From Romanian street dog to Fullers’ mascot: Gizmo’s story

News & Events

From Romanian street dog to Fullers’ mascot: Gizmo’s story

6mins
Fullers Fulfilment

Every week, Fullers Fulfilment picks, packs and sends out a multitude of animal care products ordered by besotted consumers buying pet supplies online.

More than half of UK households now have pets, so pet care fulfilment is becoming a significant arm (or should that be paw?) of our business.

James Wellbeloved (Mars Petcare), Essential Foods, Frozzy’s, Yarrah, and Natusan are all successful pet care brands that Fullers Fulfilment proudly provides pet food and pet supplies fulfilment services for. From collars to chews, treats to toys and everything in between, we store it, pick it, pack it and send it out to the nation’s adorable pet pals.

Pets aren’t just profit to us, though. To say Fullers is a company of animal lovers would be an understatement. Take Lilla Hovarth, Fulfilment Services Analyst and a sustainability champion at Fullers Fulfilment, for example. Lilla’s devotion to animals is clear to see – and not just in the way she handles our pet supplies accounts.

Here’s her story…

A heart-warming tail begins

“We always adopted dogs during my childhood back in Hungary - and sometimes the dogs adopted us! Street dogs found our house and refused to leave, so we let them stay. Having finally won my partner over to the idea of getting a pet, I felt wholeheartedly that we must adopt one. There are so many dogs in need, waiting for their forever home.

“My friend directed me to a few pet adoption groups on Facebook, including one that rescues dogs from Romania. I followed them avidly, waiting for our perfect pooch. Originally, I was not looking for a puppy because they can sometimes be more hard work in the early days…and my partner likes a tidy house!”

Is it a hyena?

“But then I saw my Gizmo (or Albert, as he had been temporarily named at the shelter). That face! He could’ve been a hyena, escaped from the local zoo. Two months old at most, he was found on the streets of Craiova, in Romania.

“It was love at first sight for me – and many others who wanted to re-home this puppy. To show his rescuers that we would be the right match for Gizmo, I had to complete animal adoption paperwork and send a video tour of our house and garden so that they felt confident he’d have plenty of room to play, whilst staying safe (Romanian rescue dogs are well known for their escaping skills!).

“Following a phone with the founder of the rescue group, I received the happy news that our home was going to become Gizmo’s forever home. I was over the moon and couldn’t wait to give him a fresh start.”

The long journey

“By now, Gizmo was four months old but still too young to make the journey from Romania to the UK. Whilst waiting for him to turn six months of age, I prepared our house for his arrival, found a trusted vet, and arranged pet insurance. The shelter sent regular photos and updates.

“Gizmo was meant to arrive in the beginning of April in 2021. However, the van he was travelling in was stopped and held in Germany for routine checks. This took 2-3 weeks. It was agony, as no one really knew what was going on, or when they would release Gizmo and his fellow rescued friends.”

Happily ever after

“Finally, Gizmo arrived a week before my birthday. The best birthday present ever – but a very skinny one. Only really used to sharing food with other street dogs, he was very hungry. Even though he’d probably never had a bed, he went straight to his dog basket like he knew what it was. He’d later pile all his dog toys there and didn’t like us touching them. Maybe he was afraid they would get taken away.

“Once Gizmo had got over a case of kennel cough, likely caused by travelling with other dogs, he then was ready to be introduced to the Fullers team, and his new best friend, Buddy. Gizmo is doing very well, enjoying all the attention he gets and doing a scent work class. Of course, he isn’t allowed near any of the goods in the warehouse (…especially not our pet care products), but he loves coming to work with me.

“Needless to say, my partner has fallen in love with Gizmo too. It’s impossible not to.”

How Fullers is helping other street dogs just like Gizmo

Lilla and Gizmo’s story reminds us that, for every pampered pet whose personalised ecommerce order we fulfil, there are many more animals that go hungry every day. That’s why we give back to animal and pet welfare causes via the Business for Good (B1G1) initiative.

Recently, Fullers’ donation to the VSPCA in India helped provide food packets to malnourished and hungry street dogs for a month. These neglected animals are unable to lead healthy lives due to severe hunger and weakness. Our support helps to restore their health with much-needed nutritious meals.

When you work with Fullers, you know that your fulfilment is in safe hands – and that together we’re making the world a better place for some of our animal friends.

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