Alba. Finally resting in peace. But it should never have happened this way.
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Hello my name is Alba and I was born in Romania, a country where there are lots of stray dogs and many people treat us as vermin. Dog catchers are paid for every dog they manage to catch, and usually this involves the use of catch poles, beatings, abuse and man- handling. The dog catchers do not discriminate between a stray dog or an escaped pet and it is not uncommon for quieter dogs to be picked up by the neck and tail before being thrown into a truck.
In Romania, dogs are not routinely put to sleep when they are old, very sick or badly injured - and that's because vets don't want to do it (someone told me it's illegal in Romania, but I don't know if thats true?).
Old, sick, injured, strays, pets, and unwanted dogs, end up in the public shelters. Here they are occasionally reunited with an owner, sometimes offered a lifeline from a rescue or, most likely, just spend the rest of their lives in shelter prison. Lives end through being brutally killed by the shelter workers when the shelter is full, or killed by other dogs, or killed by untreated disease and illness. For some dogs, the end must surely be welcomed.
I was a stray and I was hit by a car. As is usual here, cars and people just passed by, not giving me a second glance as I lay in agony, unable to move. I got lucky and days later I was gently wraped in a blanket and taken to a clinic by a rescuer.
I was in alot of pain and the vet amputated one of my back legs. I had to learn how to walk with 3 legs but I was still in pain because I have arthritis and I'm old. I stayed at the rescue with many hundreds of other dogs and a year later I travelled for 4 days in a big cage to Cumbria.
I arrived at Penny Jones Animal Hospice where I met kind people and had my very own comfortable deep straw bed with a big blanket too (no more sharing for me!) After resting for a couple of days I ventured out, but the pain in my legs was excruciating and I couldn't stop myself from screaming and crying with every step.
The nice lady looked worried as she took me on a journey and told me that we were going to see a vet. Someone wanted to give me a home, but I needed to get better first. That sounded nice...
At the vets I was given some medicine to make me sleepy so that x-rays could be taken. I couldn't move or respond but I was dreaming of the big straw bed and the soft grass outside my kennel where I had sat and listened to the birds singing, and the happy chatter of the dogs around me. I had happy thoughts and I was being cuddled and told that I was loved.
The nice lady chatted to the vet who told her that my shoulders were riddled with arthritis, I had terrible elbow dysplasia, and my spine had fused on at least three vertebraes. And as if that wasn't enough - because my front legs were so painful I'd been putting all the weight on my one back leg and the cruciate ligaments were on the point of rupture. The vet said that an operation wasn't possible because my front legs wouldn't be able to take my weight and I was in severe crippling pain with no good legs, and had suffered for a long time...
Hello, my name is Alba and I've gone to a forever sleep with peace in my heart, because I know I was finally safe, wanted and greatly loved. I saw your tears as you cuddled me and told me that you wanted so much more for me... but don't cry because you did what others wouldn't do and I thank you for putting my needs first. I am finally pain free.
