International Rescue
So, you want to help dogs and dog charities both here in the UK and beyond. Here are some links to dog organisations from around the world and information on the fantastic support they offer.
Dog rescues fall mainly into two categories: those who rescue and rehome dogs nationally in countries such as the UK or the US, and those who work in regions with large stray dog populations, such as in Thailand or Romania, and tend to adopt dogs out to families who live abroad. Inevitably, the requirements of these two camps are quite different, but the situation is serious for all of them.
Put in a nutshell: send money to charities abroad right now and foster for a charity near you.
Bulgaria
Introducing Street Hearts of Bulgaria
Setup by a professional diver Anthony and a former policewoman Emma from Yorkshire, they decided to move to Bulgaria while on a career break in 2013. Seeing the terrible stray dog problem that plagues the country, they decided to take a different path, and they both agreed with the mayor of Dryanovo to tackle the problem head-on.
Emma was extremely concerned that they already have had some dog adoptions cancelled. The shelter was full, which effectively meant they cannot take in any more dogs. There was a waiting list – and not knowing how long this will go on for was very worrying. Puppies that turn into adult dogs are far harder to re-home.
Emma also worried that the costs of running the shelter were getting out of control. She then decided to set up an adoption trip do help finance the rescue. She also has a bungalow for guests that helps fund the work and pay the bills. This year they have had three cancellations and already it looks like new guests will not visit this year due to the coronavirus restrictions.
Volunteers from overseas have also had to cancel. Volunteers are vital for the shelter especially when they need to keep puppies for so long. It means that there are only three people to look after and train seventy dogs.
If you would like to help by sponsoring a puppy (incl. extra vitamins) for £14/month or an adult dog for £10/month. Street Hearts has set up some easy payment options to buy vital supplies here (https://streetheartsbg.com/how-you-can-help-dogs-in-bulgaria/buy-vital-supplies-for-a-bulgarian-street-dog.html), so please donate.
Romania
Big Hearts Society BHS (https://www.facebook.com/BigHeartsSociety/)
Big Hearts Society is a very interesting smaller charity and is a partner to the Romanian Prison Dog Programme, which teams up dogs from the public shelters with inmates who train and socialise with them. BHS has saved nearly 100 dogs, gave them the vet treatments they needed and re-homed them in loving and forever homes. The charity also provides treatments and food for the Romanian Prison Dogs Programme.
BHS told us that vet bills have become quite unmanageable because four of its dogs require extensive vet care. Find details on how to donate (Paypal) on BHS’s Facebook page.
Dogood Romania
This charity based in Solca, Romania, is now at capacity because dog transport across the borders are impossible at the moment due to coronavirus. Due to shortages and panic-buying from distributors, access to food has been disrupted. 20x10kg bags of puppy food, 15x10kg bags of adult food should cost around €297.50 and buys this shelter 30 days.
Dogood desperately needs to buy puppy milk as they regularly take in abandoned litters, which will run up an additional €50 bill for its current 10 puppies. You can donate at Paypal.me/savedbythevet.
ROLDA
Since its foundation in 2002, ROLDA has helped over 20,000 dogs. Based in Galati, the poorest region of the country, the charity works on combating the dog overpopulation while providing excellent care for dogs, ROLDA also runs education programmes.
ROLDA has said that due to coronavirus, they are struggling with their supplies that come directly from Spain but of course due to border closures, they can’t get to through. They are trying to raise some funds to be able to buy food locally and are also providing a guide on how to stay safe during this crisis.
They currently have over 700 dogs in two sanctuaries. They believe the numbers will rise as more cases in Romania emerge, and people start to abandon their dogs.
Please donate to ROLDA here - https://rolda.org/donate/?utm_source=topbtn.
Romanian Rescue Appeal (RRA)
This charity has been affected by severe food shortages and unable to get dogs taken to their forever families. Additionally, the charity’s vet bills have become too great – unsurprising perhaps, given RRA runs four shelters with a total of around 900 dogs.
Lyndsey Church, the founder, is trying to raise £52,000 – which will help massively with its operations in the coming months
Costa Rica
Charlie’s Angels Rescue
Coronavirus has hit Charlie’s Angels hard, as all the B&B bookings they had (which helps to finance their operation) were cancelled and all adoptions to the US and Canada were cancelled as well. Even if you are looking to adopt in Costa Rica – no one wants to travel anymore due to the coronavirus and some volunteers have had to leave and go back to their homelands.
They are really worried that people won’t donate to them anymore because the economy will no doubt crash soon. They can’t take on any new cases and even though they just rescued a pregnant bitch and another litter of nine pups without a mum. They would love to continue with their mission because they can only imagine how terrible the situation will be there soon. They have already officially registered COVID-19 cases in their first week of the virus arrival in the country. The health system is definitely not able to handle this and the people will just not be able to handle the situation and will ultimately abandon their cats and dogs due to financial reasons.
If you would like to donate to Charlies Angels please follow this link - https://www.charlies-angels-rescue.org/donations.
Thailand
Lanta Animal Welfare (LAW):
In Thailand, visitor numbers to the island have crashed. With no visitors making donations directly at the shelter, LAW is appealing for their animals to be sponsored from $27/month, or one-off donations if you can. Feeding one dog for one week costs $10; running the LAW shelter, including its clinic, costs $5,600 per month.
The guys at LAW told us that on the 23rd of March that 95% of volunteers had to cancel their stays at LAW, which means the charity will try and hire locals to look after its roughly 40 dogs and 60 cats. However, hiring locals can be difficult concerning recruitment and culture.
The owners moved from Norway over 15 years ago and set up the Time for Lime restaurant/cooking school. From the start, they looked after dogs on their property and the business funded their external Lanta Animal Welfare shelter. Time for Lime was its biggest sponsor, but it had to close its doors now due to COVID-19.
So how can you help? Donate. Also, why not come and volunteer for one month or two. You have to be self-quarantined for one week on the island before you can come and help. To learn more about the great work the guys are doing to visit their website - https://lantaanimalwelfare.com/.
Soi Dog Foundation:
The Soi Dog Foundation has a large sanctuary that relies on good-hearted volunteers to socialise the dogs and flight volunteers to take the dogs to their new homes abroad. It also relies on the kind donations from the visitors and their long-term supporters, which has been severely hampered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The current situation is that no dogs are leaving but new ones are arriving each week and while they are not socialising is causing massive problems. Last year, on average 36 animals travelled overseas each month. If they suffer from further restrictions, there could be around 220 animals who stay at the sanctuary rather than moving out and finding new homes. This has a serious consequence on the population and may compromise Soi Dog’s ability to rescue and house vulnerable animals.
With fewer volunteers coming forward means less enrichment for the animals, and this could have consequences on their wellbeing. If their routines are broken. They get less interaction with humans and less time out of the runs, which results in friction between the animals to build up.
The costs are mounting, and they do need all help they can get. If donations dip, there is a prospect not only of cutting jobs but also being forced to cut programmes designed to alleviate the suffering of stray animals in Thailand and also impact on the work carried out in Vietnam to try and end the dog meat trade there.
To donate to the Soi Dog Foundation visit their website - https://www.soidog.org/content/make-donation.
Finally, here in the UK
All Dogs Matter
Based in London, this charity punches well above its weight. The actor Peter Egan is the charities patron and the team around the general manager Ira Moss, fundraise constantly through events like dog shows, special dog walks and markets.
At the moment due to the pandemic, their staff are all off. And the All Dogs Matter charity shop is also closed. So, while all their dogs are currently in foster care, the charity continues to rescue dogs and run a reduced service – and that costs money.
To donate to All Dogs Matter please visit their website - https://alldogsmatter.co.uk/shop/.
The RSPCA
The RSPCA is the world’s first animal welfare charity and has been in existence for nearly 200 years. The recent pandemic though has certainly put the organisation under strain as the vital volunteers are unable to work. They have also lost a lot of vital donations and as a result, they are cancelling their ‘face to face fundraising’ activities. They are also closing all their charity shops nationwide. The charity has always relied on the generosity of it’s kind supporters to enable them to do the work that they do. If you do have any spare change it could mean the world of difference to an animal in need
To donate to the RSPCA visit their website - https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/donate/online.
The Cinnamon Trust
This is certainly a charity in high demand at the moment. The Cinnamon Trust looks after dogs that are owned by the elderly and the most vulnerable in society when people need to go into hospital or sadly pass.
Founded in 1985, this very special charity has assessed over 15,000 volunteers across the whole of the UK. The trust has excellent organisational skills but also to the fact that looking after an elderly person’s devoted pet is a tough job. To volunteer, email The Cinnamon Trust here: news@cinnamon.org.uk.
Home from Home provides home boarding throughout London and the Home Counties. To find out about what we have to offer please call 01932 568584 or email info@homefromhomedogboarding.com.
