Todd's Welfare Society (TWS)

Todd's Welfare Society was set up on 6 March 2016 by Kiran Maheen and co-founder Umer Rajpoot, the day after a street dog in Lahore was shot four times in the face and had to be put to sleep. The group is named after Todd, Kiran Maheen's own dog, who went missing in 2010 and was never found. It describes itself as Lahore's first animal shelter.

TWS rescues injured, sick and abused street animals in and around Lahore and treats them at its in-house clinic, which has a lead vet and veterinary team. Its sanctuary is home to more than 100 animals that cannot return to the streets, including elderly dogs, survivors of dog culling and cats that are blind, paralysed or have had amputations. Healthy rescues are rehomed locally, and through its Flying Dogs and Cats project some are flown to adopters abroad.

The charity's TNVR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, return) work aims to replace dog culling: projects include a street-dog scheme with PECHS Valencia Housing Society and another in Youhanabad, and Project SNIP, a spay and neuter programme for community cats started in February 2021. Its vets also run regular donkey camps, setting up mobile clinics for working donkeys, and the team gives awareness talks in schools. In March 2024 TWS bought land for a larger sanctuary, now under construction, with pastures and kennels for dogs, a cattery, an aviary and space for donkeys and other equines.

You can adopt, sponsor a sanctuary resident, foster kittens, puppies or critical cases, or volunteer (16 and over; volunteers attend an orientation at the shelter and serve two-month cycles). The office is open Monday to Friday, 11am–5pm, and Saturday, 11am–4pm. Donations can be made through the TWS website, including towards the new sanctuary.