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Many people want to know why, if there are so many dogs in need in the UK, people want to adopt from abroad? Are not there enough dogs in this country already?
Firstly, Broken Halo rescue and rehome dogs from Britain as well as from abroad. We will try to help rescue dogs and cats from wherever they happen to be. We do not put boundaries on which animals we will help.
Countries like Romania, Greece, Spain, China where many foreign dogs currently come from, are just only awakening to the concept of animal care. Some strays end up in pounds, some roam the towns and countryside trying to fend for themselves and avoid those humans who see them as vermin and try to poison, strangle or torture them.
Dog catchers round up unlucky strays on a daily basis where they are sent to pounds. The pounds they end up in do not have the “luxuries” that UK shelters have, such as a kennel for each dog, veterinary care when needed, good quality food, daily walks, adequate hygiene. Many puppies and dogs die of disease, starvation and thirst whilst in the pounds.
In Romania in 2013, a law was passed allowing the killing of all dogs in public shelters after 14 days. The shelters are paid by the numbers killed. Dogs are often poisoned to death in the crammed public shelters. This is a slow, painful and undignified death. Others are given a lethal injection and die terrified. This often happens in front of other dogs who have to witness others dying, whilst they wait their turn.
How did a dog problem come about in Romania?
In the 1980s, in an effort to industrialise Romania the new Communist dictator Ceausescu forced thousands from the countryside in into city tenements. As people were forced out of the countryside, their traditional cottages were demolished. They were forced to leave their pets behind. Dogs and cats were abandoned in vast numbers and have been mating and reproducing since then, with numbers growing each year. Many are terrified young puppies fending for themselves.
Every dog adopted through Broken Halo Outreach is one more dog off the street, one less dog fated to give birth to multiple litters, one more dog given the chance to experience the kind of love they deserve.
All dogs adopted through Broken Halo must be sterilised according to our adoption contract (either by Broken Halo before they’re rehomed or – if they are too young – by their adopters once they’ve settled into their new home). This stipulation ensures that thousands more dogs are sterilised, and it prevents the risk of further puppies being born when there are still millions around the world in desperate need of a home.
