Work begins on building Family Footprints

Morgan doesn’t know it yet, but what he is looking at is the area on which Family Footprints, the new area of our shelter in Romania dedicated to preparing dogs for adoption, will be built

Morgan doesn’t know it yet, but what he is looking at is the area on which Family Footprints (‘Impronte in Famiglia’ in Italian), the new area of our shelter in Romania dedicated to preparing dogs for adoption, will be built. Work has already started, and we expect it to be completed by the end of the first half of next year. Morgan will be one of the first dogs to benefit from it.

An area to help dogs in need find an adoptive family, faster

When he first arrived at Footprints of Joy, our shelter in Cernavoda in Romania, Morgan was absolutely terrified of people. It is likely that he had spent most of his life attached to a chain, which had left a nasty mark on his neck, and we suspect that he was also maltreated, which has instilled in him his deep fear of humans.

We immediately began working with him to help him overcome the traumas he had experienced in the past, but it was clear from day one that for him, as for many of the dogs we rescue each year, extra help would be needed.

This gave us the idea of creating a specific area for dogs who need extra support as part of their rehabilitation, a place which would introduce them to the previously unknown things they might find in a home, which many of them have never experienced. The sound of scraping chairs, a noisy TV, clattering dishes, and even the texture of a rug or sofa can be extremely distressing and induce panic in dogs with a history similar to Morgan’s.

And so the idea of Family Footprints was born.

Construction work has begun on Family Footprints

Thanks to your help, this summer we raised the amount needed to build a new playground and a room furnished with all the furniture of a family home.

We will be able to gradually accustom the animals to unknown items and work to prevent the onset of new phobias.

Read More: Wendy’s story, from a precipice in Cernavoda to adoption

With the help of volunteers from Royal Canin and Mars Romania, who joined us at the shelter for a corporate team building day, we have already removed all the dead vegetation and evened out the terrain.

The next steps will be to add the escape fence and buy the prefab where we will create and furnish the room. We will also add trees outside, to keep the area cool during the hot Romanian summers, and add a games area inside the playground where we can work with the animals.

We will be sure to keep you updated!