International Rescue Program
Why help International Rescues?
The demand for rescued Goldens in Southern California exceeds four times the availability of domestic rescue Golden Retrievers. Given the opportunity, SCGRR began to work with several international rescuers to help save Goldens in other countries as we have wonderful families waiting for the perfect companion.
Many of our rescue partners have no funding, They are good Samaritans doing what they can out of pure passion for these gentle souls. This is the case for our overseas partners on the ground in China (Shanghai and Beijing), South Korea, and Turkey.
SCGRR provides the structure in Southern California to welcome dogs from these countries, providing immediate veterinary care, placing them into foster homes, and ultimately adoption. We reimburse these international rescue partners for a variety of expenses such as crates and water bottles for travel, paperwork fees, airline fees, boarding, or vaccines. Most receive basic medical treatment and required vaccines before arrival, but conditions such as heartworm treatment, advanced dental care, and glaucoma to repairing poorly triaged broken bones or abscesses from trauma – these are dealt with under our supervision here, with our rescue veterinarians, just as we would our domestic Goldens.
The average cost to support the independent rescuers and get these precious pups to the U.S. over $1000 for each golden.
Please consider donating to help an International Rescue Dog, and give them a chance at their American dream.
Dogs from China
If you haven’t heard of the Yulin Festival, it is a horrible event. Thankfully there are many amazing rescue groups and individuals doing their part to help these dogs, change the culture and hopefully make a difference. We have connections with rescuers in both Shanghai and Beijing.
Our rescue partners near Shanghai bring in dogs of all kinds and work with groups all over the U.S. We have offered to help with Goldens and similar retrieving breeds, mixes and occasionally, Great Pyrenees. This is one account that paints the conditions they deal with:
It has been a hectic week. The 4 Goldens from the slaughter trucks in the North arrived. They are in a terrible state but nothing that can’t be fixed & nothing serious. Their scars, sores, skin, fur, etc. show immediately that these poor dogs have been through hell and back, but can you believe after everything the 4 of them still have beautiful personalities and are happy to receive a kind touch.
Another golden has just been rescued from a pet shop that keeps over 40 dogs for breeding in two storage units behind their shop. The dogs do not see any daylight, they are fed rotten vegetables, never taken out of the cages, no medical care, etc. Information received is that they are all stolen and then the pet shop uses them to breed, when they have no use for them they let them starve to death and toss them out like trash. My friend could only rescue 2 last night that were tied up outside. One is a Samoyed female in horrid condition, we do not know if she will make it. The Golden is in much better shape (lucky for him, he must have just been recently stolen), and obviously was someone’s pet, as he knows basic commands.
Dogs from South Korea
SCGRR’s partnership with rescuers in South Korea began in 2017. Some of these dogs are rescued from meat farms and have lived in small cages their entire lives. When not penned up, they are chained to a wall. Rescuers will trade groceries and liquor, anything to free these dogs. Many abandoned dogs end up in kill-shelters. These photos are actual conditions of how our international partners have discovered some dogs.
Dogs from Turkey
There are many homeless dogs in Turkey, tossed out to the streets or forests by owners who no longer want them. The Turkish government does not euthanize dogs but instead rounds them up for sterilization in efforts to keep the population down. Their shelters are used for these purposes, then the dog is released back to where it came. Homeless dogs have to fight for survival and Golden Retrievers do not survive well. They are not wired to hunt or fight back. Their survival depends on human intervention.
Click here to view the documentary, Dogs of the Dream Forest.
SCGRR started receiving Golden Retrievers from Istanbul, Turkey on February 14, 2016, as partners with another rescue group to bring in 20 golden retrievers. It was a historic event.
Additional Ways to Help
We are able to connect passengers traveling from Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, or Istanbul to LAX with our rescue partners to escort these amazing dogs to the U.S. If you have such travel plans and are interested in supporting our rescue efforts, please email SCGRR at info@scgrrescue.org. We will need you to provide your travel itinerary, including airline, dates, and times. Please note that depending on location, there are only certain airlines are able to use to transport this precious cargo.
Adopting an International Dog
Our adoption process for international dogs is the same as it for our domestic Golden Retrievers. Click here to read our adoption process and to complete an adoption application. Sponsors are always welcome but that does not guarantee adoption. Just as with our domestic rescue dogs, we will need to evaluate the dog’s needs once they arrive and are in foster care.
Adoption fees for international dogs are also higher than our domestic dogs. These costs cover the additional cost of care, permits, and transport detailed above.
A Heartfelt Thank You to our International Sponsors!
