Adopt.nl

Stichting AdoptNL was founded in 2021 in Rotterdam with the mission of giving rescued Turkish cats and dogs a safe future in the Netherlands. Since our establishment, we have successfully rehomed 112 dogs and 58 cats, each one moving from survival to safety, and from uncertainty to a loving home.

AdoptNL was created in response to the severe and ongoing stray animal crisis in Turkey. An estimated 4 million stray dogs and 10 million stray cats live on the streets, often without access to food, medical care, or protection. Our work originally focused on neuter–spay–return (NSR) programs, capturing stray animals, sterilising them, and releasing them back to their territories. This approach helped prevent further suffering and uncontrolled population growth.

However, not all animals could be returned to the streets. Some were simply too human-oriented to survive outside, while others required ongoing medical treatment, special diets, or long-term care. For these animals, rehoming became the only humane option — and this is where AdoptNL’s adoption work began to grow.

Since 2025, the situation in Turkey has deteriorated dramatically following the introduction of new legislation commonly referred to as the “massacre law.” This law obliges municipalities to capture all stray animals, severely restricts adoption pathways, and permits shelters to kill dogs using methods of their choosing. Turkish municipal shelters were already overcrowded, underfunded, and unsafe; this law has pushed the system into a state of crisis. Animals are no longer allowed to be released, shelters are forced far beyond capacity, and countless lives are now at immediate risk.

As a result, every dog or cat rescued today is under imminent threat of being killed. Rescue organisations across the country are urgently trying to move animals off the streets into private shelters or sanctuaries simply to keep them alive. These facilities are now completely overwhelmed. In this reality, one adoption does not save just one life — it creates space for another animal in desperate need. Every animal rehomed means at least two lives are saved.

AdoptNL is a small foundation, and our numbers may not be large, but our commitment is absolute. We work carefully, responsibly, and with long-term welfare in mind — focusing on one animal at a time, ensuring that each life we take responsibility for truly has a future.

Because for us, every single life matters.