The story of an image contract

"NEUTER AND RELEASE"

After years of discussions and meetings with the authorities from Tg-Jiu, after years of trying to persuade them that their programme,"Catch and Kill", besides the fact that is not humane and brings a negative imagine for the city, it is totally inefficient on long term, we decided to propose them again, in 2005, a new contract of cooperation ( after other contracts presented during past years had been rejected from different unknown reasons).

We brought proofs how inefficient are this kind of programmes and illustrated the positive aspects of Neuter &Return programmes. We also talked about the N&R contracts that we have succeeded to close in 5 localities from Gorj county but also about other similar contracts existing in different cities from Romania and different countries that face the same problem. After discussing with the vicemayor each term of the contract, it had to pass the 4 Town Hall Commissions. Our representative was there at the Commissions Meetings emphasizing the positive aspects of the Neuter&Return contract. The contract was accepted by the Commissions and now we were waiting the last and the hardest step: the contract to be discussed in the Town Council Meeting ( which is held once/month). There was present also the press at the meeting. The vicemayor had a strong attitude and very positive towards this contract and cooperation trying to persuade councilors about its efficiency, about the fact that neutering is the only efficient and humane solution and that only together we can do something.

Finally, the contract was accepted also by the Town Council

and

on 24th of October our association, together with Vier Pfoten representative ( with whom we cooperate in this contract) met Tg-Jiu officials in order to sign it.

Through this contract we assumed a lot of obligations, we would have had much bigger tasks then before. First, a condition put by the vicemayor to accept this contract was that we must build our own private shelter as soon as possible so that the entire activity will take place there.

Between the two visits of the Vier Pfoten mobile clinic, our association will have to catch, daily, stray dogs, neuter them, keep them for recovery for several days, feed them and treat them and give them for adoption or return them back from the places they were caught. We will have to have a team, formed by catchers, keepers, a vet and an assistant. So now, besides the regular expenses that we have daily in the shelter, will have much more for running this contract.

We knew that it was a big challenge, a huge task and work, as Tg-Jiu has 100.000 inhabitants and a big number of dogs, that is why support was essential when the contract . There will have been vet bills to pay for the neuterings and operations, food , medicines, salary of the employees, and a lot of other items needed etc etc etc plus the building of the new shelter.

The acceptance of this contract means the recognition of years of work and efforts made by our association for animals welfare in Tg-Jiu, but also Gorj county, this is our biggest accomplishment to know that stray dogs will not be killed anymore through terrible ways as before, but will be humanly caught, neutered, dewormed, marked and returned in their places or given for adoption.

We really believed that the authorities finally realised that they were wrong in managing stray dogs’ situation during pasts years,

For a while things seemed to go in the right direction: they started to extend the actual shelter, -as a condition of this contract – to create places to keep dogs after neutering for several days .

And also gave for printing 25.000 brochures( that we create) about this contract and neutering, to be spread at the people in the city informing them about the cooperation.

But, at one time, after making some investments ,the City Hall stopped everything for continuing this contract, with no explanation.

After a while, through a