Category: Feature Stories

We put this cute video together just to make you smile! We hope you can take just one minute to enjoy this short video full of fluffy dogs and cats doing their thing. Wherever you are, we hope it will brighten your day.

During the current crisis, it is easy to focus on the negative, but here are just a few silver linings to think about when you need a pick-me-up.

People are spending more time with their nuclear families. Most of us have dusted off old games or started new activities and rituals together. Many of us are also reconnecting with friends and family over video chats and sharing kindness however we can with our fellow humans.

Animals are benefitting in a number of ways. Many shelters in North America are reporting high adoption and foster rates, China is banning the consumption of dogs and cats, and the Tiger King phenomenon has shed light on the plight of big cats in the U.S.

The environment is also getting a boost from less pollution. Less travel in planes and cars means fewer fossil fuels are being burned, and reduced manufacturing is producing less pollution as well.

Despite these positives, we know many people are battling in one way or another against COVID-19, so we extend our gratitude to all essential workers, especially those who work in healthcare and the grocery supply chain. We also extend our thoughts and hearts to those who are themselves or have a loved one who is sick, grieving or otherwise at risk.

Here at SPCA International, we are committed to helping animal welfare organizations around the world when they are faced with unforeseen disasters. The bushfires in Australia have devastated wildlife habitats and left animal welfare organizations scrambling for resources.

So, we are proud to share that SPCA International recently provided a $60,000 grant to the RSPCA in South Australia so they could purchase two rescue vehicles. The RSPCA works on behalf of all animals, but right now they are caring for more koalas than ever before.

Staff and volunteers are working daily to rescue koalas from smoldering forests and rush them to veterinary care. Many koalas have burns on their hands and feet from climbing scorched trees in search of food. Even those that have escaped burns are hungry and thirsty because their food source has been wiped out.

These koalas will be given the best care possible. As their bodies heal, most will be released into reserves and forests that were spared by the flames. The forests they used to call home will take a decade to recover.

The support we were able to provide to the RSPCA and other organizations in Australia was made possible by many generous donors in North America who gave donations of $20, $50 and $100 dollars. Together these donations will ease the suffering of hundreds if not thousands of animals affected by the Australia bushfires.

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Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide has been rescuing dogs and cats befriended by U.S. military members serving overseas since 2008. We have navigated some incredibly difficult situations in unstable regions.

We’ve had to find alternate routes out of countries at war and move animals through dangerous checkpoints. However, we’ve never before been confronted with something like the current COVID-19 crisis.

As borders close and international flights are canceled, our team is bringing dogs and cats to the U.S. as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we know some will be stuck for weeks or months while we wait for travel to resume.

These animals are caught in limbo. As they waited for routine travel clearances, the situation changed drastically. Now, we don’t know when they’ll be able to travel.

Currently, 19 cats and 11 dogs are on our waiting list to travel to the U.S. Caring for them during this crisis is already proving challenging.

Nearly every location where we are caring for dogs and cats is experiencing difficulties. Here are just a few examples:

• In Iraq, our staff had to secure a special permit for a veterinarian to travel across the city to provide vaccines to the dogs in our care.
• In Poland, a carefully orchestrated rescue flight was canceled just two days before it was set to depart.
• In Jordan, two cats are stuck in a boarding facility where a staff member is now living on site to care for them during the shutdown.
• In The Philippines, several dogs and cats have been stuck since early February.

We’ll continue to provide these animals love and care while their soldiers anxiously wait for travel to resume.

Here are a few of the sweethearts whose travel plans have been put on standby:

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If you would like to help us continue to provide vital support to shelters and animals around the world in this most challenging time:

The speed and severity of the COVID-19 crisis has come as a shock to many. As schools and businesses close, daily life is affected everywhere, including animal shelters. Here at SPCA International, we continue to receive requests for help from shelter and rescue partners across the globe. Their need is critical and urgent.

Thanks to many generous SPCA International supporters, we have been able to earmark $100,000 for grants specifically for the COVID-19 crisis response. We have already authorized grants to the following organizations:

• Plush Bears Shelter (Baicheng, China) – This shelter makes their own dog kibble, so funds will help them buy the ingredients they need to feed the dogs in their care.
• K9 Global Rescue (Jeonju, South Korea) – This organization rescues dogs from the dog meat trade and finds them adoptive homes in the U.S. They can’t transport the dogs right now, so funds will help shelter, feed and provide veterinary care until the dogs can travel to their new homes.
• SPCA Italia (Ardea, Italy) – This rescue organization has a special permit from the Italian police to rescue the many dogs and cats that are being abandoned on the streets amid the COVID-19 crisis. Funds will help them continue rescuing and caring for animals.
• Animal House Jamaica (Lydford, Jamaica) – This shelter relies on food donations from the surrounding hotels to feed the 200 dogs in their care. With hotel operations halted, they now have to buy kibble. Funds will support the cost of buying food to last for two months.
• Rifugio Jill Phipps (Asti, Italy) – This refuge organization shelters animals that have been saved from slaughter, including farm animals. They are having difficulty accessing food during the COVID-19 crisis, so funds will help them act quickly to buy food when it is available.
• Unidad Proteccion Animal in the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) – This organization is facing food shortages and store closures. Funds will help them purchase enough food to last until normal supply chains are functioning again.
• Vucjak Shelter (Kragujevac, Serbia) – This shelter is faced with a food shortage as EU borders close. Funds will help them buy enough food to survive this crisis.

We’ll be sending many more grants to organizations like these in the coming weeks.  If you know of a shelter affected by the COVID-19 crisis, please have them contact us.

As we all feel the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, it is important to remember to keep the furry members of our families and communities safe as well. If you are looking for ways to help, here are just a few:

• Contact your local animal shelter to ask what they need. Many are seeking extra food donations or short-term foster care for animals.
• Make a donation to your local animal shelter or to SPCA International and we’ll get it to a shelter in need.
• Keep yourself and your family safe by following local recommendations. By staying healthy, you’ll be able to care for your family members and pets.

Educate yourself and verify information sources. Remember, according to the World Health Organization dogs and cats can’t spread COVID-19 to humans.

If you would like to help us continue to provide vital support to shelters and animals around the world in this most challenging time : 

When our staff members were in Guatemala City last year, a call came in to our partner organization about a dog in distress.

That dog turned out to be Ofelia, a sweet but scared pup covered in matted fur. She hadn’t been cared for in a long time and she was frightened.

Our partner organization, AMA Guatemala, made sure Ofelia was healthy, and brought her to the groomer. The transformation was absolutely incredible.

But Ofelia’s journey didn’t stop with a new haircut. This lucky girl found a new home with an amazing family. She loves their big yard and playful kids. Just look at that smile!

SPCA International has partnered with SOS Galgos in Spain since 2012. This amazing organization has saved hundreds of Spanish Greyhounds, known as Galgos, over the last 20 years.

The organization was founded in 2000 by Anna Clements and Albert Sordé. They realized that something needed to be done to save 700 Galgos that were living in terrible conditions after the closure of the Barcelona dog race track in 1999.

Since then, the pair has expanded SOS Galgos to include a network of volunteers, foster homes and concerned citizens. They provide educational presentations at local schools and actively work to change the laws surrounding the treatment of Galgos.

Unfortunately, Galgos are considered working dogs by the Spanish government. This means they are excluded from laws that protect other pets.

Each year an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 dogs are killed at the end of hunting season. That’s because it is easier and cheaper for hunters to buy a new dog than to feed and shelter a Galgo between seasons. Only the very best hunters are kept alive from one year to the next.

Most Galgos are kept in filthy and crowded underground spaces. Galgos are fed just enough to survive so they stay hungry for the hunt. They are used for just one or two seasons as hunters, then they are abandoned or killed. Even worse, many dogs are tortured to death by hanging, being buried alive and even being skinned alive. Many hunters believe that dogs who die slow and painful deaths will bring luck in the next year’s hunt.

SOS Galgos has now spent 20 years rescuing Galgos. They provide immediate medical care to treat dogs’ broken bodies and provide food to fill their starving bellies. Then they make sure dogs are trained and socialized by dedicated foster families. Hundreds of Galgos have found safe and loving forever homes thanks to SOS Galgos’ 20 years of dedication.

This year, SPCA International funding will help SOS Galgos co-sponsor a university project to develop a legal framework for the protection of Galgos in Spain.

You can help support the ban of this brutal practice by signing our petition today!

The Dogs of Chernobyl were left abandoned for generations after the 1986 nuclear disaster. But that changed when SPCA International partner organization Clean Futures Fund stepped in 2017.

Hundreds of puppies were being born each year, but most of them died quickly from hunger, thirst, and predators. Since 2017, we have sterilized hundreds of dogs in the area and the birth rate has dropped significantly. Now, dogs are living healthier and longer.

In 2019, we learned that many of the workers who had been feeding the dogs on a daily basis would not be returning to the plant. So, since September 2019, Clean Futures Fund has been making daily rounds to distribute food to the 700+ dogs in the Nuclear Exclusion Zone.

Regular feeding locations are in areas where dogs congregate. The feeding stations are also in areas with humans. This means there are fewer predators threatening the safety of the dogs. For now, food is simply being distributed in small piles on the ground, but dogs are looking healthy.

Consistent feeding at known locations is helping the dogs build trust in humans. It gives Clean Futures Fund representatives the chance to treat injured dogs and monitor dogs that are pregnant.

In 2020, SPCA International and Clean Futures Fund have big plans to make the feeding stations even better. We are working with the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Exclusion Zone Management Agency to install sturdy feeding troughs and solar-powered water stations that will keep water from freezing.

As you know there has been an overwhelming amount of heartbreak over the last month in Australia. But we are working with partners on the ground to rescue and rehabilitate any animals we can find in need of help. Hundreds of Joeys have been left orphaned — we believe their mothers fled for their lives and most likely perished in the bushfires. Many of the orphaned Joeys are found starving and dehydrated with badly burned paws.

Yet through the devastation, we are seeing hope. Rescues like Clover, in the video above, are helping us to stay positive. To see that we can make a difference even in the wake of such destruction, gives us hope. We want Clover to give you hope too and we want you to know that we are not done here. SPCA International will be unwavering in our support of the rescuers working tirelessly to save and care for animals like Clover.