Romania: New Investigation Uncovers Systemic Neglect in Public Dog Shelters

• Undercover investigation reveals high death rates and disturbing conditions for dogs in nine publicly funded shelters across Romania.
• Dogs were found with soiled, frozen water bowls, suffering from untreated open wounds and exposed to subzero temperatures in severely stressful environments.
• FOUR PAWS urges authorities to end cruel mass-sheltering and killing policies, calling for a nationwide roll-out of humane catch-neuter-vaccinate-return (CNVR) programmes.

Vienna, 18 May 2026 – After a recent euthanasia scandal in a private shelter, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS reveals new, severe animal welfare concerns for stray dogs in Romania with a nationwide investigation. Of nine public shelters visited undercover between 8 and 18 January 2026, the majority didn’t meet the bare minimum standards of animal welfare. Instead, investigators found the dogs in deplorable conditions: eating their own faeces, suffering from untreated open wounds, and living mostly in kennels without sufficient protection from the cold or access to water. These conditions were also reflected in the high number of deaths, in one case up to 40% (of 1035 dogs in total) died in a no-kill facility. To end the suffering, FOUR PAWS is urging Romanian authorities to stop cruel mass-sheltering practices and inhumane killing policies. Minimum welfare standards for all shelters must be implemented and enforced.

Alarming death rates

The poor conditions are also reflected in the high number of animals reported to have died, both in no-kill facilities and in shelters that practice euthanasia. A particularly striking example is the Brăila City shelter (a no-kill facility), which had a death rate of about 40% in 2024 of 1035 dogs in total. At Focasani shelter every second dog (56%) was euthanised in 2024 and 24% were reported to have died in the same year, of a total of 1114 dogs.

Culture of neglect in visited shelters

Across all assessed facilities, investigators found the same concerning conditions. Food was inadequate: dogs were mostly fed kibble, often placed directly on the floor, and many were visibly underweight. Access to drinking water was also insufficient. In half of the shelters visited, water buckets were frozen; in several others, they were empty. Enclosures were frequently soiled with faeces and overcrowded, leading to aggression and fighting among the dogs. One dog even appeared to have bitten off parts of his own tail due to the highly stressful environment. Dogs were also suffering from skin conditions and other diseases and in many cases were not separated from the group when sick. Investigators further learned that dogs were neither routinely vaccinated against rabies nor neutered upon arrival, exacerbating the already severe overpopulation problem. Some shelters only met minimum animal welfare standards due to private efforts of individual staff members, who on their own account bought additional food, walked the dogs or advertised them for adoption.

Shelters reluctant to facilitate adoptions

The investigators also found that many shelters were very reluctant to facilitate adoptions. Dogs had no opportunity to exercise nor were they prepared for adoption. Instead, they spent all their time confined to barren kennels lacking even the most basic enrichment. In several shelters staff members were even hostile to investigators, who posed as potential adopters. Public information meant to support adoption was also frequently unreliable: shelter addresses and opening hours were often incorrect or hard to find and phone calls went unanswered. This makes it difficult for interested parties to obtain information about dogs in need of a home and adoption processes.

Lack of transparency in public shelters

The investigation also looked into public expenditure on all public shelters in Romania and overall numbers of dogs passing through the system by requesting data through the freedom of information act. It revealed a lack of transparency, as the data provided officially on funding, intake and euthanasia of dogs was completely inconsistent with publicly available information.

Background Information

With roughly 500,000 stray dogs and many more cats, Romania has one of Europe’s biggest stray populations. To get insights into Romania’s shelter system, FOUR PAWS started this nationwide investigation and researched data through official requests, as well as undercover visits to nine public shelters (Arad, Barlad, Braila City, Focsani/Golesti, Galati, Hunedoara, Ramnicu-Sarat, Resita, Tanganu). Originally ten shelters had been selected for undercover evaluation but the one in Brad didn’t provide any information and denied the investigators access, despite the fact that it offers dogs for adoption. The undercover investigation looked at the nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and mental state of the dogs. This initiative is part of FOUR PAWS‘ sustained efforts to drive change for stray animals in Romania. FOUR PAWS has been actively engaged in protecting stray animals in the country since 1999.