Santerpaws Bulgarian Rescue Reviews 152

The most fantastic charity! We adopted our 2 dogs a couple of weeks ago. They settled and became a member of the family immediately. The process was swift, smooth and so easy. The team are amazing - big shout out to Charlotte for keeping us so informed and being on hand to answer any questions even post adoption. The support is next level. I can’t recommend enough. We will only adopt from Santerpaws in the future. Thank you so much - eternally grateful 🐾💜

We adopted our santerpaws girl 3 1/2 years ago and can thoroughly recommend this amazing charity. We were home checked, kept informed throughout the adoption process and full support given after our beautiful girl arrived. We honestly cannot fault Santerpaws ❤️. Isla became our 3rd rescue dog and we would definately rehome from them in the future. They are all angels whose love, care and compassion is second to none.

Adopted Ella in Oct 25. The whole process was open. Honest, clear and always were available for questions. Excellent communication and updates. The website is easy to follow and the whole team at Santapaws are saviours , often doing the seemingly impossible using every penny for the upkeep of the animals. The rescue are worth every penny and are deserving of a look, any help you can give and if you can adopt.....you have lifelong backup and their Facebook pages are a wealth of useful information from fellow adopters. GO have a look!

I've adopted twice now once 5 years ago and again last year and it's the best thing I've done such an easy rescue to work with and they really care! And I've got two amazing dogs from them! I've even fostered for them in the past and again last month in an emergency situation and was instantly made to feel like I had help and back up if needed! Brilliant team and will keep supporting them to save dogs in desperate need!

I adopted my girl over 5 years ago and have supported the charity ever since , they do a brilliant job and they don't have the luxury the UK animal charity's have.
Support is always there.

We recently fostered Judy from Santerpaws and went on then to adopt both herself and her brother Punch. Both arrived in healthy , well cared for condition and are beautiful dogs. The Santerpaws team were open, honest and supportive from the start. Home checks were done and every interaction we ve had with the team has been compassionate, knowledgeable and supportive. We live in NE Scotland so had to drive 6 hours to collect the dogs, we were made aware of this from the moment we enquired about them and were happy to do this. We now have 2 beautiful pups who are settling in to our home life beautifully. We ve received plenty of group support and individual advice during the setting in period and have been made aware this is available at anytime for however long we need it. To sum up our experience- excellent, we ve two beautiful dogs and ongoing support if needed from a compassionate, dedicated team. 5*

We adopted Buzz in October 26 and he has been an absolute joy. He is unbelievably affectionate, funny and charming. There are five of us and we are a pretty loud and chaotic bunch. I told Justine our situation and she said she thought that Buzz would be perfect and he is. On the first day he came into our sitting room and squeezed himself in the middle of all of us and lay at our feet! We did what we were told and didn’t have visitors for the first 3 weeks and took things slowly, despite him appearing so confident and relaxed at home. And now we can have a house full of 10 year old children – screeching and dancing and he loves it and joins in. The three children and I are currently petitioning my husband to get another one…

Between April and September 2025 I adopted four dogs from Santerpaws. Molly, Dobby, Gus and Ray. All came healthy,happy,with every vaccination, microchipped, and neutered.There was also lots of support and communication before and after adopting the dogs. If I had a bigger house I would have another dog from them without any worries.

We have adopted 3 dogs from santerpaws, the process was very simple ,very organised and kept well informed when the dogs were travelling over , I reccomend santerpaws 100% they are very caring and the animal welfare is top priority,

I cannot rate Santerpaws Bulgarian Rescue more highly. They do monumental rescue efforts for dogs in Plevin Bulgaria on very little funds. Their dedication and care for their animals is second to none. We have adopted a beautiful, intelligent and gentle young pup from them and her adoption was handled with great care. I look forward to getting old with Vera.

I first became aware of the charity 6 years ago when they were looking for an emergency home when an adoption fell through. Roll forward to 2025 when I lost my other dog and my rescue was pining I decided to give fostering a try. The charity does amazing work with their dogs and are very supportive whether you are adopting or fostering.

I can’t recommend this dog rescue highly enough. From the very first enquiry to bringing my puppy home, the whole experience was handled with so much care, honesty, and compassion.

It’s clear how dedicated the team are to the dogs in their care. They took the time to really understand my lifestyle and made sure the match was right for both me and my puppy, rather than just rushing an adoption. Communication was good throughout, I always felt supported and well-informed. When I asked questions they were responded to at their earliest convenience and when I requested videos and photos of my puppy they were happy to oblige.

My puppy was clearly well cared for, happy, and confident, which is a real credit to the love and effort that goes into the rescue’s work. You can tell they genuinely put the dogs’ welfare first.

One thing I will say is, It’s really important that you prepare yourself for the reality of when your dog arrives. For their safety, the dogs are kept in secure cages for the duration of the journey from Bulgaria, so it’s completely normal for them to arrive a little nervous and smelling a bit from the long trip. This isn’t a reflection of how they’re cared for, just the reality of safe international transport. With patience, reassurance, and a bath, they quickly settle in and their personalities start to shine through. Being a puppy Grace settled very quickly, I know this wasn’t the case for a lot of her transport companions.

If you’re considering adopting, I couldn’t think of a better place to do it. I’m so grateful to them for bringing such an amazing dog into my life.

We adopted our dog Myrtle in August 2025. We had previously had a dog from Santerpaws who sadly died and we were lost without her. Both dogs turned out to be loving happy dogs who were clearly very well fed and looked after whilst in Bulgaria. A well run rescue who take care to match you with a suitable dog for your lifestyle. Also they carry out home checks to make sure you are going to provide a good home.

We adopted Frankie (Francesca)in Oct-26ftom Santerpaws. Having never adopted a dog from abroad before there were a lot of questions and santerpaws were excellent at communicating and giving invaluable advice pre and post adoption. Frankie arrived with us in good health and had been trained to walk on lead and also house trained, which we didn’t expect. The time giving to each of these rescue dogs by the charity is exceptional and it shows. We are eternally grateful for being trusted with this previous girl and we can’t thank santerpaws enough for setting her up for success.

I fostered Chance for Santerpaws from December 25 to January 26. When he traveled over there was lots of communication about what to expect and how to help him adjust to his new life. An online group was set up for new owners and fosterers to share their experiences, with an animal behaviourist on tap as well as people from Santerpaws.
A lot of my experience was positive simply because he was such a delightful, easy going dog, however if he hadn’t been there was lots of support available.

Excellent charity who I continue to support. I have rescued 2 dogs now from here. They are my absolute world, and amazing dogs. Both do agility with me. The people involved offer help, advice and constant support. Would highly recommend rescuing from here.

This rescue was with us every step of the way and prepared us with everything that we should expect from a rescue dog from Bulgaria. The support that was given was amazing and we didn't feel alone even through the toughest transitional stages of our when our lovely girl was settling into her new home. We were added to a group with other rescue owners and a group made up of people that were experiencing everything at the same time as us including all the emotions that came with our dogs long journey over to the UK (we were updated by the rescue of where they were and how they were doing along with photos as they travelled through Europe).
Santerpaws helped make everything as easy as possible for us guiding us with her behaviour etc and we now have a wonderful family member that we couldn't live without. She has come on leaps and bounds since she arrived in the UK. It wasn't easy as you need alot of patience and understanding with a Bulgarian rescue but it was worth it.

I'm at a loss for words... Santerpaws has been incredible in assisting our cherished Balkan and Malinor find their permanent homes in the UK. Beyond facilitating the adoption process, they have been outstanding in addressing any queries we might have about post-arrival support. The entire Santerpaws team, including the Transport crew, has kept us well-informed and prepared us for what to anticipate with each dog. They maintain a group chat for those awaiting their pets, offering guidance on what to expect and how to handle any initial challenges. Their dedication is remarkable, and without them, my uncle's home wouldn't be brimming with love.Leah x (For myself and Craig Toon)

I can't thank santapaws enough, we got sausage in January this year and although a little nervous he soon settled. He is so gentle and loving. He made my daughter his person so when my 16 year old dog died I started to look for another little dog for me. I saw oliver and applied for him , just before he was due to come over he became very unwell. He was taken to the vets several times before they found he had distemper, Justine took him in her home and nursed him back to health, she even offered my money back incase he didn't make it. When she brought him to my home she was visible upset to part with him. He was so lucky to end up at santapaws as any other rescue would have probably have put him to sleep. He's been here 4 weeks now and I love him to bits. I know we've been very lucky with both our dogs but Justine and her team are always there if you have any problems.

We adopted Luka, our puppy and new addition to the family about a month ago now. I can't thank Santerpaws Bulgaria enough. These guys and people like them put faith back in humanity. They go above and beyond to cater, protect and find forever homes for these animals who have done nothing wrong in the world only to initially find themselves in helpless situations. Until hope arrives in Santerpaws. Our experience has left us overwhelmed and humbled by the dedication, resourcefulness and selflessness of these guys. Luka is amazing. We couldn't be without him. He has his passport..vaccinations, neutered, chipped and various tests done prior to leaving Bulgaria. Luka is very social and loves everyone and wants to meet every other dog. Not all are the same and the support you get from Liz and the other volunteers in this settling in period is truly exceptional. Your new companion will reward you a hundred times over.
Finally we would like to thank the transport team. A remarkable group of ladies who helped Luka and the various other dogs get to there destinations. Getting together on a group messenger chat they logistically organised themselves and relayed Luka up country. On there own coin, time and even changing work shifts to accommodate. Luka came over from Bulgaria on a unscheduled transport with a few other dogs just so we adopters didn't have to wait to long.
Thank you Justine for your epic drive with them from Bulgaria. Nomi for looking after them when they got to the UK. Inger, Gabby, Amanda, Brenda. Emma, was lovely to meet you and your mam. Thank you ladies for getting him up country to Scotland and your continued support. We have been given so much in Luka by an organisation that does so much on so little. Truly humbling and puts faith back in humanity. Which is very much needed. Thank you.