I love all animals and believe in my core that they should be given the equal rights and respect as the homo sapiens species. This vision of mine (and hopefully you too) is unfortunately far from being the reality around the globe today. It can be saddening to think about, and one might rather turn a blind eye or focus on something else.
However, there are many organisations who are flighting and caring for our animals around the globe. I recently stumbled upon PAWS RESCUE UGANDA, and instantly felt the need to introduce them and their work to you here on the blog. Remember, even if you cannot directly work for the cause, you can be part of the solution by becoming a donor. We are all equally important players of the game!
What promt you to start this organization?
In Uganda the level of animal cruelty is very high. Over all, people have no compassion for animals and there are no laws in place to protect animals like dogs and cats. The laws available only favor wild animals because they are tourist attractions where the government earns revenue.
We therefore came up to be a voice to these innocent souls and to give them a new happy life.
What animals and injuries do you see the most of?
We mostly see dogs. Some of the most common injuries are: Transmissible Venereal Tumor (TVT), severely burnt dogs and wounds with pus. The causes are often not clear to us, but we suspect abuse.
How big is your team?
We are a team of four.
Do you work closely with the surrounding communities?
Yes, we do. But there is still a lot we need to do for the community to understand our aim of helping needy, sick, starving and homeless dogs and cats.
Quite a number of people get surprised when they hear that we are helping animals. Some even tell us that instead of helping cats and dogs why don’t you help us the people. This clearly shows that they are ignorant about compassion for animals and need a lot of sensitization.
Are you getting government aid or relying on individual donations.
No, we are not getting any government aid. We are relying on individual donations. Here in Uganda, animals like dogs and cats are not given any attention and so there is nothing like government aid for organizations that rescue dogs and cats.
What do you feel like individual persons can do to help animals in need?
Individuals should first of all learn to have compassion for animals because that’s the beginning point of helping animals. If you have compassion for animals, you cannot knock down a dog or cat and just go away like nothing happened, neither will be burn them or leave them to starve by the road side.
How many animals do you have in your care right now?
Currently we have six dogs living at the shelter. We had fifteen dogs at the shelter but unfortunately we got a parvo pandemic and we lost 8 puppies. That month must have been the darkest at Paws Rescue Uganda. We tried our best to save them all but only managed to save one puppy (Max Miracale)
We also have the challenge of only having a few kennels at the shelter because of inadequate funds. Therefore we have decided to keep only a few animals at the shelter, most especially the sick ones. We are helping at a large by feeding the strays all over town on a daily basis.
What drives you?
Our entire team has passion for what we do, and this makes everything at the shelter easy. We also have a few donors who became part of the Paws Rescue Uganda family who do all they can to support us through advise and funds. We are beyond grateful for any support that will make us able to continue and increase our work.
Do you do overseas or just local adoptions?
Currently, we only do local adoptions due to the high expenses for the overseas adoptions.
Whats your top three tips on how to be a green eco worrior?
▫️Becoming a vegetarian.
▫️Sensitizing people on the issue of climate change and telling them about the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle)
▫️Becoming an educated consumer and stop buying products that cause destruction in their creation process.
Are you interested in helping PAWS RESCUE UGANDA to continue their work? Please consider making a donation, large or small. Together we create the world we want to live in!
Paypal : Pawsrescueuganda@gmail.com
Patreon link for monthly donation : www.patreon.com/Pawsrescueuganda