Rehoming Cyprus Pointers

A non-profit rescue organisation that is run purely by volunteers so that every penny raised can go towards transforming the lives of these beautiful dogs.

Inspired by the online fundraising campaign, ‘Please Help Apollo’, Rehoming Cyprus Pointers was created in 2013 with the goal of helping other abandoned, neglected or abused Pointers. Apollo was found in a diabolical condition – deliberately blinded in both eyes and chained to a tree without food or water. His future looked grim, but thanks to the generous support of people like yourself, he made a remarkable recovery and is now finally able to enjoy a normal, loving environment in his new home in the UK.

An estimated 200,000 dogs are abandoned in Cyprus every year and with little to no help received from the government or local authorities, it is little wonder that the local animal shelters (who are reliant on volunteers and donations to survive) struggle with the sheer volume of dogs that come into their care. To make matters worse, many of these abandoned dogs won’t have been neutered, resulting in more unwanted stray puppies who grow into yet more unwanted dogs… and so, the vicious circle continues.

In Cyprus, there is a particular problem with hunting dogs (primarily Pointers) who tend to be abused or abandoned if they fail to meet their master’s expectations, and it doesn’t take long for them to fill up the local shelters and municipality pounds all over the island. With the shelters and pounds then full to capacity, and with nowhere else for them to go, many of these dogs will be put to sleep. Others won’t even make it into the shelters and instead, face a life of hell on the streets. At best, they might be thrown out and left to fend for themselves whereby the chances are, they will eventually die of starvation or thirst. At worst, they might be tied up and starved, thrown down wells, run over, poisoned, dumped in the trash or even choked to death.

The aim of Rehoming Cyprus Pointers is to raise awareness of the plight of these Pointers and we work closely in conjunction with several Cyprus based rescue organisations in order to find loving new homes within the UK. All dogs within our care come under the umbrella of ‘Apollo’s Angels’, and are carefully assessed for temperament and only re-homed according to their suitability to the proposed environment. (Other criteria will also be met, such as whether the dog is considered suitable to be housed with children/cats etc.) They are also all health tested, neutered, vaccinated, wormed, tick and tapeworm treated, and microchipped and arrive in the UK with a full UK pet passport ensuring that there is no need for them to suffer the further perils of quarantine. If required, advice and assistance is also ongoing once a dog has been rehomed.

Rehoming Cyprus Pointers is a non-profit rescue organisation that is run purely by volunteers so that every penny raised can go towards transforming the lives of these beautiful dogs who more often than not, have never experienced so much as a kind word or loving touch. The group has in excess of 12,000 active supporters who have helped to raise thousands of pounds to help dogs in shelters across Cyprus, and has rehomed in excess of 1300 dogs in the past 10 years.