A dog behaviourist specialising in helping street dogs is supporting a Romanian shelter which is home to more than 500 strays.

Toby Craze, who runs Craze Dog Training, visited Speranta Shelter in Bucharest to see its work rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming Romanian dogs.

The 30-year-old behaviourist from Bodmin met the shelter’s 500 residents, including disabled and senior dogs. Many have been rescued from the country’s streets or its notorious kill shelters, where dogs are often euthanised in under 14 days.

Speranta – which means ‘hope’ – has a no-kill policy and instead focuses on sterilisation and education to help reduce the hundreds of thousands of stray dogs across Romania.

Toby said: “Speranta Shelter blew me away, it is not easy to house hundreds of dogs. The fact every animal received the same unique care is phenomenal.

“The team could tell you about every single dog – their backgrounds and history, their struggles, their strengths, their personalities and preferences, their area in the shelter. Each dog was a member of the Speranta family.

“What really stood out to me was how Speranta prioritised adopting out the dogs locally, to homes within Romania. This is something I have rarely come across, as most organisations export dogs overseas, so to see successful adoptions happening in their home country, gave me optimism and confidence for the future.”

Toby works primarily with Romanian street dogs adopted in the UK, promoting force-free training to rehabilitate traumatised and reactive dogs.

Toby added: “I work with many clients who struggle with their overseas rescues and naturally so, street dogs have been moulded by nature to thrive in a free-roaming environment.

“Although adopting an ex-street dog from abroad can be an incredible and rewarding process that I have seen succeed many times, we cannot deny it is often very difficult for most adopters.

“I see Speranta paving the way for other organisations to see it is possible and it works for dogs to be rehomed in Romania.”

Instead of transporting dogs to the UK, Speranta offers a pioneering remote adoptions programme, which allows UK dog-lovers to ethically adopt from a distance. A remote adoption with Speranta means ensuring a life-long sanctuary for a dog in Romania without adding to the strain on British rescue centres.

Speranta lead vet and manager Anca Tomescu, says rehabilitation is one of the most important parts of the shelter’s work.

She said: “We rescue some of the worst cases, with dogs who have suffered on the streets or in Romania’s public shelters.

“Our country is currently undergoing a much-needed animal welfare reform, which can’t come quick enough. Currently dogs in shelters can be euthanised within 14 days, and this is often through barbaric methods by beating or starvation.

“Many of the dogs we rescue have endured horrendous suffering, which is why we are so proud to have an on-site behaviourist and vet clinic. It was great for Toby to see our work and hear his insights and stories about working with adopted Romanian dogs. We are glad Romanian dogs have such an incredible advocate in the UK.”