The first dog I rescued was Moxie. All furless pink skin and bones, I spotted the tiny puppy trembling in the trash heap where she'd been dumped with broken teeth and wounds from being beaten. I saw suffering and responded to it. I wouldn't have guessed that over the next 4 years, I'd go on to rescue more than 50 animals- all on my own and at times living with up to 25 dogs in my house!
I moved to the Philippines in 2017 to work in human rights. Animal rescue wasn't my plan, but the animals kept coming to my doorstep. I lived in an area of the Islands where dog meat is consumed despite it being illegal. Dogs and cats around me were neglected, left in cages full of their own feces 24/7 with inadequate food and water, attacked with boiling water or oil for begging, and worse. The need was rescue was endless and I intervened as often as I could.
I’ve spent countless hours bottle feeding tiny kittens, helping dogs learn to walk again, even assisting the rural vet with emergency surgery. It’s been a wild ride.
Now, having come to the end of my time in the Philippines, I urgently need to find permanent homes for each dog and cat under my care. Over a year of campaigning to find them suitable homes in the Philippines has proven unsuccessful. I can't continue renting a house and paying a full time caretaker for them indefinitely, so the only path forward is to bring them to the USA to find forever homes, as I have already done with one small batch of 4 dogs in 2025.
And that’s where I need some help to keep helping. The CDC imposes strict guidelines on dogs entering the USA and hefty fees for each requirement. The required blood tests cost as much as a night in a fancy hotel PER animal, and the CDC checkup required at a private kennel when they reach the airport is almost a thousand dollars per dog even after a "bulk discount"! These prices are privatized, unpublished and unregulated and add up to an amount that’s impossible to handle all on my own.
For those curious why the fundraising amount is SO high for just 13 dogs- it's a valid question, and one that I have asked many times as well. The expenses are broken down below, for all 13 dogs combined:
I'm fully committed to continuing to care for the animals I have rescued until they are each safely in a forever home. As a non-profit worker in the animal welfare space (not exactly a lucrative career) with my own three adopted high-needs dogs to care for, I'm reaching out for support to help secure a future for each precious pup where they will be loved and cared for forever. Thanks for reading!
