We have had Dennis (previously PomPom) for almost a year now. Adopting from a shelter was never a question for us—it is, and always has been, a given. When I saw the ad on Facebook that this little ball of fluff was looking for a home, I thought, "I'll probably be 1 of 100 applicants," but I gave it a go with little hope. When I heard back from the shelter, I was so excited—we were so excited. We went to fetch this teeny, tiny little guy from his foster home, and the rest is history. Dennis brings so much love and laughter to our home with his "big boy in a small body" energy. He's scared of the wind, yet let our neighbors dare step outside into the street and he'll show them who's boss! At the same time, he's this gentle, loyal companion who we couldn't live without. Our experience with Adoption Dogs Portugal was amazing. Given my background in animal rescue, I understood that the process—the home checks, and matching not only the dog to the family, but the family to the dog—is imperative, and they take the time to do this to the best of their ability. Thank you for rescuing our Dennis and thank you for entrusting him to us. We are forever grateful! 🩵 The Teixiera Family Coimbra, Portugal

While searching for a new member of our family, we came across Flash. It was love at first sight! When we realized he was living in Portugal, we had our doubts. How does adopting a dog from another country work? Can you really trust the process? Still, we decided to send an email, and from the very first contact, everything felt right. Adoption Dogs Portugal was open, honest, and genuinely caring throughout the entire process. Flash seemed like the perfect match on paper, and he turned out to be an even better match in real life. They really knew him well! From the moment he arrived at the airport to seeing him come home and meet our children, everything just felt right. Flash has now been living with us for almost two years, and adopting him was the best decision we ever made. He settled into our family with ease. He absolutely loves children, and they all adore him too. He also loves joining us on adventures—whether it's going on holiday or taking long walks in the forest. He enjoys every moment! Flash has brought even more love, happiness, and laughter into our home. We are incredibly grateful that he became part of our family. He truly is our best friend. The De Graaf family Maarsen, Netherlands

When our previous dog died of old age and disease, we began to miss having a dog after just a few months. On the site verhuisdieren.nl, I saw a picture of Zappa and we fell in love. We got in contact and indicated that we were interested in Zappa, which is how we met Jessica, who runs Adoption Dogs Portugal’s shelter. After requesting information about us and conducting a Facetime interview, Jessica approved our request for adoption. On Christmas Eve 2022, Zappa landed at Schiphol, accompanied by an ADP volunteer who handed over the papers and Zappa. And that’s how Zappa became our Christmas dog! Zappa was five months old when he arrived in our home, very trusting and friendly, all because of the loving care he received from Jessica. He had all the right vaccinations for his age. Today, Zappa is a kind and friendly dog who loves to play and go on walks. He likes children and this is important to us because we have recently become grandparents. He comes with us on holiday trips in the caravan. He loves to get attention from the people he meets. We can recommend this shelter if you are thinking about adopting a dog. In the first few months, Jessica kept in close contact to answer questions, offer advice and just check how we and Zappa were doing. Marten and Irene Nijmegen, Netherlands

Âmbar was love at first sight for me. I was looking at verhuisdieren.nl without my usual filters. There he was, this gorgeous dog. Beyond puppyhood, active walker, sweet in nature. It felt meant to be. I sent a message and came in contact with Adoption Dogs Portugal. About a day later we had a video call. The adoption process was explained and we talked a lot about dogs: my experience and what the first months could look like if you take in an adoption dog. The conversation was honest, real, kind and non-judgmental. I was updated about Âmbar until I could finally hold him in my arms. I got to know him a bit more in those weeks. First days at home were better than I could have imagine. Âmbars gentle nature made everything easier, he settled in quite quickly. More than a year later now. I couldn't imagine my life without him. We do a lot of walking, catching mice and watching rabbits. Life is slower now, I do enjoy more of nature and the little things. The way Âmbar can sleep in his chair and look so content. Or when he's having the zoomies with his stuffed rat. Or when we are sitting on the border of a field and watching rabbits. Above all what I like the most is that he has a worry free life and that his main complaint in life is that the two-hour walks are too short. Ymke, Wageningen, Netherlands

We brought Lilly home on 10 June 2025, collecting her from Schiphol Airport after weeks of looking forward to the day. From our very first contact, everything felt right. We were kept in the loop the whole way through and showered with photos of her, which gave us such a lovely impression before we'd even met her in person. Because we already had a cat, we were able to welcome Lilly as a foster family for the first two weeks to make sure it was a good match for everyone. It suited us perfectly — and it turned out to be the start of something wonderful. Now, just over a year later, we couldn't be happier with our little princess, as we always call her. She's an incredibly sweet, beautifully socialised dog. She and our cat get along brilliantly, and on rainy evenings the four of us curl up together on the sofa. Every day we head out into nature for a walk, and she's completely at home with the whole family. Pets really do enrich your life. Maartje & Merel Breda, Netherlands

When we adopted Freddie from Adoption Dogs Portugal, we thought we were giving a dog a second chance. In reality, he has given us so much more than we ever expected. From the moment he arrived, Freddie settled into our family with his own cheeky personality and endless affection. Watching him grow in confidence has been incredibly rewarding. He has become a wonderful companion, whether we’re working in the garden, out exploring, or simply relaxing at home. He makes us laugh every day and has brought so much joy and love into our lives. Adopting through Adoption Dogs Portugal was a positive experience from start to finish. The team genuinely cared about finding the right match, and their support throughout the process gave us confidence that we were making the right decision. Freddie is a daily reminder of how resilient rescue dogs can be. With patience, love, and a safe home, they have an amazing ability to trust again and become loyal, loving family members. We are so grateful that Freddie found his way to us, and we would encourage anyone thinking about adopting to consider giving a rescue dog the chance they deserve. It may just be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. Lisa and Lee Espariz, Portugal

When we started looking for a second dog, Twilight immediately caught my attention. I can’t really explain why, but I just felt drawn to him. It may not sound like the most logical reason to choose a dog, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. One of the things we really appreciated about Adoption Dogs Portugal was that they didn’t just care about finding homes for the dogs—they also carefully screened the families. That gave us a lot of confidence. You hear so many horror stories about dogs from abroad, but our experience was completely different. During the month we waited for Twilight to travel to us, we received regular updates, photos and videos. We got to know his personality before he even arrived, and there was always time to ask questions and prepare for his arrival. Even a year later, they remembered his birthday and sent us a lovely message. That really shows how much they genuinely care about every dog. From the very first day, Twilight became the centre of our family. We already had another dog, Nala, who usually isn’t very comfortable with other dogs, but those two have become like little brothers. They look out for each other and are almost always together. Twilight is the sweetest dog we could have wished for. He is affectionate, funny, full of energy and amazing with our children. He has such a unique personality. We still don’t know exactly what breeds are in him, but whatever the mix is, it’s absolutely perfect. He can be protective and sometimes a little nervous around strangers, but he would never hurt anyone and gets along with every dog he meets. In the beginning, we attended a training course and asked Adoption Dogs Portugal for advice to help Twilight settle into his new home. Thankfully, he adapted very quickly. He has completed our family, and we would choose adoption again without a second thought. We hope many more dogs, just like Twilight, get the chance to find a loving home. Kelly Ommel, Netherlands