Everything you need to know about Wagging Tails Family in North Macedonia
Wagging Tails Family is the organization that brought my rescue dog Nora into my life, and is really the inspiration for this entire website. I am forever grateful to them and honestly cannot recommend them enough! The love and care they have for all of the dogs that come through their organization is evident, and the work they put in saving these dogs seems infinite.
Wagging Tails Family (WG Family) was founded by a family 15 years ago in the Republic of Macedonia to address the widespread neglect and abuse of animals, particularly the thousands of street dogs and cats. The organization emerged in response to the alarming number of stray animals, which continue to grow due to the lack of spaying and neutering programs. Today, WG Family is a welcoming community dedicated to giving these animals a chance at a new life filled with love and care.
WG Family's vision is to create a world where animals no longer suffer. Their mission focuses on raising awareness, rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming homeless and abandoned animals. Their work includes spaying and neutering street animals to prevent further suffering, along with providing rescue, medical treatment, shelter, and adoption services. WG Family's ultimate goal is to improve the welfare of stray animals, foster better relationships between animals and humans, and eventually end animal cruelty.
Due to it being a small, family run and underfunded organisation entirely dependant on donations with an overwhelming number of stray dogs needing help all the time, it is much, much easier to adopt a dog from here than from any of the UK rescues! With one adoption form to fill out and no in-person home checks or exclusionary suitability requirements, this really is the solution for those who may not meet all of the requirements set by UK rescues, and you will be rescuing a dog who really needs it while opening up space in the shelter for them to rescue another dog off the streets! That means if you have young children or live in a flat, Wagging Tails will consider you to be an adopter as long as they believe the dog you applied for is suited to your circumstances.
And don’t let the fact that they’re based in Macedonia put you off- Nora was literally delivered to my door, as happy, healthy, and relaxed as can be. Wagging Tails organises all of the vaccines, health checks, passport logistics and travel right to your door for you!
Wagging Tails At a Glance
Cost: Wagging Tails require a £260 deposit once your application is successful, which covers vaccines and blood tests, £90 right before travel for a travel certificate, and £240 for travel, owed when the dog is handed over to you (to be paid in cash to the driver).
Size: Wagging Tails is a family run organization and is therefore very small in terms of resources and staff, however as there are so many dogs in Macedonia in desperate need of a home, Wagging Tails always has a wide selection of dogs available for adoption at all times.
Location: Wagging Tails is located in a small town in North Macedonia. This means that unless you are willing to travel to Macedonia, or your dog is already in the UK in foster (which some of their dogs are), then you might not be able to meet your new dog before they arrive. However, Wagging Tails organize seamless transportation for your new dog, who will arrive right at your door.
Rescue Back Up: Wagging Tails offers a full rescue back up, including training and health tips and information as well as support in case you need to rehome your dog for whatever reason.
Acceptance and no-kill policies: Wagging Tails is in a no-kill shelter, that openly admits all dogs that it can due to its size and budget restrictions. The organization also serves as a sanctuary for animals that are not adopted.
The Adoption Process
Wagging Tails Family follows a structured online adoption process to ensure the best match between dogs and adopters:
View Available Dogs: You can view all the available dogs both in Macedonia and the UK on Facebook. Profiles include details such as breed if known, age, and temperament, health information, as well as photos. You can also reach out to them on Facebook and ask if they can recommend any dogs they have that match your suitability requirements.
Submit an Application: You then submit an adoption application, providing information about your home environment and what you are looking for in a dog. You can find this here.
Video Call: A short video call will be conducted so Wagging Tails can “meet” you and see the house that their dog might be living in! Also, if you have previously had or have pets, they may ask for a photo just to confirm that your previous or current pets are well looked after.
Adoption Approval: If Wagging Tails think you will be a good fit for one of their dogs, your adoption will be approved! You will then have to put down a deposit of €90 (around £75), to reserve your dog for you!
Arrival in the UK: Wagging Tails will take care of all of your dog’s vaccines, and will make sure your dog has a microchip and passport before they travel. This organisation partners with a transportation company that drives the dogs from Macedonia to the UK over the course of a few days, with lots of breaks built in. You will be expected to pay the remainder of your dog’s costs to Wagging Tails before you travel, and to pay the drivers directly upon the arrival of your dog (in cash – I didn’t have any so had to run around looking for an ATM right as my dog was being dropped off!).
Conclusion: Wagging Tails is a rescue I cannot recommend enough, especially if you feel overwhelmed by the requirements set in place by UK rescues. Regardless, Wagging Tails is a brilliant organisation with a personal feel who will try to do everything to match you with the right dog for you, who I’m sure is out there, as they have so many dogs going through their rescue!
If you would like to know more or adopt a dog from Wagging Tails, you can do so here, though I recommend looking for dogs on their Facebook as their website isn’t updated as often!