WHY DO K-9 ANGELS HELP DOGS ABROAD?

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This is a question that is often asked of us and other charities like ours.
We say…
Shouldn’t compassion for animals have no borders? Surely all lives saved are equally important, regardless of location? Neglect and suffering for dogs in some EU countries and beyond is at a much higher level in general than in the UK. Many UK shelters are well supported and very well organised, as dog rescue in the UK has been ongoing for many years, and street dogs are almost never seen here now.
In some other countries, dogs are sadly viewed as surplus vermin. They can be treated very cruelly, they can often be abandoned on the street, where they can face further barbaric cruelty, beatings and abuse, poisoning, and they are frequently injured, or worse still deliberately killed on the roads.
The stray dog population is habitually out of control. Some - but not all - dog shelters in a few E.U. countries are desperately bad places for dogs, there are few, if any animal welfare laws to protect them, there can be limited poor quality food, no good water supplies, poor medical care, a lack of proper bedding, unsanitary conditions and overcrowding.

Various public shelters, especially in Eastern Europe, are funded very minimally and their role is primarily to rid the streets of dogs, often in very inhumane ways. The methods of capturing the strays frequently result in their injury or even worse, a cruel and barbaric death. There are some good rescuers and shelters, but all too often they are struggling due to their own poverty and lack of support from the community.
This is where charities such as K-9 Angels come into play. Our role has always been to try to alleviate suffering and provide a network helping rescuers wherever we can. Historically we have rescued hundreds of dogs from Romania, Cyprus, Greece and Thailand – and some cats too – and whereas our focus has altered to a more preventative approach, working on our spay and neuter campaigns and aiming to provide educational support, we will always endeavour to help an animal in need to find the perfect home where we possibly and practically can.
We believe that rescuing a dog from a good, compassionate caring rescue, whether here or abroad will free up a space for another less fortunate dog to get appropriate care, and a better chance of life in a home in future. Rescuing makes a difference to the life of that dog. The rewards of seeing a scared rescue dog settling and blossoming in a home with patience, consistency, kindness and good care is priceless, knowing a positive difference has been made to their future.

A lot of the strays and dogs in shelters in the UK, in the E.U. and beyond are as a result of human error. We owe it to the dogs to help them. For us it is a multi-faceted approach. Spay and neuter, educating, rescuing, fostering, sharing information and resources, and having the long-term goal of supporting good rescuers and welfare organisations both here and in other countries.  K-9 Angels ultimately seek to promote appropriate, kind and loving care of dogs through community education, supporting the humane reduction in numbers of dogs by spaying and neutering programs, aiming to improve the lives of the dogs of the future, because for us ‘Every Life Counts’