Help us rescue and save dogs lives

At Street Hearts BG as a dog charity, we are passionate about animal welfare and preventing unnecessary suffering. Unfortunately in Bulgaria the stray dog population has been a constant battle for us, despite our best rescue and neutering efforts.

(Photo credit @tomsn_animal_photographer )

We are currently overwhelmed with the number of dogs at our dog shelter. Our licence permits a capacity of 70 dogs, however we have far exceeded this due to the number of dogs who still need rescuing everyday and we want to keep helping as many as we can.

We rescue and rehome dogs here in Bulgaria. However the majority of dogs we rescue find homes in the UK, being transported there by ourselves. Street Hearts BG currently has just one van, affectionately known as ‘Frankie the furever bus’ to transport the dogs from Bulgaria to the UK.

With Frankie we currently drive once a month, transporting 20 dogs from Bulgaria to the UK each time.

The round trip takes 8 days, spans over 9 different countries and is approximately 4,000 miles which is like driving to John o’Groats to Land’s End, over 4.5 times! All of this to ensure each dog finds the home they deserve.

Street Hearts BG never wants to turn away a dog in need of help. However sadly it has come to this point. We are now denying dogs which could be at the Street Hearts BG shelter, as we are unable to help due to over-capacity.

Dogs which are at the shelter needn’t be waiting to go to their homes in the UK. There is a solution to stop our backlog of dogs getting to the UK, whilst also ending the suffering for the dogs in Bulgaria who still need our help. Each day we wait there are dogs we are forced to refuse, preventing us from ending their suffering.

In the coming winter months, the ‘dumping season’ of dogs in Bulgaria is looming, and we urgently need your help to make a difference.

The solution

The solution is simple, we need another transport van. We currently have one van but with two vans it doubles our van fleet overnight. It gives us several options such as multiple trips at a time, to using the additional van for rescuing dogs in Bulgaria whilst the other van continues to deliver dogs abroad. All this means we do not have to choose which dogs have to wait for space on the van, in order to go to their homes abroad.

Simultaneously as more dogs leave to go to their homes, it increases Street Heart BG’s capacity, meaning we won't have to refuse dogs urgently in need of our help in the future.

Unfortunately a reliable and fit for purpose van, capable of such mammoth distances regularly does not come cheap, costing approximately £25,000! This price also includes 20% VAT which we must pay, as we are a registered charity not based in the UK.

That’s not all, as the van needs essential equipment fitted afterwards such as fans, lights, crates and windows to take twenty dogs across Europe. The reason is that the dog's welfare during the trip is our main priority and the van and vital equipment onboard ensure their safety, comfort and make it as stress-free as possible.

During these uncertain times, every donation helps. Will you help us reach this target? It would make a real difference, impacting dogs' lives in Bulgaria and ending their needless suffering.

Please share this story and help save dogs lives.

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Update:

Getting into debt for dogs

First of all, thank you to everyone who has supported us and donated to our fundraiser for a second van, we are extremely grateful and your kindness has not gone unnoticed.

Despite lots of generous donations, we are still a long way off from reaching our target of £25,000.

Unfortunately we have now entered ‘dumping season’ in Bulgaria. During the summer there are some who take dogs and tie them, confining them to protect their vegetable gardens. In often terrible conditions, once summer is over and the dog is no longer needed they are abandoned, dumped and neglected. However, being currently over-capacity here at Street Hearts BG, we are sadly unable to take in those dogs who need our help until we can transport more of our current dogs to their forever homes. We already have a waiting list of dogs to rescue and take in as soon as our next transport has left.

This is why we need to make space by taking the dogs here at Street Hearts BG to their forever homes as quickly as possible. The second van is vital as it will double the rate at which we can transport dogs, and therefore we can take in new dogs who are currently on the streets.

We cannot stand back and wait

We are under immense pressure to get dogs into homes as soon as we can. Due to this fact, we have taken the difficult decision to secure a private interest free loan. We have purchased a van using this loan, as we simply could not stand back and wait, knowing that countless dogs would suffer if we could not get a second van.

Buying the van and equipment is just the beginning of the process. Next, we need to fit and install the equipment to make it suitable for taking twenty dogs across Europe. To reduce costs we will be fitting all the equipment ourselves, however this takes up even more valuable time. We will therefore be bringing the new van to Bulgaria later this month, so that we can fit it and get it ready to start transporting more dogs from October.

All this means that getting the loan and the second van as soon as possible was paramount. We need your help now more than ever, to stop dogs suffering. We have sacrificed financially and are now in debt, which we have promised to pay back by the end of the year. Can you help us repay the private loan by donating?

Please continue to donate and share our fundraiser, together we can help end the suffering of dogs.