Frequently asked questions

Paw Squadron is an animal rescue organization supported by volunteers from all over the world. We find abandoned and stray animals, take them to a vet, look after them while they recover and then find each one a home. Many of our rescues are filmed for our YouTube channel. So far we have rescued more than 500 animals, and more than 300 families have adopted from us.

Most of our rescues happen in the Balkan region of Europe, in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Serbia and Greece. That is where we can help animals in person. Many of our volunteers live elsewhere in Europe and in the United States and help in any way they can. If you have found an animal somewhere else, you can still write to us: we pass reports on to partner organizations and volunteers.

On Google, and on our Reviews page. Most reviews are from people who found an animal and called us, and from families who adopted a dog from us.

Our website is pawsquadron.com, and our YouTube channel is Paw Squadron (@PawSquadron). We are also on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and X. If you see another page or channel using our name or our videos, it is not us.

PawPedia is our free library of articles on animal health, behavior, nutrition and adoption, for anyone who has found, rescued or adopted an animal. Read PawPedia.

Usually someone who sees an animal in trouble calls us, emails us or posts about it on social media. We ask for the exact location and, if it is safe, a photo, and then we go. Sadly, there is no shortage of calls: in the Balkan region, abandoning animals or throwing them away is still common, especially in villages.

As quickly as we can, and the most urgent cases come first: animals that are hurt, in danger or cannot move. People who called us describe how it went in our Google reviews.

Because puppies are the ones most at risk. In the Balkan region, clinics and shelters usually do not accept or treat puppies younger than seven months, so without help many of them die from diseases. Puppies are also what we are called about most often. We help older dogs and cats too, but not every rescue is filmed.

Yes. Most of our videos are about puppies, but we rescue kittens and cats too. In Milky Cyrus's video, she meets a kitten we had also rescued.

Dirty, full of fleas and carrying parasites, even when they look clean on camera. A video cannot show the smell, and it hardly shows fleas. That is why the first stops after every rescue are the vet and a bath: a checkup, deworming and treatment against fleas and other parasites.

First comes the vet. Then the animal recovers, for as long as it needs. When it is healthy and ready, we look for the right family, and we stay in touch after the adoption.

Yes. Every animal gets a checkup, treatment, vaccinations and a microchip, and is neutered once it is strong enough for surgery. Before adoption it also gets a pet passport.

A rescued puppy has been through a lot in one day, and it can tremble from tiredness or nerves as well as from the cold. After every bath we dry the puppy with a towel and, where needed, a hair dryer, and then tuck it into soft blankets.

Many puppies here are thrown away or abandoned, in all kinds of circumstances, often because dogs that are not spayed or neutered keep having litters. In the Balkan region, clinics and shelters usually do not accept or treat puppies younger than seven months, so many of them die from diseases. That is why every animal we rescue is neutered once it is strong enough.

On our YouTube channel, @PawSquadron, and on our Videos page, where each video opens a page with the animal's story.

No. Many of our rescues are filmed so you can see the work for yourself, but a lot of it happens off camera.

One of the main reasons is to find each animal its family. A video lets people meet the animal and follow its story, and that is often how its adopting family finds it. Filming also lets people see for themselves what happens to abandoned animals, and many of the people who now report animals to us or volunteer first found us through a video.

The animal always comes first. We approach slowly, with food and patience, and take it to a vet as soon as we can.

Yes. The animals in our videos are real animals we found and cared for, and they are only a small part of our work. Over the years we have rescued more than 500 animals, and more than 300 families have adopted from us. Most of the work happens off camera: rescues of big dogs as well as puppies, neutering and other difficult operations, and weeks of recovery. You can also read Google reviews from people who called us about an animal and from families who adopted.

Some rescues appear in more than one version: a shorter video, a full version, and sometimes a compilation.

Yes. Our videos have subtitles in many languages. Turn on subtitles (CC) in the YouTube player and choose your language in the settings.

Sharing links to our videos is always welcome. To use our footage or photos in your own video, article or broadcast, ask us first from the Contact page and choose Media and collaborations.

On our Videos page, each rescue has a story page with pictures from the day we found the animal to its adoption. Our Adoptions page shows before-and-after photos of adopted dogs. We also post photos on Instagram and Facebook.

Send an inquiry from our Adoptions page. We talk it through with you, you meet the dog, we do a home check, and then comes adoption day. After that we stay in touch and help where we can. If no animals are listed, the ones in our care are still recovering or already have a family.

Ask yourself a few honest questions. Does everyone at home want a dog? Can you walk it every day and pay for food and an unexpected vet bill? Are you ready for a rescue dog that may need weeks to trust you? Our Adoptions page has a short checklist that helps you decide.

Write to us about the dog you saw through our contact form, and we will tell you whether it is still looking for a home. New animals appear on our Adoptions page as soon as they are ready.

Yes. Meeting the dog is one of the steps before every adoption.

Within Europe, yes. Tell us your country in the adoption inquiry, and we will explain how it works for you.

Often yes, depending on the dog. Some dogs cope well alone during a working day and some do not. The adoption form asks how many hours the dog would be alone, and we will help you find one that suits your routine.

Yes. It covers part of the animal's vaccinations, neutering, microchip and treatment.

Share our videos: the more people see an animal, the sooner it finds a family. Tell us when you see an animal in trouble, with the exact location. You can also volunteer or adopt. And if we helped you with an animal, a Google review helps other people trust us.

Yes. There are several ways to help: online help with communication, translation, the adoption process and documentation; caring for animals and, when needed, fostering them; and hands-on rescue work, where all places are currently filled. Write to us from the Contact page, choose Volunteering, and tell us what you can do and how much time you have.

Not at the moment. If you would like to foster later, write to us from the Contact page and choose Fostering.

Send us the exact location and, if it is safe, a photo, from the Contact page (choose Reporting an animal in danger). Do not try to catch the animal, even if it is hurt. We can help in person only in the Balkan region; elsewhere we pass reports on to partner organizations and volunteers, so please also call your local animal control or an emergency vet.

Email contact@pawsquadron.com or use the form on our Contact page. If an animal is in danger, include the exact location.