Found a Dog That Needs Help in Bali? Here's What to Do

Spend any time in Bali and you will meet a dog that needs help. A puppy on the side of the road, a dog limping outside a warung, a skinny stray hanging around your villa. It is hard to walk past, and you should not have to. This guide takes you through what to do, step by step.

First, a note about us. The Dog House is a café that supports the people who rescue dogs. We do not have the space, staff or vet set-up to take dogs in or run rescues ourselves. What we can do is help you with advice, point you to the right people and share your posts. Message us or come and say hello at the café.

Check whether the dog actually needs rescuing

Many dogs in Bali are not lost or abandoned. They belong to a family or a neighbourhood, roam freely and get fed every day by someone nearby. Before you take a dog anywhere, ask around. Shop owners, neighbours and security guards usually know who a dog belongs to and whether someone is already looking after it.

If the dog might be someone's pet, post a photo and the area you found it in these lost and found groups before doing anything else:

• Lost and Found Animals in Bali: facebook.com/groups/lostandfoundanimalsbali
• Found Dogs & Cats Bali: facebook.com/share/g/1DHDijbbmA
• Bali Dog: Lost and Found: facebook.com/share/g/183hDUpTtt

If a street dog is healthy and settled where it lives, it is often better off staying there. Taking it away can mean it ends up in a kennel with nowhere to go.

With puppies, watch from a distance before you pick them up. Their mum may be close by, and young puppies do best with her.

Keep yourself safe

Bali has rabies, so treat every unknown dog with care. Move slowly, stay side-on rather than facing the dog, and let it come to you. Food helps. A frightened or injured dog may bite, even if it is friendly by nature.

For a nervous dog, a slip lead is the safest way to catch it: loop it over the dog's head while it eats, then hold on calmly. Small puppies can be scooped up in a towel and carried close to your body.

If you are bitten or scratched, wash the wound with soap and running water for 15 minutes and go to a clinic or hospital the same day for rabies treatment. Do not wait to see how the dog behaves. If you plan to help dogs regularly, ask your doctor about a rabies vaccination before you start.

If the dog is injured or very sick

Get it to a vet as soon as you can, and call ahead if possible so they are ready. If you cannot drive, many local drivers will take dogs for a fee, or ask a friend with a car.

By all means ask for help in local Facebook groups, but stay with the dog. Posting a photo and moving on usually means nobody comes.

Be ready to cover the first vet bill if you can. If you cannot, say so honestly when you ask for help. Many rescuers will help with advice or medicine even when they cannot take the dog.

Plan for the costs

Even a healthy dog needs a vet check, vaccinations, worming, flea and tick treatment and sterilisation. Sterilisation matters most. It is the single biggest thing that stops more puppies being born onto the street.

If the costs are more than you can manage, set up a fundraiser and share it with friends and family. Clear photos, a short video and honest updates on the dog's progress make people far more likely to give.

Find somewhere safe for the dog to stay

If you cannot keep the dog where you live, ask your vet whether it can board there while it recovers, or look for a boarding kennel. A foster home is the next step, and the best place for a dog to wait for adoption.

Rescue groups and sanctuaries in Bali are almost always full. If you contact them, be polite, be patient and offer to pay for the dog's care. If you are leaving Bali soon, say so early, so there is time to make a plan.

Where to post a dog for adoption

These Bali rescue and adoption groups are the best places to start:

• SOS Bali Dogs: facebook.com/groups/823930125921542
• Bali Animal Adoption & Fostering: facebook.com/groups/CCDADOPTION
• Bali Adopt and Rehome: facebook.com/groups/adoptbalipets
• Adopt Rehome and Help Bali Animals: facebook.com/groups/3545620195714265
• Adopsi Anjing Cantik Bali: facebook.com/share/g/1JauHFbBJ3
• Bali Dog Association - We are The Voice for Bali Dog's: facebook.com/share/g/19EG5hP6sD
• Bali Adopt and Rehome Pets: facebook.com/share/g/1XtVSv9vnT
• I Love Bali Dogs: facebook.com/share/g/1JoQ4BZiH4
• Bali Dog Lover: facebook.com/share/g/1DHWDLLkh1
• Dog Lovers and Cat Lovers { BALI }: facebook.com/share/g/14kA72BtGAH
• Dog Lover Bali Denpasar: facebook.com/share/g/1ERH835FQV
• Dog lovers Bali💚: facebook.com/share/g/18D5xbrVHP
• Clow Bali Animal Rescue: facebook.com/share/g/19D1LP5v4e
• Bali Dog Rescue: facebook.com/share/g/1DfTDGmSdG
• BDCC (Bali Dog Carer Community): facebook.com/share/g/1K9gW4HQ7D
• Dog Lover Community [BALI]: facebook.com/share/g/1N8QnSW75J
• Bali Pet Rescuers: facebook.com/share/g/1BF9868w3b
• Balinese Dog Lover (anjing trah bali): facebook.com/share/g/1DC2HoRB3E
• Anjing Kucing Bali Dogs Cats Adopt Lost Found Adopsi Hilang: facebook.com/share/g/1SQ1YRfVf2
• Bali Dog Lovers Bali: facebook.com/share/g/1Eg9pDdxhR
• Dog Lovers, HIBAH GRATIS / FREE ADOPSI Anjing Ras, Persilangan atau Domestik: facebook.com/share/g/19FLp3jHgM
• Bali Dog-Cat Lover & Rescue (BUKAN GROUP JUAL/BELI PETS): facebook.com/share/g/1F3tAyhcsH
• Bali Dog Lover (Denpasar): facebook.com/share/g/1C6FEZdTuL

Local community groups reach people living in Canggu and nearby, which is where many adopters are:

• Canggu Community: facebook.com/groups/canggucommunity80351
• Canggu Nomad Girls: facebook.com/share/g/1Egf8SbZZY
• Bali House and Pet Sitting: facebook.com/share/g/1LNY5oJeCH
• Bali Community: facebook.com/share/g/1DECRrxKaQ
• Canggu Community Bali ❤: facebook.com/share/g/1CqqrEn21S
• Canggu Community (Expat & Local): facebook.com/share/g/1NsDJorVzK
• Canggu Pererenan Munggu Community📌: facebook.com/share/g/19WoPg7G7m
• Pererenan Community: facebook.com/share/g/1BhWnP2LdR
• Girls in Bali: facebook.com/share/g/18fUdrH3iG
• Canggu & Seminyak Community: facebook.com/share/g/1K4ByKqhis
• Canggu Seminyak Kuta Community: facebook.com/share/g/14VY7UWypsN

On Instagram, tag @adoptdontshop.bali and @thedoghouse_bali: instagram.com/adoptdontshop.bali

A good post gets a dog adopted faster. Include:

• Clear, bright photos and a short video
• Age, sex and roughly how big the dog will grow
• Whether it is vaccinated, wormed and sterilised
• What it is like with people, children, other dogs and cats
• The area the dog is in (not your exact address) and how to contact you

We will share your post where we can.

Checks before you hand a dog over

Finding a home is only half the job. The right home matters more than a fast one. Before you agree to an adoption, check that the new owner:

• Has a suitable property: fully enclosed, with garden space for the dog
• Agrees to give monthly flea, tick and worming treatment
• Agrees to sterilise the dog if it is not already sterilised
• Will never keep the dog on a chain
• Will not let the dog roam free
• If they already have a dog, has introduced the two and they get on
• Is staying in Bali long term

It is fine to visit the home, ask questions and say no. Many rescuers also ask for updates after adoption, and agree that if things do not work out, the dog comes back to them rather than being passed on.

How The Dog House can help

We cannot take in dogs, but we are always happy to help. Message us on Instagram or WhatsApp, or come into the café, and we will share what we know: who to call, which vets and groups to try, and how to write a post that gets results.

Rescue pups from our partners are at the café five days a week, and we host adoption mornings every month. A share of every order goes into our Dog Fund, which backs the feeders, vets, fosters and rescue groups doing this work every day.

For more detail, Mission Paws'ible has a thorough guide to rescuing an animal in Bali: missionpawsible.org/how-to-rescue-an-animal