Gabriela gives injured street dogs a chance to live
Another urgent SOS appears on Facebook
Compiled by Ruby Manuel
Somewhere in Romania, yet another dog has been found.
Lying by the roadside. Hit by a car, injured, exhausted.
Sometimes it has been there for days — shivering with fear while cars rush past and people walk by.
The comments start pouring in.
Angry reactions, sad emojis, well‑meant advice.
But real, practical help is rare… painfully rare.
Until suddenly an update appears:
“The dog has been taken in by Gabriela Boboc.”
And then you know — this dog is safe.
Dogs with three — or even just two — legs
A large open room. The floor is covered with soft mattresses, blankets and baskets.
Here and there you see worn‑out toys, and bowls filled with food and fresh water.
And there are dogs — many dogs.
All shapes, sizes and colours.
Everything has been done to create a safe, homelike environment.
At first glance it looks like a normal shelter.
But… if you look closely, you realise this is not an ordinary place.
You see dogs with three legs, or even only two.
And blind dogs too — moving around confidently, as if they know every corner by heart.
Here, every dog can simply be themselves
The dogs with neurological problems rest on their blankets.
Yet somehow, they don’t look sad or defeated.
On the contrary — they play, they tumble around,
and one of them occasionally lets out a loud, joyful bark.
Here, they are not “disabled”.
Here, they are simply dogs.
Gabriela was only five years old when she rescued her first dog.
She hid him in the basement of her family home
and secretly took meat from her mother’s kitchen to feed him.
Her stepfather didn’t like dogs,
but somehow Gabriela managed to raise that little dog in their garden —
a small miracle that shaped the rest of her life.
Leaving home at a young age to help animals
When she was only 23, newly divorced, Gabriela was already rescuing as many street dogs as she could.
The healthy ones she found new homes for.
But the dogs who remained…
were the ones nobody wanted.
Blind, paralysed, or simply considered “unadoptable”.
To cover the costs, she worked two jobs:
a daytime position as a manager at a large company,
and in the evenings she taught dance classes.
Ten years ago, however, she made a decision that changed her life forever.
After finding twelve puppies with parvovirus dumped among the rubbish,
she gave up her career.
She moved to the countryside, bought an abandoned warehouse,
and renovated it with her own hands — turning it into a shelter.
That was the beginning of her very first real rescue centre.
60 disabled dogs
Today, Gabriela cares for 60 disabled dogs inside the shelter building.
Outside, another 70 large, healthy dogs roam freely — dogs she raised from puppyhood,
but who were never adopted and are now eight or nine years old.
She lives far away from the nearest town.
But the people in the area know her, and they respect her deeply
for who she is and what she does.
She receives no support from any large organisation.
Only a few loyal friends help when they can — with food, towels or dog beds.
But almost all expenses fall on her shoulders alone.
Veterinary visits, medication, food, dog houses, flea and tick treatments.
And for the paralysed dogs: diapers, bandages, tape and ointments.
As for maintenance of the shelter…
she hardly dares to think about it.
Her love for the animals is endless
The one thing that is always present — in abundance —
is Gabriela’s love for her “children”, as she calls her dogs.
Because of her rheumatism, her hands are deformed.
Her shoulders are worn from lifting and carrying so many disabled animals.
Dogs whose bladders and bowels must be emptied by hand.
Dogs who simply could not survive without her.
And still she continues.
Despite the pain.
Despite the physical strain.
Her dedication never wavers.
Gabriela gives her entire life to the animals.
Day after day, she fights for the outcasts of Romanian society — the dogs who would otherwise face a life on a chain or on the cold, unforgiving streets.
She fights to give them something that is so normal for many of us:
A warm bed. A full bowl of food. A safe place.
And above all… dignity.
For these dogs, Gabriela is their whole world.
Let us make a difference together with this 200th monthly project!
Gabriela cannot do this alone.
Your support helps her care for the dogs who have nowhere else to go —
the ones who depend on her for every part of their lives.
Join us in this 200th project and help give these dogs the safety and dignity they deserve.
Target amount: €8,500 – Total as of 22 March: €7,165
On behalf of all the wonderful animal rescuers you are supporting so generously:
Thank you so much for every donation!
23 March – What a fantastic week this has been, especially after the attention in our newsletter. Thank you all!
16 March – Another good week, and with so many animals in need, every bit truly matters.
9 March – A beautiful week, and every euro is used 100% for the animals!
3 March – What an amazing start to this very special aid project!
Week up to 1 March – €580
Week up to 8 March – €1,765
Week up to 15 March – €1,465
Week up to 22 March – €3,355
Ingrid Martens has been our contact person for Sasha's shelter for 10 years.
