Santerpaws Bulgarian Rescue Reviews 

We were lucky enough to get our darling Teddy from Santerpaws. They were caring, organised and great with communication. The process was very straightforward but thorough as you would expect. We’re very grateful for the work they do and for them rescuing Teddy.

I did have some issues when first trying to adopt but that was very quickly sorted. I adopted a dog who was said to be friendly with everything and very loyal, and they weren't lying he's a brilliant dog in everyway. Everyone at Santerpaws as always been great, it's been 4 nearly 5 years and we're still in contact with most of the Team, they've been very supportive of my dogs journey with me. I don't know if I'll adopt again in the future but if I do, I'd go through Santerpaws again.

Fantastic, clear, and supportive rescue. Saw a dog that had been let down twice before us (we weren't quick enough to secure him the first time we saw him). They provided as much information about him as possible, were quick to respond to and much easier than anticipated to get him booked on transport. We were a bit skeptical, as they'd stated he was cat, dog, and child safe, and having worked with bulgarian and local rescues, this is often rarely found.

We were well prepared, created a decompression space away from the rest of the house for him, had harnesses ready to double lead and made sure we had time off to let him settle in, however their description was perfect. He's the most chilled lad ever, our daycare love him as they were able to use him to socialise dogs with behavioural concerns as nothing faces him! He's fantastic with our XL puppy, my partners kids, our cats, and snakes! We can take him anywhere and everywhere, relatives houses, restaurants, he's a dream. We are grateful the previous people threw away their chance to have this perfect lad. Very happy guardians of Raiden, was Ramsey!

Really straight forward to sort out. Lovely that a group was created for all the new owners that were on the same shipment as my beautiful girl.
Loads of helpful advice on all aspects of care and possible hiccups that can occur.
The collection points are designated quite late but ran to time and for me perfect as only 8 minutes from home on the motorway.
Very happy loving dog. Yes few issues for the first two day’s settling with my other two but now great friends and having a ball. Just remember these are animals and can’t tell us how they feel. They have other ways of communicating also with other new dogs. It takes time and repetition but it’s worth it.
I will certainly adopt with them again in the future no question.
Thank you to all of their team for the work they do.

I rescued my dog Poppy with Santa Paws and they are very trustworthy and genuine. Fast to respond to queries, ensured a proper home check was completed and extremely smooth operation they have in place for rehoming dogs. They provide amazing support and care post-adoption too and you really can rely on the team. I would not hesitate in adopting another dog from Santa paws.

Santerpaws couldn't have recommended a better dog for me and my daughter age 9.
We initially applied to adopt Bonnie but given my lifestyle and house size, they were so helpful in suggesting a dog that suited us better
Thankyou for giving us our heart dog.
In the 2 years we have maintained contact with the owners of this rescue, have successfully helped to rehome 3 more dogs with people in my home town and a dog for my mum. All are happy healthy and now living their best lives after decompressing with humans who know how to adapt their lives initially to help the dogs feel safe, secure & loved. Thank you Santerpaws.

I am currently arranging our 2nd dog to arrive soon x

Got my rescue dog from here as no where in the uk would let me have a rescue due to me having a child under the age of 3 (1yogirl) and santerpaws paws found me the most perfect dog shes good with the kids and my cat whom she loves to bits would definitely adopt from them again if I look to getting a second dog ♡♡

When I first stumbled across Santerpaws on Facebook I sent a message to the page to inquire whether they would be willing to rehome to someone without a garden and who works throughout the day.
They assured me that they definitely would have a dog that would be suitable for my needs.
A few days passed and I had no response from them so I inquired about a dog named Balloo.
A beautiful dog with the most striking eyes.
He was described as 'nervous when you first meet him', let me tell you this dog had no experience with people and the only experience he did have must have been so traumatising from the way that he reacted.
I inquired with the team about him and they said yes he will be suitable for you, I made sure to confirm again my working schedule with them. A home check was also conducted where the man doing it had no knowledge of the rescue or the dog that he was doing the home check for.
Again, nobody thought to suggest a more settled dog for me.

The part that upset me the most is the fact that they were 100% aware of the fact that this dog had not been socialised at all but still let me give them my money and take him home full well knowing my situation.

When he arrived he was covered in ticks and infested with worms despite the rescue saying that he had several health checks prior to leaving.

I have experience working with nervous dogs so I allowed him his own space to decompress but after 2 months he was only getting worse. I was unable to take him outside to the toilet as he was too scared so he would mess in my home which I would have to clean sometimes 5x daily. He spent most of his time hiding in the corner, too scared to move.

I mentioned to the rescue that I thought he needed to be rehomed as due to my work schedule I didn't have the spare time to give him the attention he needed. I also mentioned that he had started to become aggressive towards me.
The rescue tried to gaslight me into keeping him as he 'had not had enough time to adjust' to which I replied I know what he needs but as I have advised I cannot provide it.

They strung me along for several weeks whilst my mental health was affected due to the constant mess and worry that the dog would attack me if I got too close to him.
They put a post on their page, completely ignoring everything I had said about the dog and failing to mention the aggression. The way the post was written was disgusting and made me out to be a terrible person.

Finally the rescue advised that they had found a new home for Balloo (also taking another adoption fee from this lady), unfortunately this lady had to decline after I had made her aware of the issues with the dog, which the rescue had failed to make her aware of.
Then more messages were sent where the rescue wanted me to drive the dog 6 hours on one of the hottest days of the year to which I refused as I was concerned for his wellbeing, which they clearly were not.

Eventually a fosterer was found and I travelled 2 hours to drop him off. The lady was lovely but was shocked to see how big he was stating 'He won't be able to stay here, he's too big'. She also had not been made aware of any of the behavioural issues that he had.

To this day I have not received any form of message or email from the rescue regarding the failed adoption and I doubt I will. But I wanted to write this review to warn people of their inexperience with these animals.
There is clearly a lack of knowledge when it comes to behavioural issues, their 'behaviourist' advised that the issues may be due to a breeze in my flat!

I know not everyone will have had a bad experience but I really worry for the dogs like Balloo that are rehomed on false pretences that will now spend the rest of their lives in the system trying to find a suitable home. It's a real shame.

I can't recommend Santerpaws enough!
I adopted Gilly in 2020 and from start to finish they were so helpful and informative.
We have a little boy and a cat so needed to make sure we found the right fit for our family and they couldn't have been more helpful with suggesting matches and talking me through each ones personality until we decided on the one that sounded right for us.
While on the journey to the UK you're invited to a group where you're given every single bit of information and advice you could possibly need, then there is also a Santerpaws Owners Facebook group where you can share your stories and get help and advice. Gilly was our first rescue so we were a little anxious of what to expect, but all the help offered by Santerpaws made it so so much easier!
We're now waiting for our second Santerpaws pup to arrive tomorrow as we loved using them and what they do for animals in need. It speaks volumes that most people who have a santerpaws dog will return to get their next from them as well.
I wouldn't go anywhere else now!
Thank you so much for everything that you do.

We adopted Butterscotch almost 2 years ago to the day, and the team were supportive, informative and incredibly quick to respond to queries.

If the team did not rescue Butterscotch, there is no doubt she would have died. The team nursed her back to health from an unbelievable state of neglect and abuse. We are so thankful to Santerpaws for rescuing her, and allowing us the opportunity to adopt her into our family.

Now Butterscotch is physically and emotionally strong, she is a wonderful and gentle addition to the family. We would not be without her. The team offered both pre and post-adoption advice including health, personality and feeding tips. We couldn’t really have asked for more.

Santerpaws are an amazing dog rescue based in Bulgaria. We adopted our Charley 2 years ago. Its run via Facebook and the team that run it are fabulous. They were so supportive when we hit some problems. Plus you become part of a wonderful family of Santerpaws supporters. So happy we have our beautiful girl.

In March 2020 I adopted 2 brothers from Santerpaws. The process was very straight forward and Santerpaws kept me informed throughout. The pups were scared on arrival which was only to be expected but soon made friends with my existing 2 dogs and 4 cats and completely ignored my rabbits. They are both gentle souls and have settled in very well and are very happy and affectionate dogs. I was so impressed with Santerpaws that we adopted another dog just recently. Again the adoption process was faultless. Tommy (was Topcho) has been an absolute gem and is just so happy and loves to play with my other dogs and is fine with the cats and rabbits. I highly recommend Santerpaws. Such a great rescue!

I adopted a gorgeous little doggie called Bibi nearly 5 years ago! She is the most adorable pooch ever!! We love her so very much! Santerpaws were absolutely wonderful! The communication was outstanding and will and always recommend to anyone I talk to.

I adopted a cat from santerpaws in December last year. My housemate had a dog and as such I was looking for a dog-savvy cat who could deal with him if he tried to test any boundaries.
Santerpaws were fantastic, having been turned down by numerous UK rescues as I live in an apartment, I contacted santerpaws. I lived in Bulgaria for several years not far from where the rescue is based and was over the moon to be able to rescue another animal from the streets. Justine got back to me quickly and when I explained my situation she was more than happy to point me in the direction of my lovely Harley. She was part of a group of cats that were regularly used to help assess the dogs behaviour around cats and thus knew how to put them in their place.
Throughout the journey to the UK santerpaws maintained excellent communication and the guys transporting them were fab at taking photos and videos to show how all the dogs and harley were doing.
She has slotted right into our household and I could ask for a more friendly affectionate cat.
After a gentle introduction over several days she and the dog now get on like a house on fire.
Would 100% recommend this charity to others looking to adopt!

Excellent people who care so much for the animals; walk you through all of the adoption process every step of the way and help if there’s any problems very quickly. Highly recommend adopting from here.

I would 100% recommend this charity if you are looking to adopt a dog. We got our Bertie 14 weeks ago and he has been amazing. We have another non rescue who is very reactive to other dogs but we had recently lost both our other dogs and he was lonely and pining badly. We had applied to several UK based charities without success so decided to go with Santerpaws. From the outset the team were supportive and kept us informed of every step. When we collected Bertie he was understandably nervous after the long journey but we gave him space and time to adjust. The most amazing thing is that our non rescue has completely taken to him and to see them playing together in the garden is just wonderful. The most important thing to remember is that these dogs have experienced trauma of varying levels and will need a lot of patience and love but if you're prepared to put the work in with them you will have so much joy in the future. The Facebook groups and the team are always available for advice and support so, if you are truly committed to giving one of these beautiful dogs a home, I would say go for it, you won't regret it

I have adopted 2 dogs a year apart from Santerpaws. IThey care about the dogs and work really hard. These dogs have been through a lot by the time they get to you, so they may need several months to really settle in ( like most rescue animals). My boy Keaton settled in immediately, wanting cuddles and reacting well to basic training. Cassie took a few months before she started feeling confident around us and even then it was slow going. I'm so glad we could give them a loving home and with time and patience they are now inseparable and i wouldn't be without them. I would definitely adopt from Santerpaws again.

If you are looking to adopt a dog, I highly recommend Santerpaws. It is one of those rare "too good to be true" places that are genuinely true.
Be completely honest with them about your home situation so you can be better matched. In our case we have a VERY chaotic household, children with autism, lots of other creatures, a child who was scared of dogs but trying to overcome it for their sibling who had been desperate for one for years.
I was brutally honest about the lack of a secure garden, but the wonders of the surrounding countryside and privately hired enclosed spaces available.

I genuinely didn't think ours was the type of family that would be considered. You need to be completely open.

We have 2 gorgeous dogs from Santerpaws who have been wonderful with my children from day 1.
These two have had their challenging moments, but when you rescue a dog, especially from abroad where long travels are their only way of getting to you.. you need to be patient. Give them time to settle, find your balances.
I cannot thank Santerpaws enough for trusting us with these 2 wonderful creatures who bring us such joy!

We got our beautiful girl Shay (was Cheryl) in January 2022. We have tried to rescue dogs in the past and have been discriminated against for working, already owning a dog and for having children. Santerpaws were fantastic from start to finish. Photo updates, videos of your dog whilst you wait for their arrival and constant updates on the travel here. We adore Shay, there is nothing more heartwarming than seeing a dog learn how to be loved in the home environment. We will never buy another puppy again. We will forever adopt. Thank you for this experience Santerpaws and for letting us give Shay the loving home she deserved x x x

We adopted George in November 2021. The adoption process was explained to us clearly and took around 3-4 weeks.

A home visit took place and we were asked some questions about lifestyle and our plans for looking after our dog.

We were pre-warned that it could take him a little while to settle in. He was a happy dog straight away and after 2-3 months his behaviour had really settled.

I can’t recommend this route more, our home wouldn’t be the same without our Santerpaws dog!