TWO kind-hearted Hagley businessmen have stepped in to help a dog rescue shelter in Romania after hearing about the abandoned and abused street dogs living there.
Paul Morris and his colleague Stuart Sowden visited Sadie’s Stray Dog Rescue in Bacau where a team of three work to rescue abandoned, abused and injured puppies and dogs found dumped on the streets.
The caring duo looked at ways to improve the electricity and water at the shelters, to help keep the animals warmer and also to reconstruct the kennels with more sturdy, resilient materials.
Paul, who runs Halesowen-based P&R Morson, heard about the organisation after his friend Katie Hughes adopted a rescue puppy called Nelly.
Compelled to find out more about where Nelly had come from, Katie had travelled to Romania with her friend Anna Hughes to visit the shelter and post about their experience.
Paul said: “When we saw Katie and Anna’s updates, we knew we wanted to get involved and use our own skills to help improve the shelter.
“It felt like the least we could do and we were soon hopping on a plane to Bacau ourselves.
“One of the biggest challenges for the shelter is that the weather in Romania is harsh, reaching -25°C in winter, and the kennels are all outside.
“For the younger puppies and older, more vulnerable dogs this means that many won’t survive.”
Both Paul and Stuart have ordered building materials and will return to the shelter to get the job underway.
Meanwhile, a fund-raising appeal has been set up to raise money to buy new kennels.
Stuart said: “When you see the conditions these puppies are rescued from, it was important that we were able to make them as comfortable as possible once they reach the shelter, to give them the best opportunity of getting the second chance they so deserve.”
Visit www.sadiesstraydogrescue.com or join the Sadie’s Stray Dog Rescue group on Facebook for regular updates on rescue stories and adoptions.
