Sara Turetta establishes Save the Dogs and other Animals Italy. The Milan office is opened, and the first team member is hired, marking the beginning of gradual growth for the Italian team.

Thanks to the success of fundraising efforts, a stray dog sterilization project was launched in Medgidia, securing a moratorium on killings from the local administration.

The mobile clinic project begins in Romania, aiming to reach rural areas around Cernavoda and Medgidia to address the issue of abandoned litters from nearby villages.

A property is purchased on the hills around Cernavoda. Through a partnership with the UK-based Donkey Sanctuary, the first shelter in Romania—and all of Eastern Europe—for abandoned and mistreated donkeys is established, with a capacity for up to 65 animals.

The model shelter Footprints of Joy is inaugurated in the presence of the Italian and British ambassadors. The event is broadcast by all national Romanian TV channels.

Free in-home care for horses and donkeys begins.

The “door-to-door” project for microchipping owned dogs is launched, initially using a database created by the association and later transitioning to the national registry following the approval of new stray animal laws.

Save the Dogs launches the “Too Many Puppies” program to prevent and combat stray animal issues in Southern Italy. The first funded project takes place in the western outskirts of Naples. Today, the initiative is active in Castel Volturno in Campania and in the province of Cosenza in Calabria.

In Milan, the “Friends on the Street, Companions for Life” project was launched, the first initiative providing assistance to the animals of homeless people in the city. The Street Unit distributes essential goods and basic veterinary care.

Save the Dogs responds to its first international crisis, providing assistance to animals affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

Save the Dogs celebrates 20 years!