Category: Feature Stories

Socks and Stoly are just two of the seventeen dogs in the Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide program who were brought to the U.S. before July 14^th. All of these pups were at risk of being stuck overseas when the CDC announced its decision to ban dogs from over 100 countries from traveling into the U.S. beginning July 14^th. These new regulations are being put in place due to forged rabies certificates from people trying to profit from dog sales. Unfortunately, the ban also affects legitimate animal rescue organizations like SPCA International and our many partner organizations.

Socks and Stoly have made it safely to New York and we are now arranging their ground transportation to Colorado where their soldier anxiously awaits their arrival. Thank you to every person who contributed to help rescue these two lucky pups and fifteen others.

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SPCA International is committed to continuing to help U.S. service members rescue the pups they befriend while deployed overseas. Going forward our Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide rescue missions might take longer but we are dedicated to bringing our service members’ patriot pets home.

Conditions for animals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are rough, but Oito Vidas is doing all they can to improve the lives of animals on the streets. SPCA International is proud to support this animal welfare group that focuses mainly on the feral cat colonies living wild in and around Rio.

SPCA International is proud to join over 100 organizations in calling for legislation to stop the slaughter of U.S. horses for human consumption. Though horses are not slaughtered for meat in the U.S., tens of thousands of horses and burros are exported out of the country each year for the purpose of slaughter and human consumption.

Current legislation making its way through Congress includes provisions that would make it illegal to ship horses to slaughterhouses in neighboring countries, effectively closing a loophole that keeps U.S. horses and burros at risk.

This legislation is in the form of an amendment to H.R. 3684, the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST) Act, which passed the full U.S. House and will soon move onto the senate. The amendment will ban the transport of equines across state lines to Canada or Mexico for slaughter for human consumption.

If you would like to get involved in supporting this legislation, contact your state’s lawmakers to let them know that you support the amendment to keep U.S. horses and burros out of foreign slaughterhouses.

Thank you to Lemonade and their customers! SPCA International is honored to be one of the organizations Lemonade customers choose to support through the innovative “give-back” program.

Lemonade is a home and renters insurance company that has built social good into their business model. They charge customers a flat fee and reserve the rest of customers’ premiums to pay claims. If there is any money left over at the end of the year, that money goes to the customer’s charity of choice as a “give-back” donation.

Here at SPCA International, we are so grateful to everyone who chose to donate their unused premium to help animals this year. The “give-back” amount totals $295,785 and is more than we ever imagined!

This donation will allow SPCA International to continue our life-saving work around the globe.

Thank you to EVERYONE involved with Lemonade. From the visionary founders to the customers who selected SPCA International for their “give-back” donation, our work wouldn’t be possible without incredible people like you.

June marks the spring season when thousands of kittens are born, adding to the number of cats in need of safe and loving homes. If you’ve been thinking about adopting a cat, now is a great time to reach out to your local shelter to find the “purrfect” fit for your family. Even if a new cat companion isn’t in your plans, there are other ways you can help.

1. Sterilize Pet Cats: Sterilization remains the most effective way of keeping the cat population manageable. Even if you have cats at home that don’t go outside, just one escape can add to the number of kittens in need of a home. Since cats can have multiple litters a year, every cat sterilized greatly reduces the number of unwanted cats in our communities.
2. Volunteer: Local shelters and rescue groups are always in need of volunteers. They typically have weekly opportunities, as well as one-time volunteer opportunities for special events such as adoption fairs or sterilization campaigns. A quick phone call to your local shelter is all it takes to find out how you can help.
3. Donate: You can support the rescue and care of homeless cats all over the world by donating to SPCA International’s Shelter Support Fund program.
4. Spread the Word: Tell your friends, family, coworkers and anyone else you think might want to adopt a cat or support cats in shelters. You never know who will hear your message and step up for a cat in need.

Our international partners are looking for loving homes for the fantastic felines and canines in their care, check out our Adopt An Animal page for animals looking for a family to call their own.

The pandemic is beginning to wane in many countries, but in some it is at its worst. India is experiencing a spike in cases and new lockdowns, creating a difficult situation for people and animals.

In India, animals that used to depend on restaurants and other businesses for garbage are struggling to find food. Rescue groups are understaffed because many staff and volunteers are falling ill or are unable to continue their work. Supply chain issues have made everything from kibble to medical supplies more expensive, and international adoptions have been halted for over a year.

Thanks to many generous SPCA International supporters, we are rushing grants to help these organizations in India continue their critically important work of saving and improving animal lives.

Dharamsala Animal Rescue: This organization has reached thousands of animals through their amazing work. They will use their grant to provide veterinary care, food and shelter and to promote local adoptions. Through their programs, they are changing attitudes toward stray dogs, improving lives and helping dogs find forever homes.

Stray Dog Support: This organization supports a network of individual animal welfare activists who provide food and care to stray dogs and cats. Stray Dog Support will use its grant to make sure community caretakers can keep caring for the animals that depend on them for survival in India. 

Pawsitive Sanctuary: This organization saves countless lives through its stray animal feeding program. Though they can’t rescue every animal from the streets, Pawsitive Sanctuary brings in and cares for those with injuries, tumors, and other disabilities. They make a lifelong commitment to care for animals that can’t survive on the streets and are unlikely to find forever homes.

Tom Animal Welfare Society: This shelter organization is committed to saving the lives of animals in India and has a new shelter facility to house rescued animals. In addition to rescuing animals in need, they provide medical outreach and education to improve the lives of animals large and small in India.

Manali Strays: This incredible organization reaches about 1,000 animals each year and will use its grant to rescue and rehabilitate stray animals, run their mobile clinic for minor medical conditions, sterilize pets and strays, vaccinate stray dogs and cats and provide community education once lockdown regulations are lifted.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela

Sava’s Safe Haven, a long-standing SPCA International partner organization, is working with local schools to bring animal welfare education to children in Romania.

This volunteer-run organization cares for hundreds of animals and typically rehomes about 100 animals each year throughout Europe. However, they know that education will change the next generation’s attitudes about animals and improve conditions for animals in Romania.

SPCA International is proud to support Sava’s Safe Haven’s new education initiative. In partnership with local schools, Sava’s Safe Haven is educating youngsters through interactive presentations. Children learn about animals, create posters with anti-cruelty messages and receive a small “diploma” recognizing their commitment to animal kindness.

Sava’s Safe Haven volunteers tell us that the children are incredibly kind-hearted. Many have brought food to donate for rescued animals, and one little girl even donated her pocket money, saying “This is for you, to look after animals. I hope one day I can adopt one dog from you!”

Now, Sava’s Safe Haven is working with teachers to plan a field trip to their shelter for the children! This exciting initiative seems so simple, yet it has the potential to change the future for animals in Romania.

SPCA International is honoring Sava’s Safe Haven education initiative with a grant for their education program. To encourage other education programs, we plan to honor one partner’s outstanding education program with a designated education grant each month.

You may remember the exciting announcement in late 2019; SPCA International had just made a $100,000 commitment to a Lebanon shelter called Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA). The funds were earmarked for a new state-of-the-art shelter facility to house and care for the over 800 animals in BETA’s care.

Now, we are excited to announce that the shelter is nearly complete! SPCA International is proud to have designated a large portion of our grant to the “Senior Sanctuary” at the BETA shelter which will house older dogs who will likely live out their days at the shelter. These dogs have already been moved in and are enjoying their new home!

This new shelter was initiated because BETA received an eviction notice from their old property. It has been a long and sometimes difficult process, particularly with the additional challenges of COVID-19, but we are so proud of the result. The new shelter has been designed in accordance with international standards. Modeled after a world-renowned American shelter, the new facility is designed to increase adoption rates, run sustainably and be an example for others in the region to follow.

An SPCA International partner since 2016, BETA has been working to create a cruelty-free city through education and activism for the last 17 years. BETA rescues dogs, cats and wildlife from life-threatening danger. Once in their care, they work tirelessly to place animals in loving homes locally and around the world. The organization also conducts trap, neuter and release programs to reduce the overpopulation of stray dogs and cats in Beirut.

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Thanks to many generous individuals, Keeva is now safe. This sweet pup was being kicked, slapped and spit on when Staff Sergeant Renee stepped in to save her from abuse. When the Staff Sergeant and her team were ordered back to the U.S. they were devastated to know that Keeva might be left behind to fall back into the hands of people who would hurt her.

SPCA International is so proud to help soldiers like Renee rescue the pets they adopt overseas. These dedicated pet parents will do anything to save their babies, but their hands are tied with military orders that prohibit pets from traveling on official transportation.

Our Middle East team is a small group of dedicated individuals who care for dogs like Keeva while their health certificates and travel paperwork are prepared and processed. Their work is truly a labor of love that delivers dozens of animals each year into the waiting arms of the service men and women who love them.

We are thrilled to share that Keeva is safe with our team now. She is being pampered and cared for while her travel arrangements are made, and we expect her to arrive in the U.S. to be reunited with Staff Sergeant Renee in the next few days.  

These two will be forever grateful to every single person who helped them reunite with one another. From generous individual donors to the caring team in the Middle East, none of this work would be possible without the dedication of truly incredible individuals.

World of Angels Foundation, an existing SPCA International partner in China, recently reached out with a plea for help. They were dealing with a large-scale emergency. A local puppy mill was shutting down and planned to sell 100 dogs into the dog meat trade.

Fortunately, World of Angels Foundation banded together with other local animal welfare groups to take in these pups. No single organization could have accepted 100 dogs on such short notice, so they worked together to shelter and care for them.  

SPCA International is proud to support World of Angels Foundation and their local counterparts in their work. With a modest amount of financial support from the SPCA International Shelter Support Fund, these dedicated organizations were able to save lives. They are a shining example of the amazing work that happens in animal welfare every day in China and beyond.

All the pups are now sheltered and being cared for by various rescue groups in China. Unfortunately, some were sick and needed medical attention, but they are receiving everything they need to get healthy and strong.

SPCA International is committed to supporting organizations on the ground working to stop the dog meat trade and rescue dogs at risk. We are proud to be providing $50,000 this month to support their efforts.

Follow World of Angels on social media for updates on when these pups become available for adoption.