Indonesia, Bali

I have traveled to Bali many times for the great weather and fun times. However, very quickly I started to notice dogs suffering on the streets, malnourished, locked in cages, on tight chains and to top that off the reality of poisoning and the dog meat trade made me sick to my core.

My Bali rescue missions started in 2018, the day my girlfriend and I came across a puppy that had been dumped down an alleyway. She was covered in fleas and shaking. So we brought her into our hotel room, cleaned her up, kept her safe and rang around to Bali rescue groups. It was a hard task to find a rescue group that would even take her on, as they are all at maximum capacity. We had only a few days left before having to fly home, so at the last minute we managed to keep her safe with a local family. We tried to keep in touch to ensure she was ok, but till this day, I still wonder what was the fate of Oreo. Bali can be a dark place for a dog, especially for females, the locals don’t want the trouble of mother dogs, so they are the first to be dumped and not wanted.

This experience became a significant moment in my life, I knew I was in the right place, at the right time and doing exactly what I should be doing in life. From that point on, changing that puppy's life changed mine too. I collaborated with an Aussie run Bali rescue group, ACT Dog Rescue. I started organising fundraising events at home raising vital funds for Bali Dogs. Bali trips became rescue missions filling villas full of abandoned dogs and puppies, giving them the love they deserve, vaccinations and sterilising preparing them for adoption.

ACT Dog Rescue Adoption Day, Bali - Seminyak. Ebony and Melissa