Help save Hightide dog rescue and rehabilitation

Hi, my name is Joe Pitman. I am here today asking for some help, to get my animal rescue through the rainy season. Since arriving in Cambodia, I have always been passionate about the welfare of the dogs here. When I started my Hostel business in the town of Kampot, I began to take many under my care and give them a safe home, full of love, good food, and medical care. During that time I had taken in around 16 dogs already, rescues from the streets of Kampot.

When covid came along, we closed the hostel and created "Dirty Paws Kampot", using the hostel I had built from scratch, to create a space for dogs in need of a new life. My partner and I focused entirely on taking in many of the neglected, abused, and mistreated souls, from some of the most awful situations possible for a dog, including the infamous dog meat trade... We now have approx 70 dogs under our care.!!

We began an adoption program, and many of our rescues now live a great life with their new owners, but many of the dogs that are still here we must keep by our side, as their health conditions involve 24-hour care and monitoring.

Some of the dogs we just cannot part with and some have been sent to a new home, only to be sent back to us in sometimes a worse condition than we found them. Because of this, we have lost trust in people and do not simply want to adopt our dogs out to anyone, just to make our life easier by having fewer dogs.

Why send them to suffer again after everything they have been through?

I am currently paying around $3400 USD per month from my own pocket to keep everything going here. No more donations have come in for a long time and I must pay many bills for their food, vets visits, medicine, vaccinations, supplements, special shampoos and skincare, rent, power and water bills, transport, staff, and also many unforeseen costs like surgery, chemotherapy and new rescue costs.

I want to keep up the rescue and keep helping the innocent, but right now taking care of the dogs here is my priority, but my funds have almost dried up, I'm all alone now, and I really need some help to get through the 5-6 months of the rainy season!!

Many people have told me to simply walk away, but I will never turn my back on these dogs after everything we have been through!