Aylesbury to Labrador Bay,

19th September

I will be riding 200 miles from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire to Labrador Bay near Torquay in Devon. ❤️🐾 in aid of Gabi’s Souls and Paws.

It is looking like the restrictions will be lifted for September and I will be embarking on my 200+ mile bike ride to raise money for Gabriella.

Gabriella is a selfless, loving lady, living in Romania and out of sheer love and dedication, saves animals that have been dumped out into the street/forest/ditches!! 😥

I have had the pleasure of knowing Gabriella now since December 2020 and my heart has been broken several times at the heartless acts of some human beings. See her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/737217027186044/?ref=share

About me rescuing is going back since I barely leaned to walk, I was born with the love for animals and the empathy towards them. In our communistic times, even these days it happens, all the dogs were chained, they were just a necessity to guard the yards, they were not considered pets, so me, as small as I was, I was going to neighbors yards, straight to the chained dogs sleeping with them in their cages and making my mum’s and neighbors life difficult because they couldn’t get me out of there, they couldn’t come close cause the dogs were aggressive after spending a lifetime in the chains and so on🤪🤦🏻‍♀️

Also our dogs has never been chained since I started to walk and speak 🤣, I would unleash them every time until mum and parents understood they can’t play with me🤪 I was bringing every dog I found on the streets at home, taking them inside the house, which again was unheard of in those times. I’ve had dogs living even for 27 years, I still believe that my love for them kept them alive for so long❤️ Still miss them every day🥺

I didn’t go to schools far from home until university cause I didn’t want to let my dogs alone. While I was in the university I continued helping every stray I met, all my food and money that mum was giving to me was going to them🤦🏻‍♀️

I never been a normal young lady, being interested in clothes and shoes, all my calculations was in dog and cat food🤣 it was hurting me to buy stuff for myself when I knew how much food and how many I can feed from those money🤦🏻‍♀️

Then after university I got married with my first husband and I had to resume to only few dogs and cats but I was still feeding the strays. After I divorced I finally could have again home many pets I wanted and help how many I could. My hubby is also loving them so we always helped as many as we could afford. Most of the rescues never left our home, especially cats, because in Romania cats are used for hunting mice, people keeps them outside and they end up killed by cars on the streets. So after I rehomed few cats and they didn’t end up well, I just didn’t let any go so now we have 19❤️ I also rescued 2 with neurological handicap, one is fully dependent on me cause he can’t walk at all, but we are so happy having him, helped us learn the importance of every little thing in life❤️

I rescued dogs and rehomed them, but I wasn’t happy because people didn’t keep me posted so I ended up not knowing anything about them😢 same as with cats.

This is why I started to volunteer for different shelters, I was hoping that the dogs I rescue can have a better chance through a shelter…well, that wasn’t the case, private shelters in Romania are sometimes worse than public ones, dogs not being vaccinating for years, getting the cheapest food, fed only once per day, no treatments given to those in need and so on 😢 I’ve got very disappointed by the last shelter I was starting to work for, been 2 months in a bad depression but this is how I met Linda. She was volunteering for the English charity that was having that shelter here, she was the only one that didn’t try to hide the truth, she was the only one that was correct and backed me up every time I was asking for help for those poor forgotten dogs and she was the only one that stood by my side even after that charity treated me horribly. Anyways, I made a change, they were afraid of me in the end so they finally understood the atrocities they were doing to the dogs and they moved them to a better shelter and closed the one from here.

So at that time I had puppies and dogs rescued at home and Linda resigned from that charity and looked for another charity that could help me rehoming the dogs I had and this is how she found JCDR and she’s volunteering for them now just to help me and my dogs. She’s my guardian angel and of all my dogs, also their godmother, cause she was naming most of them, including Carys❤️❤️❤️

JCDR pays for their vaccines and passports and also for their travel, from the adoption fee. But the food and vet bills if they get sick it’s supported by me and that’s why I need continue support. Also vitamins and calcium supplements it’s also from me, cause most of the pups need those being large breeds.

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I decided that, if I was going to raise money to help Gabi that it needed to be a challenge for me. Something far out of my comfort zone, so I got my bike out of the shed, gave it to my loving partner to fix up (bike mechanic) and off we went training together.

I went from only being able to do 6 miles to 12 miles and 3 months later, I can now comfortably ride approximately 38 miles in around 4/5 hours - sounds pants yeah - the thing is, I suffer from a few auto-immune diseases and cycling is physically and mentally draining so I am proud of myself.

Gabriella works alongside Linda Jones and together they get these little beauties adopted into their forever homes.

Gabi and Linda thank JCDR for giving a vehicle to rehome the dogs but the adoption fee doesn't cover extra medical and the food etc hence the need to raise money. Gabi has been paying for this and relys on small donations from those who know and love her.

Please help me raise as much money as I can for this beautiful, selfless lady. I guarantee this will all go towards kennels, pens, veterinary bills, food, treats and bedding (as we all know how much puppies love to chew)

Updates will be posted daily on Facebook, via Strava. ☺️

Please give generously ❤️