FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need, and protects them. 

To learn more about the work of FOUR PAWS, please visit our international website.

In many parts of the world, dogs are kept in shelters long-term or even for life due to a lack of adoption culture. Poor animal welfare management and lack of resources to implement adoption strategies often lead to overcrowded facilities and poor keeping conditions. FOUR PAWS believes that shelters are only a temporary and short-term solution, and this is why we developed the Shelter Adoption Programme.

The Shelter Adoption Programme aims to build local adoption culture, thus transforming shelters worldwide from permanent homes to rehoming centres by substantially increasing local adoption rates so that thousands of animals are moved out of shelters and into responsible and caring homes. As part of the Programme, the Shelter Adoption Academy e-learning course aims to support shelter staff and volunteers in overcoming the most common obstacles to local shelter adoption.