Investigation finds sick dogs in public shelters in Romania

A new undercover investigation by animal welfare organisation Four Paws says dogs are suffering in public shelters across Romania.

Investigators visited nine publicly funded shelters in January 2026 and reported overcrowded kennels, untreated wounds, frozen water bowls and dogs eating their own faeces.

The organisation says many shelters failed to meet even basic animal welfare standards.

High death rates reported

According to the investigation, some shelters also had very high death rates.

At a no-kill shelter in Brăila, around 40% of the 1,035 dogs reportedly died in 2024. At another shelter in Focșani, investigators said 56% of dogs were euthanised and another 24% died during the same year.

Four Paws says the findings show “systemic neglect” inside Romania’s stray dog system.

Dogs found injured and living in cold conditions

Investigators reported seeing dogs with open wounds, skin diseases and signs of extreme stress.

Some dogs were kept in dirty and overcrowded kennels without protection from freezing temperatures. In several shelters, water bowls were frozen or empty.

The report also says dogs often received poor-quality food and many appeared underweight.

In one case, a dog appeared to have bitten parts of its own tail, which investigators linked to stress and confinement.

The organisation also criticised shelters for making adoptions difficult.

Investigators said many shelters gave little public information about adoption and some staff were reportedly hostile toward people pretending to be interested in adopting dogs.

According to Four Paws, many dogs spend their entire lives inside barren kennels without exercise or enrichment.

Romania has one of the largest stray animal populations in Europe, with an estimated 500,000 stray dogs and many stray cats.