Santerpaws Bulgarian Rescue Reviews 

We welcomed our beautiful Mylo into our home last October. We were given guidance on our choice of dog, help and reassurance when he was sick a few weeks after he arrived and joined in our pleasure at his full recovery.
Taking on a dog, particularly a rescue, is a challenge and needs to be thought through carefully. This charity is not a ‘dog shop’, it’s run by kind caring people who work incredibly hard fund raising to give disadvantaged dogs a forever home. Having to re-home a dog because there are ‘issues’ with the adopters is heartbreaking for them and the animal. Please think carefully before homing a rescue dog, it will no doubt have a few quirks. But the reward and pleasure of seeing a dog settle and learn to love and trust their new family is incredible.

I've adopted 4 dogs from Santerpaws.I found them most helpful answered any questions I had.I adopted 3 dogs during 2019.& the last one in 2021 it's time,patience,heaps of love & plenty of TLC.I cannot recommend them any highlyer.Full RBU given each of my dogs had different backgrounds1 a street dog,2 had been chain dogs.& my last had gotten pregnant & just dumped.I worked with each one & now have 4 most loyal effectionste dogs.1 still has issues which I continue to work with her on these.But I knew all about her background.Explained by the rescue.So was my decision to take on the challenge So glad I did & the Santerpaws owners club I'd highly recommend.Most informative & new owners can.Ask questions from previous owners.About their experiences & how if required.They dealt with the issue etc.As Tina Turner sang 'Simply The Best.'

I have 3 dogs that came from Santerpaws, adopted between 2018 and 2020, my parents also adopted a dog from there a couple of years back. They are all the best of dogs.
My partner travelled to Bulgaria to help out with one of the transports. We have personally met and worked for years with the rescue and can tell with all the sincerity that this is by far one of the hardest working and genuine dog rescue charities out there. Justine and Pete and the Santerpaws team are working their butts off to save those dogs from a country that’s filled with suffering and misery.
If you really want to make a difference and get a incredible family member, this is the right place for you!!

However, for those wanting more info here are the things to bear in mind:
1. A dog is a huge responsibilIty wherever it comes from! It requires time, money, patience and love. Any dog, regardless of place of origin, requires a significant amount of training. If you don’t get it, don’t get in touch with Santerpaws, in fact, don’t get a dog at all.
2. This is a Bulgarian rescue, you can’t order a pug, frenchie or whatever ridiculous, fashionable breed is out there. Instead you get a personally matched, healthy mongrel and a lot of fun with the guessing game of what mixture it may be. If you get super curious, then Wisdom DNA test is a fantastic choice.
3. The dogs get assessed based on the behaviours in the shelter/foster home, once it arrives it will take long time to settle (wouldn’t you?) and the dogs behaviour will massively depend on your patience and behaviour. Good doggy classes or trainer are highly recommended. The earlier the better, otherwise you are risking teaching your dog bad behaviour and letting it escalate. A dog is not a child, it needs structure and proper training. This is not depended on the place the dog come from, but on you and your skills level/education.
4. Again an obvious thing, but needs saying due to the 3 people who posted bad reviews. A dog is not an item. You can’t just take it and if you don’t like it or it doesn’t behave the way you want it, immediately demand to be removed from your house. A dog is it’s own sentient being and will make its own choices. You can train them very easily, but it does take time and patience. If you don’t do it right, the dog won’t do what you want it to do.
My dogs are incredibly cat friendly, regularly taking naps on the same bed as my cats or letting them sneak food out of their bowls, but they will chase a stranger cat. A resident animals and the newcomer needs to be properly introduced! My dogs are now an extremely bonded trio, but it was my responsibility to skilfully introduce them and teach them how to interact with each other. People fail to educate themselves and then love to push the blame on the rescue.
5. If you have unrealistic demands, don’t think about a dog as a family member, have no idea how to handle a dog and have no interest in learning it, then please leave Santerpaws alone. You should not have a dog anyway, you don’t deserve one.

I picked up my Santerpaws pup last December and I would highly recommend this rescue. They do not discriminate against people who work (Maisey comes to work with me) or people who don't have 6 foot fences or live in flats which a lot of UK rescues do - limiting chances of uk rescue dogs finding good homes!
They also socialise and cat test their dogs which is amazing. I've read a couple of reviews saying that they thought they were getting a dog/child/cat friendly dog and they ended up with an 'aggressive' dog but please bare in mind that these dogs have been taken away from everything they know, travelled a long distance and then people expect them to slot in right away? Rescue dogs take dedication, work and training - in fact any dog does! Please look up and research animal behaviour and calming signals before taking on a dog.
I was told Maisey was 6 months old but in reality she was more 16-18 weeks (not a problem at all - the younger the better) but she had already been spayed, I completely understand why rescues neuter early but personally I would of prefered her to be a bit older in order for her growth plates to fuse, as early neutering can affect their growth and development. They also advised me that you shouldn't exercise puppies for more than 5min per month of age per day (or twice daily - I can't remember) - but this has been medically disproven and advising this could lead to frustrated and pent up puppies who's behaviour could manifest until their owners can't cope. Looking at Maiseys passport - she was only given a very basic wormer before travel and I would advise anyone to give a broad spectrum wormer (to include heart worm) for the first few months once they arrive in the UK. Foreign dogs can pick up parasites not known in the UK which can be very detrimental to their health.
I am in contact with the owners of two of her siblings and her mum which is so so lovely - we have a WhatsApp group so we can update each other. The siblings came over on the same transport but santerpaws put us in contact with the owner of her mum which I am so grateful for. Us owners were told different stories about our pups beginnings. I was told that mum and pups came in when the puppies were 2 weeks old but someone else was told that they were born at the rescue centre - tbh this is not a problem for me. If you follow their Facebook page you can see that they get dogs and puppies literally dumped on the doorstep left right and centre. So sad and it must be such a challenge for such a small team to keep records and to keep track of it all.
I'm going over to volunteer in a couple of months as I would love to see 'maiseys beginnings' and also to help out a charity who did not discriminate against me for rediculous reasons. I am so grateful to santerpaws for my beautiful dog and I would love to fund raise and volunteer for them on a regular basis.

I adopted my beautiful gracie from this fantastic rescue 4 years ago,
They go above and beyond for every dog,
My grandaughters adopted a puppy last year and also had the best experience, both doggies are perfect for us ,they take time to settle and adjust, but with lots of patience and tlc they have both grown to be the best dogs ever,
The Santerpaws family really is the best,
Would definitely recommend this fabulous charity

We would like to thank Santapaws rescue for our wonderful girl Brea a beautiful well behaved angel English Setter we have now had for one year they are great people who helped us through the whole process you were great

They were instrumental in getting the dog I found over there back to the UK. They were very friendly, great and did and still do everything they for the dogs.

We adopted our beautiful tilly in 2020 just before we hit lock down , she was timid but so lovely , they were on hand 24/7 to answer any messages I sent asking questions or asking for guidance.
Then when she contracted meningitis the team were fantastic keeping in contact regularly to see how things were and how we were coping.
This charity is incredible and I’m so truly grateful that they allowed us to adopt such an Awesome pooch who is such a massive part of our family. I would hand down use them again should we want to adopt another dog or cat. Fantastic people doing amazing things. X

Would most definitely recommend this rescue, from start to finish the whole process was smooth and hassle free. We have a superb dog who was 18 months when we adopted her and she is an absolute dream. Regular updates during the journey from Bulgaria and fantastic after support. Would definitely have my next dog from them ❤️

Adopted my dog from Santerpaws nearly 4 months ago and my whole experience has been amazing. They do such a fabulous job and my Tilly is a wonderful dog and had made a world of difference. Would definitely recommend rescuing through them, they are a great Charity.

I cannot recommend Justine and her rescue centre highly enough. A phenomenal lady with a saint for a husband, who is devoting her life to rescuing and homing some of the thousands of abandoned and ill-treated dogs and cats in Bulgaria. I have been to her centre in Pleven and seen at first hand what she is doing. With her help I have managed to get 4 dogs to loving homes in the UK, including our own beloved Boris. Thank you Justine for all you do, for your incredible patience, persistence and love, you have the admiration of so many of us.

We adopted from Santerpaws in June 2019, we applied for Bramble (a six month old puppy) and a few days later Blossom who was approx 8 yrs old. There was, quite rightly an extensive form to fill in, to access our suitability to home the girls and then a home check. Santerpaws were professional in all aspects of the homing procedure and although we haven't needed it, there is good backup from both Santerpaws and the many owners who happily give advice and share experiences. Each dog is an individual and will take various amounts of time to settle in to a new home, things will be very different from the life they have experienced so far but with patience, understanding and if necessary experienced help, they will become a valued member of the family. I would do it all again in a heartbeat! I can't thank Santerpaws enough for bringing two beautiful souls into our lives.

Totally recommend Santerpaws Bulgarian Rescue. Adopted Iris from them and now had her 6 years. She is such a loving, wonderful dog and we feel very lucky to have her. The whole process was much more straightforward than you might think and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you Santerpaws ❤️

Very caring charity both before and after adoption. Great support. The charity does so much good for these poor animals and the people spend so much time, energy and passion it's heartwarming. I would thoroughly recommend this charity.

We adopted our dog from Santerpaws and are so glad we did. The rescuers work incredibly hard to save the animals in Bulgaria and it’s really admirable how much they care. They kept us updated throughout the adoption process, did a thorough house check and would often send us photos and videos of our dog before she travelled. The transport from Bulgaria was really smooth and the dogs arrived early. The guys transporting the dogs do a great job.

Liz the behaviourist is fabulous and is on hand with any queries to help ease the dogs into their homes. She got back to us within minutes of our queries so this was a huge help.

I would recommend adopting from Santerpaws!

I adopted my dog from here a month ago and it has been a really rewarding experience. The rescue were helpful, friendly and made the process as easy as it can be considering everything they do. I have an amazing new companion who, although needs some training, is just perfect for our family.

Adopted our beautiful pup from santerpaws, what a brilliant and supportive rescue, Great communication from first adopting all the way through to him travelling, with updates on how they are doing on the journey. Plus help and advice even when they are in your home, always happy to give advice,

They are a wonderful charity who saved and then gave us the best dog in the world. Couldn’t recommend them enough.

Got my girl from santerpaws and she is the best thing that has happened to us. Yes it took a long time for her to settle in but that's only to be expected. She is still nervous of strangers but we don't see that as a bad thing. Lots of patience and lots of love and she is the happiest wee dog ever. I would recommend santerpaws 100%.

We got our gorgeous Bonnie from Santerpaws almost two years ago. She has changed our life. Santerpaws do so much for these dogs where other people would turn them away. I’m grateful to them every day for bringing Bonnie to us.