TO BARK or not to bark? That is the question.
At a dog shelter in Romania, former strays are choosing the latter, after sanctuary staff discovered the dogs enjoyed listening to the works of Shakespeare – now jokingly referred to by team members as ‘Shakespaw’.
Speranta Shelter in Bucharest is home to nearly 500 former strays, and among them is puppy Nevăstuica, who was recently rescued and required a leg amputation after being hit by a car.
Nevăstuica, whose name translates to ‘weasel’, has since been recovering among the charity’s other disabled dogs, who run around their own dedicated area of the shelter in wheelchairs.
While trying to find ways to keep the excitable, recovering puppy entertained, UK social media manager Sara Tomescu discovered he liked sitting on her lap and hearing her read Shakespeare – as did the other dogs, who relaxed and listened nearby.
Sara, who is the granddaughter of Speranta’s founder Florina, said: “Myself and some of the team are set to visit the UK soon, so I pulled out my copy of ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’, as what is more British than Shakespeare?
“I was trying to keep Nevăstuica calm, so I began reading to him and I couldn’t believe it when he settled and then some of the other dogs came over too.
“It felt like a true Winter’s Tail and now I’ve ordered some different titles to see which they prefer – I think Boneo and Juliet might be a big hit.”
The other dogs who like to sit and listen to Sara read were also rescued as strays.
Speranta – which means ‘hope’ – was founded by Florina Tomescu, in 2001 when she rescued 300 dogs from a public centre where they were set to be euthanised.
The shelter has a no-kill policy and is now ran by Florina’s daughter Anca, who is also its lead vet.
Anca added: “There are millions of stray dogs across Romania who live a hard life on the streets. When they come to Speranta we work to rehabilitate and rehome, and for those who would not cope in a home we provide them with a life of love and safety at the shelter.
“Whether it’s heading to the nearby park for a long walk, playing in the paddling pools or relaxing listening to Shakespeare, we ensure every dog here has their needs met and lives a life they love.”
Visit www.sperantashelter.org for more information.
