s life matters?

Become a monthly supporter and ensure we never have to let cost determine whether an animal lives or dies.

Because every call answered with “yes” is a life transformed—and a reminder that compassion in action can change everything.