This is why Cause 4 Paws Rescue does what we do:

Our partner organization Rays of Hope Bahrain posted about the corpses of dozens of murdered, mutilated, and buried dogs and puppies that were found in Bahrain’s Askar Desert. It’s been rumoured that the most recent killings were at the hands of the Bahraini military. While this most recent tragedy is horrific, it is a symptom of a wider issue. This is the reality of Bahrain’s “solution” to the stray problem: abandoning dogs in the desert without shade, food, or water to die of thirst or succumb to heat stroke.

Despite these horrors, rescue organizations like Rays of Hope Bahrain go multiple times a week to bring food and water to the hundreds of dogs abandoned in the desert. Some of the most tame and willing find homes locally or through rescues like us, and the rest are fed and oftentimes neutered (using a CNR-CatchNeuterRelease approach) thanks to donations.

But what is especially upsetting about this particular situation in Askar is that while other countries have deep socioeconomic stressors that make caring for their people, never mind strays, difficult, Bahrain is an extremely wealthy country with the resources to manage their strays humanely. Yet bands of dog catchers are hired to chase down often harmless—and sometimes neutered—dogs, capture them in large nets, and then cast them into the desert to die.

The government promised to build a new shelter for strays 4 years ago and never did, they stopped supporting neuter and release programs, and now the military is murdering dogs and puppies in non-residental areas where they aren’t bothering anyone. This is why Cause 4 Paws Rescue travels to Bahrain to personally undertake rescue missions. This is why we put volunteers on the ground to advocate for, feed, and ultimately rescue dogs...

...Dogs like our very own Sonny and Cher - a bonded pair found overheating on the streets together, and all but one of their puppies killed... or like Ronan and Niko -  whose entire litter and mother were saved from being poisoned... and countless more saved from Askar, overcrowded pounds, or from the streets.

People often ask us why we take on international dogs in addition to local dogs. It’s because the situation in Bahrain—like many places around the world—is desperate. It’s hard to turn your back on a dog in need, no matter if they are outside or inside your border. Ask any adopter of an international rescue and they’ll probably say the same: love is borderless.

We are sickened by what’s happened to Bahrain’s strays and invite you to sign our petition to bring awareness to the issue. We’ll be reaching out to news outlets as well in the coming days to try and spotlight the issue. Any help in this area is also appreciated. Thank you so much for your support!