Dharamsala Animal Rescue  

Our mission:

Dharamsala Animal Rescue (DAR) provides a humane environment for street dogs with direct benefits to the communities of Dharamsala, India. We work to end the human/street dog conflict through our programs: spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, rescue and adoption, and community education for rabies safety and compassion. 

Dharamsala Animal Rescue has been running since 2009.  Since that time, we have helped more than 16,500 animals. We also provide employment for 13 locals, many of whom would only be employed as day laborers, cleaning staff, or drivers. We provide a team environment where our staff is able to learn new skills, contribute ideas, and feel empowered. Staff that would normally be treated not well due to their caste in India, are considered heroes in the community. Dharamsala Animal Rescue is more than just an animal rescue, we are a development organization that works to make a world of difference for animals and people. 

DAR focuses on four main programs designed to effectively to achieve our mission and goals: 

• ABC/AR (Animal Birth Control/Anti-Rabies)
•   - This program is a systematic approach to creating a rabies-free environment and controlling the population of strays humanely, following the World Health Organization (WHO) protocols. We conduct annual scientific population surveys, and mass rabies vaccination camps.
•  Rabies kills one person every 30 minutes in India. 
• Street Animal Rescue
• –
• This program provides an optimal environment for any small animal needing 24/7 care due to accidents, disease, cruelty, or abandonment.
•  
• Humane Education
• – Our school program, “Animal Buddies,” teaches young children how to be kind to stray dogs even if they are scared of them. It also teaches kids and teachers what to do if they get bit by an unknown dog, so that they are safe from rabies. 
• Adoption
• – We encourage local adoption. All potential families must go through an application process, approval, and follow up. We also adopt out adult dogs internationally to the USA and Canada.