About us...

Welcome to Save a Friend Dog Rescue!

We are a group of volunteers based in Toronto, Canada. Our dogs are saved from the streets of Colombia by an organization called Salva un Amigo. We are a registered, not-for-profit organization in Ontario.

Our objective is to support efforts to find as many loving homes as possible for these wonderful pups in Colombia, as well as Canada. We also support efforts to care for and sterilize Colombian street dogs, to raise awareness about the plight of street animals, and ultimately to promote the idea that these and all animals are not disposable - they deserve loving homes!
Some of our Colombian volunteers.
Local adoption fair in Bogotá's Pontifical Xavierian University.
What we do in Colombia...

Our Colombian rescue partners work hard every day not only to save the lives of countless street dogs, but to promote education, awareness and participate in spay and neuter campaigns to end the cycle of suffering of homeless companion animals.

Working with Colombian veterinarians and volunteers we operate small, ongoing sterilization campaigns in the rural outside of Bogota, Colombia. From 2019 to 2022,  we have sterilized close to 1450 animals (owned and street animals)! We work primarily in the areas of Soacha, Subachoque and El Rosal, rural and underserviced areas outside of Bogotá. We also work in Tolima. which is the department next to Bogota and a very economically vulnerable region with a high indigenous population. We fund these campaigns with donations and with the adoption fees from dogs that are luck enough to come to Canada and their amazing Canadian adopters. We also assist in medical cases for local animals and find loving, responsible homes for dogs and cats in Colombia to support the growing "adopt-don't-shop" movement there.
Our goals...

We rely on a small network of foster homes in Colombia and Canada to save these dogs, and our dream is to build a facility where we can care for them safely, provide medical care, and adopt them out to loving Colombian and Canadian families. 

We rely on a small but dedicated team of veterinarians and volunteers on the ground in Colombia to coordinate our sterilization campaigns. Our goal is to end the cycle of suffering for as many dogs and cats as possible! 
Shelter building on some rented land just outside of the city. 
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Considering adopting from or donating to Save a Friend?
Lupe arrives at Pearson Airport.
You may want to know:
  • We are a registered not-for-profit organization in the province of Ontario
  • There are no administrative costs to run Save a Friend in Toronto – we are all volunteers
  • There are no costs in Colombia for Salva un Amigo – they are a not-for-profit staffed by volunteers
  • We do not have a shelter; we rely on foster homes in Canada and Colombia to save dogs' lives
  • We ask prospective adopters to complete an application, an interview, reference checks and be available for a home visit
  • Donations in Toronto are passed entirely to Salva un Amigo in Bogotá and go directly to help the dogs with food, shelter and health care; adoption fees cover the cost to transport the dogs to Ontario and subsidize spay and neuter campaigns in underservices areas of Colombia.