Sadie's Journey
Sadie is a little dog who is often very scared and sad, but at times enjoy's having fun, love and happiness.
When she first arrived in the UK, she was completely shut down, and her body language reflected a life of pain.
This narrative was written initially for myself, firstly, so I could record Sadie’s progress, secondly it has helped to get out my, frustrations, sadness, an and emotions around Sadie’s plight.
Sadie’s' journey from that dark place and her courageous struggles towards trust love and happiness is an ongoing story of healing, heartbreak, endless patience, love, trust and understanding from both humans and herself and is only just beginning, the future is yet unknown. I have now decided to share it with anyone who is interested, who may find themselves in the same situation or can offer sound advice. But mainly to let people see why rescues like Rags to Riches exist and how we need help to continue with our work.
The Beginning of Sadie's Story
December 2025
Sadie was rescued from Brad public shelter in Romania one of the most notorious kill shelters, known for under-feeding, lack of veterinary care and cruelty. Sadie was, from reports, one of the worst affected of the group saved sometime in 2025. There is no knowledge of how Sadie ended up there. Sadie went to a rescue foster in Romania and was kept and looked after in a kennel and run with other rescues.
Sadie was one of many dogs desperately searching for a UK/European foster or adoption home, as the foster/rescue centre faced closure and their time there was running out. “These poor souls were yet again going to be being torn from the only place they knew that was as safe, and facing yet another unknown, uncertain future filled with fear and confusion.”
Rags to Riches was one of a number of rescues contacted for assistance because they were overwhelmed with the number of dogs they had taken from both Bard and Bretz public shelters. I said I would help and take on a couple of the smallest dogs, as did some of our other trustees/fosterers. I did stipulate only if they were under 5kg (I have a disability which means I am unable to lift or get down on the floor), here is the information we were given and was also advertised on Facebook about Sadie:
Little Sadie
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She’s 2 yrs just 27cm and 3kg
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Mini girl
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She’s very sweet and loving, very calm and gentle
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She’s also very quiet
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Good with fosters children
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Good with other dogs
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(not cat tested yet or on leash but will be)
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Fully vaccinated
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Neutered
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Will have all tests needed.
She sounded like a sweetheart. I was a bit concerned about the 'very quiet’, but I thought that after being in a public shelter, she'd naturally be cautious, but she sounded like she had become quite well adjusted whilst in the rescuers foster care, especially considering she was from Brad public shelter, she seemed perfect for fostering. With time to adjust to life in the UK, she would become a wonderful family pet for someone. Since she was so tiny, friendly with dogs and children (and I have several grandchildren who visit often), I volunteered to foster her. I also agreed to foster Missy another little one.
After a few vet visits where they received all vaccinations, were spayed, and had blood tests done, they were then transported to a holding centre in January and from there they were to start their journey, Sunday 25th I was asked to pay the costs of travelling for all our dogs coming over Meli, Sadie, Fifi and Missy, (sadly Piki papers weren’t correct so he couldn’t travel with the others) and was informed they would be leaving tomorrow Monday .
We expected a Messenger group to be set up for everyone receiving travelling dogs, and there were many of us, as two buses were involved. Monday came and went. Diane, who coordinates everything voluntarily from the UK, said she was still waiting for photos and would share them as soon as she had them. We were told the group would begin once the dogs had left Romania.
By Tuesday morning, I was starting to worry. Once you know the dogs are on their way, anxiety quickly takes over. This was a transport company we did not know and had not arranged ourselves, which was unusual for us, as our usual transporters are caring, reliable, and keep us updated throughout the journey. Later that afternoon, we received photos showing the dogs boarding the bus the previous day. Naturally, we assumed they had already been travelling for at least 24 hours, had left Romania, and that the group chat would begin soon. It never did.
By Wednesday, anxiety had turned to alarm. More than 40 fosterers and adopters were all trying to get information, including Diane, who had still heard nothing. Texts were ignored, phone calls went unanswered, emails received no reply, and even Facebook messages to the transport company got no response. There was simply no communication. I could not sleep that night with worry, and I doubt I was the only one. Diane even had people calling the tracing unit at the tunnel to check whether the vans had arrived or passed through, but there was still no news.
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Late on Thursday morning, Diane told us they were only then setting off from Romania. She still had, been given no explanation as to where they had been or what had caused the delay. By then, it was day four, even though the journey to the UK border should take only 48 hours. A Messenger group was finally created on Thursday afternoon. Still no explanations of where they had been despite some of us asking. Friday and Saturday came and went, as we watched dogs being dropped off at various places and because the transport still had dogs to deliver to the north of Scotland, ours did not arrive until after 11 p.m. on Sunday seven days since they 'supposedly set off '. Whether they had really been on that van for seven days, we will never know. What we do know is that we will never use that transport company again.
They've arrived !
Sunday 1st February (11pm)
Late on Thursday morning, Diane told us they were only then setting off from Romania. She still had been given no explanation for where they had been or what had caused the delay. By then, it was day four, even though the journey to the UK border should take only 48 hours. A Messenger group was finally created, but no explanation was ever given. Friday and Saturday came and went, as we watched dogs being dropped off at various places and because the transport still had dogs to deliver to the north of Scotland, ours did not arrive until after 11 p.m. on Sunday. Whether they had really been on that van for seven days, we will never know. What we do know is that we will never use that transport company again.
We met the van outside. The driver first brought out Missy and placed her in my arms, she snuggled in, shivering as I wrapped blanket around her. Then he brought out a much larger dog and handed her to my husband. I cannot remember exactly what I said, but it was something along the lines of, “That’s the wrong dog; Sadie is only tiny.” “No,” he replied, “this is Sadie” I again said "no she's just a tiny little dog". But then looking at her face, I could see she did resemble the photos we had been sent. My husband and I exchanged one of those glances that married couples understand immediately — somewhere between surprise, concern and “well is going to be interesting.” (actually we both thought something a bit stronger ) I was handed the passports, and then the driver left. We brought both dogs inside. They were scared, shaking, and, after their journey, carrying an aroma that could politely be described as unforgettable. We had prepared a nice-sized pen in the front hall with two comfortable beds, and I had also bought a small, warm, cosy little house, thinking tiny Sadie would feel safe in it. Hmmm. Tiny Sadie had clearly missed the memo. We offered them food, but by then Sadie had disappeared and somehow managed to squeeze herself into the little house. We left them alone, and once we hid around the corner, both dogs ate, with a speed and ferocity that was unbelievable, they were obviously starving but, they soon fell fast asleep. We then sat down, exhausted, still surprised, and more than a little concerned about the size of our “tiny” foster dog. Sadie, it seemed, had taken the word tiny as more of a personal suggestion than an actual description. We looked at each other and wondered how on earth we were going to manage.
Later, Missy would come out and, although still scared, she bravely began to engage with us and follow us around. Sadie, however, remained firmly tucked away in the little house and, unfortunately, decided that Missy was not allowed back into the pen. It seemed the like whole den now came with a very determined doorman. Missy ended up sleeping on my bed in a dog bed, bless her, she never moved and awoke the next morning with a wagging tail.
We decided to make Sadie a more suitable safe cave, as she was so frightened of everything. I dusted off a large crate, removed the door, filled it with cosy, comfortable bedding, and placed a blanket over the top. We left the tiny house there for the time being, with Sadie still firmly inside it, absolutely terrified because I was so near. For a few days, she moved between the two spaces before we finally removed the tiny house — although, at times, it actually moved with her, wrapped around her so tightly it looked less like a bed and more like a very large turtle, or a confused piece of luggage. Despite the comedy side which was amusing, it was also so very sad. Sadie remained deeply withdrawn, trembling, panting, and often unaware of the world around her. Her fear was so intense that she would flinch at the slightest noise or movement.
Initially, Sadie was reluctant to engage, and we had to leave food out for her. She would only come out to eat once we were safely out of sight. After a few days, she began to leave the pen and play a little with Missy, (but still wouldn't allow her in the pen) but only if we sat perfectly still and made absolutely no attempt to touch her. She then started to take — or, more accurately, snatch — treats from us before dashing away to eat them in private and hiding for hours afterwards.
Missy, who had been in another notorious shelter, Bretz, was so skinny when she arrived that every bone stuck out. Fortunately, she was much less traumatised than Sadie and was reserved by the wonderful couple Craig and Sharon. Within the week, she went to her new home, where she is happy, gaining weight, much loved, and now called Mia.
