Where we come from

Most of us have been volunteers at Madalena’s municipal dog shelter either occasionally or on an ongoing basis since 2014. We soon realised that the number of adoptions was very low on the island, so we started to search for a project that would get more and more dogs adopted to save them from an uncertain future at the shelter. In 2016 our current president Dania Tesei paved the way for a partnership with the German Association Tierhilfe Phoenix and set a strong logistic plan to make the abandoned dogs fly safely from Pico to Frankfurt, some 3600 km away. The first dogs left Pico in 2016, under the management and supervision of our President and the assistance of the Association Acanil of Pico.

-Present-

In the aim of making even more of a difference, after 3 years of successful international adoptions, in October 2018 the non-profit organisation Pico Dogs finally came into being. We are continuing our partnership with Tierhilfe Phoenix and we are happy to announce the start of a new collaboration with a not for profit Association in the Netherlands. This will allow us to re-home even more dogs than in the previous years.
At the same time, our Association is committed to build a dog centre that is unmatched on the island. Pico Dogs Rescue Centre will be a temporary home for dogs that have been selected as suitable for adoption, a place where we will provide them with all their basic needs, but also with the extra training needed to prepare them for their new life ahead. It will feature a cabin with an office, storage and toilet, a sleeping area for the dogs, as well as 2 exercise areas, one of which will be covered, where we plan to organise events open to public. Please see floor plan below:

In the near future our centre will also have an agility area and a dog park, to create a place where dog lovers can come together to socialise and to build a strong relationship with their dog. We will also host events that will bring dogs and people together.

If you would like to read more about our individual projects visit our mission page.