In the spring of 2024, construction began on the new shelter property. Many obstacles came up, with a limited budget and only two major donors: one other lady and me. Looking back, I don’t even know where to start: between the authorities, the well drying out, and materials being too compromised from the old shelter that we planned on using to save cost, there wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t have to solve a new problem.
One time the rain was so bad that we had to move materials by horse up to the site.
I was able to allocate all my earnings from work as well as taking a deep dive into my life savings.
On a personal note, my husband and I are very frugal; we don’t travel or go out, and we are driving old cars. My vehicle is almost 24 years old. Only this lifestyle permitted me to spend so much money on this shelter, with the cost of this construction skyrocketing.
Stress rose to a maximum for Corina, coordinating construction every day, along with the daily tasks to care for 400 animals. The terrain of the new shelter proved to be a major obstacle as well. To have a space far away from homes, where citizens were not disturbed by barking dogs.
Stress kept mounting financially and emotionally. In hindsight, it was one of the most stressful times I encountered during my lifetime, and today I am still in awe that we pulled it off.
The winter of 25/26 was brutal, like most winters in Romania, where the cold is so bitter, coming from Siberia. We had no kennel space for several dogs, but I managed to purchase thermo dog houses specially
constructed for this challenge and other obstacles.
