Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA) launches a new program: The Lebanese Expat Pet Program.
This campaign seeks to raise awareness on the fact that as a result of low adoption rates in Lebanon, the organization has had to resort to sending Lebanese dogs for adoption abroad.
“Our shelters are full. Many of the dogs we have rescued have permanent injuries due to abuse and many are fully-grown dogs not puppies. These two factors make them less likely to be adopted in Lebanon. In addition, we have a no kill policy. It is not an option to euthanize our animals if we cannot find them homes. As a result, we have had to look abroad for adoptive families due to very low adoption rates in Lebanon,” said Helena Husseini, Vice President of BETA.
The campaign website, www.xpatpets.com, allows users to browse through profiles of the dogs BETA has rescued, many of whom have suffered horrifying stories of abuse. Viewers can then choose to keep the dog in Lebanon or give it an opportunity abroad. For those who want to help but cannot home a dog, the website also enables viewers to donate to BETA’s programs.
“We hope this campaign will encourage Lebanese to adopt locally by raising awareness or if not, that we will find good families abroad,” said Husseini.
