Save the Dogs and other Animals was born to fight the phenomenon of stray dogs in Romania where (since 2001) hundreds of thousands of animals are being destroyed each year by the authorities.
For historical and cultural reasons, in this country the issue of stray dogs is out of control and represents a huge problem, causing both animal and human suffering.
From the legal point of view, the charity – founded by the former adwoman @SaraTuretta – consists of two branches: the operating arm in Romania founded in 2002 and the parent Italian association founded in 2005 to finance the activities . The two bodies, albeit formally separate, as a matter of fact constitute a single organization, sharing both strategy and values.
Save the Dogs and other Animals’ main purpose is to fight dog and cat overpopulation through an integrated approach that includes:
✔ the sterilization of stray and owned dogs
✔ the identification and registration of owned animals
✔ national and international adoption of abandoned animals
✔ education projects in primary schools
✔ awareness campaigns that promote both a correct relationship between man and animals and responsible pet ownership
✔ lobbying at national and international level, pushing for a legislation that protects pets at best and that controls by efficient and ethical means the canine/feline overpopulation.
In addition, through its center Footprints of Joy (www.footprintsofjoy.eu) and its mobile units, the association provides free medical care and veterinarian first aid, as well as guarantees a constant presence of its operators in the rural areas of Constanta province, improving the living conditions of both pets and working animals (horses and donkeys).
Since 2019 the organisation started spay and neuter projects in Southern Italy, with a focus on Campania and Calabria regions, through local partners, and a project to assist the dogs of the homeless living in Milan.