NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A Yulee woman working in the Middle East has partnered with the Nassau Humane Society to help rescue abused dogs in Qatar and find them forever homes in the U.S.
Chantel Scherer, the Executive Director at Nassau Humane Society, told News4JAX that the not-for-profit, “no-kill” animal shelter in Fernandina Beach is working alongside Kyla to help rescue mistreated dogs and give them a new chance at life.
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Kyla, who couldn’t speak about her work due to security reasons, volunteers with an animal rescue group in Qatar, a country that she says has an overpopulation issue of stray dogs.
“This is a very large overpopulation of stray dogs in Qatar specifically,” Kyla said. “Not a lot of people want dogs in the Middle East.”
Kyla also mentioned that many people living in Qatar are expats who are there for temporary work assignments. She said they often bring their animals to Qatar and then leave them behind.
“They will bring their dogs in from their home country and they don’t realize it costs a lot of money to fly them back. So, when they can’t afford to fly their dogs back home they just dump them on the street,” Kyla said.
The conditions for these stray dogs are horrific, Kyla said. Many people believe dogs are impure.
“People will pick up puppies on the side of the street and burn them, and then they will put them back. They will drag them behind vehicles, just horrific abuse,” Kyla said.
Kyla set up a GoFundMe page in February to transport three dogs from Qatar to shelters in the U.S. The two dogs the Nassau Humane Society accepted had been living on the streets and subjected to abuse and cruelty. The trip was more than 7,000 miles and took a lot of volunteer effort. It was a 16-hour flight from Qatar to Miami, then a 6-hour drive to the shelter.
The dogs, now at the Nassau Humane Society, are named Theo and Castro, and they are believed to be Saluki mixes around the ages of 2 and 3. Kyla said they are incredible dogs and are super friendly.
The two dogs have been in quarantine since arriving at the shelter on May 9. But when they arrived, they were greeted like royalty and were ready to feel safe and loved.
“When I opened the kennel door out came two sweet and friendly dogs that were accepting of my affection and appeared to be pretty well adjusted,” Mandy Holden, Nassau Humane’s shelter director, said. “It just amazes me how resilient animals can be. Despite growing up in a world where humans were terrible and aggressive towards them, they were happy and hopeful.”
The two dogs will be available for adoption on Tuesday, May 21. The shelter will be looking for owners who can give them a calm atmosphere, are patient, and can provide a lot of love.
Shelters throughout the U.S. are also generally full, including the Nassau Humans Society. But Holden said she believes all dogs deserve a chance.
“Even though our kennels remain full of strays and the owner surrenders from our area, I believe all dogs from all areas deserve a chance,” Holden said. “The fact that we pulled these dogs from a far-away place and their story is unique draws attention to the shelter and to the rest of the dogs we have living in our kennels. Maybe someone who comes to see Castro or Theo will end up going home with Remi or Emmitt, two dogs that have been here for over a year.”
The humane society is now urgently seeking donations and community support to continue providing loving homes for these deserving animals.
The Nassau Humane Society is located at 639 Airport Road in Fernandina Beach, FL 32034. Click here for more information.
You can learn more about the rescue efforts below.
Warning: Video shows abuse of animals and bloody images. Viewer discretion is advised.