In Summer of this year I will be travelling around Europe visiting a variety of places, with the aim to help as many animals as possible, one of which being Santerpaws Bulgarian rescue. I will spend 2 weeks in Bulgaria rescuing stray dogs, helping with veterinary treatment, and providing care to dogs in need.

There are over 70,000 stray dogs in Bulgaria, and levels animal cruelty across the country are on of the worst in Europe. Litters of puppies can be found regularly abandoned on the streets, and sadly many people believe that the best way to control these dogs are to poison, strangle, beat to death or even sometimes bury or burn them alive. That is why charities like Santerpaws are so important in Bulgaria.

Santerpaws regularly take Dogs out of kill shelter with only days to live, providing veterinary treatment to the dogs that have been abused and/or are diseased, and then send the dogs over to the UK once treated to find foster homes and hopefully be adopted. They try their very best to help every dog they can, however there is a limit to what they can do. They cannot take in every dog they find as they simply don't have room to safely keep more than a certain number of dogs, however they don't have the money to continue building more kennels. They use their own money to provide food and care to the animals however it can be very hard to keep up with this without help from others.

I am trying to raise some money in order to help Santerpaws build an extension to their kennels. With more space they will be able to take in more dogs, and therefore ensure less dogs are on the streets in Bulgaria.

Santerpaws is an independent charity that has been set up and is run by an English couple who moved over to Bulgaria, and decided that something must be done for the animals. They only have a small number of volunteers that help them, the rest is done alone. You will be able to see the difference you can make by Giving money to a cause like this. I will be going to Bulgaria to help Santerpaws and will be able to personally give them all the money I raise, I hope to return again at some point in the future to see all the improvements they can make thanks to the help of others. Any small donation that is made will be appreciated so much by me and the people at Santerpaws. Thank you in advance for all your help.

After returning from Bulgaria, I am even more passionate about this charity than I was before. Not only is the charity extremely successful, but they are amazing people. The hard work and dedication they put into it is unbelievable. Whilst there I managed to witness a few rescues, where I learned the level of care they show for the animals. Instead of running at the dogs with a catch pole, we sat on the floor until the dogs came to us, we built their trust, and therefore they didn't fear us when we picked them up and took them home. It's not just rescuing dogs however, they have managed to educate the locals who at first were sceptical of the centre, but now, are starting to bring their own dogs to be vaccinated and neutered, as they begin to understand the importance of it all. As well as rescuing, rehabilitating, and educating, they also rehome dogs. They drive monthly to England with dogs that can be adopted or fostered in the hope that they can find their forever home, most of which do. It would be amazing to see this charity thrive, as I have seen firsthand the good work that they are doing.

Santerpaws Charity Website