Kuwait's abused dogs find home in B.C.

If you're looking to adopt a rescue dog, a Kamloops man is encouraging you to look at Kuwait.

Scott Quibell adopted his dog Harvey a couple of years ago after hearing from a friend about the plight of roughly 5,000 abandoned dogs in Kuwait.

"There's a lot of people over there who love dogs and do a lot to give them good lives, but there's a lot that goes wrong over there, so they need to get out of the country or else they have no future," Quibell told Daybreak Kamloops.

"It's life or death for them."

According to Quibell's gofundme page, where he is raising money for Canadian Kuwait Pet Rescue to help rescue more dogs in Kuwait, abandoned and stray dogs are sometimes poisoned, shot at or mutilated.

After getting in touch with an organization that brings rescue dogs from Kuwait to Vancouver to be adopted, and seeing a photo of Harvey, Quibell adopted the animal.

Harvey was rescued from a market, caked in mud. A group of people were stoning him, according to Quibell's gofundme page.

Quibell acknowledges that adopting a pet from a foreign country before actually meeting it first can be a challenge. However, he says it's critical to get the animals out of Kuwait — especially now, when outdoor temperatures are reaching 50 degrees and the animals are left to die on the streets.    

"Getting a dog sight unseen basically, and not getting to meet them is a big commitment," Quibell said.

"And then getting [Harvey] with the issues that he had and the size of him and everything, it was a challenge. But it turned out amazing."

Listen to the full interview: Canines from Kuwait