Doha: Anna Desouza was fifteen years old when she first rescued a two-month-old kitten wandering the streets of Doha. Despite limited knowledge and resources at the time, Anna took the stray cat under her wing and cared for all of its needs. She later named the rescued kitten "Caramel", who is now a year and two months old living its best life with a new adoptive family in Doha.
Now, Anna is a year older and an independent animal rescuer spearheading an initiative called "Furry Paws Rescue" which aims to save stray animals off the streets and find their "furever" families.
"My love for animals is what made me start Furry Paws Rescue... I was driven by my heart to rescue and rehome stray animals as I couldn’t bear to see them live such a treacherous life out on the streets in the heat of Doha," Anna told The Peninsula.
Under the Furry Paws Rescue, she developed a process on how to cater to the distinct needs of the stray animals. When a stray is rescued, a medical check is done to see whether the animal requires any immediate medical attention.
If proven healthy, the rescued animal is placed in a foster home and cared for until an adoptive home can be found.
"Permanent homes are always much more difficult to find than foster homes which is why most rescued animals end up staying in foster for much longer and remain under my care until a permanent home is found," Anna said.
Through her social media platforms, she shares updates on the animals and spread the word to help them find a new home. Given that finding local permanent homes for the rescued animals are challenging, Anna also works diligently to complete requirements and secure enough funds through donations to send the rescued animals abroad for adoption.
So far, some of the rescued animals have already found a home and a family in Seattle, Montreal, and Germany.
To date, Anna has rehomed over 100 stray animals within a year, 17 dogs and more than 90 cats, both locally and internationally.
Speaking about her journey as an independent animal rescuer, Anna talked about the difficulty and the rewarding feeling she experiences in doing this initiative.
"My journey has definitely been very rewarding but at the same time very difficult as it is a very expensive operation to run ..each animal requires to be vaccinated so they don’t contact any deadly viruses, they also need to be spayed/neutered and have all other medical needs met," Anna shared.
Through this experience, she acquired wisdom and learned the skill of responsibility in rescuing, caring for, and rehoming stray animals.
Despite the challenge in juggling her studies and tending to the needs of the rescued animals, Anna is determined to achieve success in both as she strives to elevate her initiative while studying to be a veterinarian.
In a simple message, she said: "It takes nothing from a person to be kind to animals, they are such loving creatures and deserve to be treated with respect like all living beings."
Anna also mentioned that those who are willing to help may do so by reaching out in the official page of Furry Paws Rescue.
