About ELI for Animals - Registered Romanian Charity - CIF 31967983
Our Mission
ELI for Animals - Registered Romanian Charity - CIF 31967983 is dedicated to rescuing and providing shelter for animals in need. We have rescued and rehomed thousands of dogs and cats over the years that have found loving homes in the U.K. and via our rescue partners in Germany, Holland and Finland. Our main focus these days is caring for our sanctuary dogs. The dogs who cannot be rehomed to do age/health or behaviour. It is important we enrich their lives and give them the best care as we are the only home they know.
Our History
ELI for Animals was founded in 2013 by Claudia Dumitru. It is the same year the mass euthanasia law was introduced in Romania. Claudia for many years knew the stray dogs in her area and would feed them. Her own dog Eli would play with the strays. When the news came out that dog catchers were brutally taking dogs into public shelter and euthanising them after some days, she feared for the safety of the strays so started getting as many to safety as she could. She has already been volunteering with a charity so had built up knowledge.
Our Team
We are a very small team, we have had help from good friends over the years and had some dedicated fosterers but the charity is mostly run by just two individuals: Claudia Dumitru (who runs the ELI shelter) and Charlotte Leech (based in the U.K.).
In 2013 Charlotte read about the awful situation in Romania with the dogs and fostered her first Romanian dog. Seeing how beautiful this dog was she wanted to do more and be proactively involved. She booked a flight to Romania by herself and luckily ended up with Claudia who welcomed her in her home. She fell in love with a small puppy on that trip and went onto adopt her and foster many dogs, throughout the years Charlotte has helped rehome hundreds of dogs and regularly visits Romania and the ELI dogs who all have a very special place in her heart. In the UK her main focus is to help with fundraising as the care of these animals especially the seniors, all come at a cost.
We are also lucky to have found some wonderful charities in Germany, Holland and Finland who support us and have also rehomed many of our adoptable dogs.