Reading up on Romania

According to "the internet", the Romanian pet overpopulation problem is largely due to farming families being forced to abandon their animals when they were required by their communist government to move into bloc housing that did not allow pets. There is at least one rescue team (Romania Animal Rescue) that has coordinated with other groups to begin the gargantuan spay/neuter effort in several Romanian cities. They've also started education and adoption programs. Thank goodness for an ally over there! I understand that in Buzau we'll be working with the Romanian army, and possibly even treating some of their working military dogs.
Also according to "the internet", there are some pretty neat things in the Buzau area that merit being checked out: mud volcanoes, Roman ruins, the Danube, etc. Why is October so far away?
Things to keep me busy in the meantime:
1)Karoo (an incredibly handsome 4 year old border collie I know) and his mama are going on a 100-mile walk to raise money for animal charities (including World Vets). Karoo has already started up a trip blog for the walk.
2)Teddy, my own sheltie, is undergoing a series of procedures to fix an old broken leg (pretty much what prompted me to adopt him). He's going back to see the amazing Dr. Glore at Brady Vet next Monday. Having seen how other cases of Dr. Glore's have turned out, I'm very optimistic.
3)I'm judging a dog show on June 12th, after the Flag Day Parade in Ocean Shores. There are a bunch of categories: best trick, etc.
4)Pet Photo Calendar Contest! Still in planning stages, but the goal is to have this up and running from our office website by the end of June! Check back for details!

Word on the street...

There is a World Vets team in Romania right now. They fly back tomorrow. Rumor has it that they're bringing back 6 dogs with them. That's 6 less homeless and parasite-ridden pooches populating the back alleys of Buzau. I can't wait to meet the one coming to my hometown. Judy's tentatively named her boy Buzau, in honor of his birthplace. In order to refrain from bringing any dogs back for myself, I think I'll need to have some pre-assigned sponsors who would be willing to adopt/foster any pups I might feel the need to carry back with me in November.

All signed up!

Here's post #1 of the Romania adventure blog! Dr. Steele and I have signed up to go to Romania with World Vets this October. We'll spend 4 days in spay/neuter clinics, and 4 days playing/exploring (including a trip to Dracula's castle on Halloween!). Then we decided to add a few extra days, so the tentative plan is to hit Austria, Switzerland, and southern Germany before we head back. Details to follow!