My name is Chiara Carella. I am the founder of SOS Italian Setters.

SOS Italian Setters has been created to rescue and help find wonderful homes for Italian Setters found abandoned, often literally on their last legs, forgotten in public pounds or surrendered to volunteers by hunters.

Why Italy? Why so many Setters needing a home?

With annual registrations ranging from 10,000–20,000 puppies, Italian breeders register more Setters than the rest of the world combined. Needless to say: by no means all are registered. We work closely with rescue centres and trusted volunteers in Southern Italy who often sacrifice their lives to help these dogs. We support them save Setters found on their “patch”. They need everything from medications to food: there is always a new emergency.

I have also been rescuing some of these dogs and have been fostering them at my home in Italy – trying to help as many as I can. Unfortunately, too many are in a very poor state when found and they then need extended veterinary treatment and care to survive before they can be fit enough to contemplate the journey to a new and loving home. If they are ill with leishmaniasis, it takes much longer to recover and to be rehomed. Some of them are so frightened of everything to a point that it is difficult to imagine, especially when they leave some public pounds. Their re-abilitation takes months, years…

What we do is only a drop in the ocean, but that drop can be a lifesaver for many doggies in the South.

You can follow us on Facebook where there is a dedicated group with stories of all our dogs, testimonials, updates and dogs waiting for a home. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sositaliansetters

To support SOS Italian Setters to help our Setters, please donate what you can. Even a small amount is appreciated and can go a long way.

Thank you!

Chiara

Chiara Carella
Founder & Trustee of SOS Italian Setters