"Rescue Roulette: Dogs from Abroad" - OUR RESPONSE
Once again, we are disheartened to see unbalanced journalism casting small, grassroots rescues in a negative light while blindly praising large national organisations - all from a media outlet claiming impartiality.
The documentary highlights a handful of heart breaking adoption failures, but these are the extreme cases. It ignores the thousands of successful, responsible adoptions made by owners of overseas pets. There is no mention of the tireless work, due diligence, and compassion that ethical rescues demonstrate every single day.
To our supporters: the cases shown do not represent PAW Society or our values. From day one, we've operated with integrity and accountability. We are foster-based to prioritise the wellbeing of animals and adopters alike. We openly publish our monthly finances with every penny accounted for - and none of it going on wages! We support and uplift other rescues. We will never euthanise for convenience or lack of funds. And we have never stayed silent when it comes to speaking up for those without a voice.
This documentary lands amid growing calls for regulation in the animal rescue sector. On the surface, we welcome this - but not if it means allowing underperforming national giants to dictate the rules.
• One of the UK's largest rescues admits they don’t conduct homechecks.
• Another euthanises pets indiscriminately or hands out PTS vouchers with alarming ease.
• Reports of cruelty and neglect are routinely ignored.
We, and many other ethical rescues, demand more. Regulation must mean something. It must come with real standards, real oversight, and real support - especially from the police and government. We refuse to support token regulation purely designed to serve big names and tick boxes, where genuine rescue work is dismissed or dismantled. Voices from all corners of rescue - large and small, dog and cat, UK and international - must be heard.
Because real change doesn’t come from silencing the small. It comes from listening to those who’ve been doing the hard work, without fanfare, all along.