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Mickey Rourke to build massive animal shelter in Romania
Actor inspired to make a difference after learning about the large stray population in the country.
Thu, Apr 12 2012 at 12:20 PM
Photo: INFPhoto.com
There's no denying Mickey Rourke's love for dogs. The 59-year-old has regularly praised his canine companions in public, giving them credit for sticking with him when others didn't.
"I'd like to thank all my dogs," he said during his Golden Globes Best Actor speech in 2009. "The ones that are here, the ones that aren't here anymore because sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got is your dog. And they've meant the world to me."
Rourke's affection apparently knows no borders. While recently shooting the new flick "Dead in Tombstone" in Romania, the actor adopted a stray (dubbed "Foxy") and threw himself into making a difference for other strays. Late last month, he announced a $2 million campaign to build a massive animal shelter, committing more than $250,000 of his own money to get it started.
According to the Bucharest Herald, Rourke's Wild Dogs of Romania Sanctuary will be the size of a football field and able to host thousands of dogs. In courting investors, Rourke has apparently stressed that this is more a matter for the heart and not the wallet, saying that “nobody will make any money from this investment.”
Last November, Romanian lawmakers passed legislation making it legal to euthanize a portion of the estimated 50,000 stray dogs that roam the streets of Bucharest. Under the law, those animals presenting a hazard to the public will be rounded up, placed in a shelter, and given 30 days to find adoption or be put to sleep.
Rourke, who promises to visit the country regularly to keep tabs on the animal sanctuary, has already made contact with an investor who will sell him a plot of land south of the city. Nice work, Mickey.
Also on MNN: Celebrities with their pets
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What a beautiful thing to do. Mickey you Rock!!!
I knew there was a reason I LOVED THIS GUY!... Great thing he's doing. Help for animals is needed EVERYWHERE, there's no such thing as enough HELP. He's one person he can't help every city, state, and country, unfortunately!
Mickey, please come to Australia. We have one of the worst shelter animal kill ratios in the world. We need more NO KILL shelters.
Go Mickey!
Does anyone kow if this romanian shelter has been started yet, it is so needed but hope they also have a spay/neuter program
Building dog shelters in Romania is as ineffective and cruel as killing the dogs. Imprisoning dogs is not the solution. The shelter will be overcrowded in just 1 year time. Resources should be used for spay/neuter, education and information. In 5 years time a reduction of free roaming dogs of 95% is possible like we've proven in the Romanian town Oradea. Please never consider kenneling dogs as a solution to a stray dog problem.
Your right ! the shelter should also use their resources to spay/neuter. I'm sure they will also do this
that is total awsome,way to go Mickey Rourke
This is so great. Dogs are so special and can provide an incredible amount of companionship when people are lonely and down.
Very nice. An actor who possesses humility and a true caring for our canine friends. Way to go Mickey!