Beldi is Best- the Moroccan Dog
Beldi- the Moroccan dog
Susan; Idaho, USA- Willy
I have had purebred dogs, but they often had heartbreakingly bad health and temperament problems. A friend visited another country and sent me photos of the beautiful, clever, and friendly, street dogs she met on her travels.
I began looking for a rescue organization that would help me adopt such a dog. I read several wonderful news articles about Sally and SFT and decided to contact her myself. Immediately, an SFT volunteer responded to my emails and after much discussion we decided that Willy was the one for us! SFT’s amazing volunteers helped us arrange all the necessary health certificates and airline tickets, and when Willy arrived in the United States, he was everything we hoped for: beautiful, healthy, clever, and with a great temperament. I was so impressed with Willy and SFT that I travelled to Morocco to see the sanctuary myself and meet the wonderful people working there. It was the experience of a lifetime and I cannot say enough good things about SFT. My only regret is that I could not bring all the dogs home with me!
What is a beldi?
The Beldi breed of dog is a special breed with origins in Northern Africa. Beldi’s are a mixed breed of dog with prominent traces from the Sloughi and Aidi dog breeds- both native breeds to Morocco. Some of the Beldi’s found in Morocco are crossed with purebreds, too, such as Huskies, German Shepards, and Labradors.
All SFT dogs are a mixed breed known as “Beldi”. This means that each dog is intrinsically unique in the world. They are hardy, strong, loyal, and have overall fewer health problems than many purebred breeds. We have lots of adoptable Beldi puppies and dogs at our sanctuary!
Brigitte & family; Belgium- Sparky
A few years ago we went on vacation to Tetouan, Morocco. From our appartment we saw a little black puppy. He lived on the street and my children (they both adore animals) called him every day to give him some food. They wanted to bring him home, of course. My husband told them that it was not possible. From that day on, my children kept asking for a dog.
A few months later, there was a programme on TV about SFT . When we saw what Salima did for all these dogs, we immediatly remembered the little black puppy. We asked SFT for a nice dog, not too tall, and who loved kids. Salima sent me some pictures and my children chose our ‘little’ Sparky, who became a tall dog, but oh so sweet!
Since Sparky is in Belgium, a lot of people have asked me, “Oh you have a beautiful dog, what breed is it?” For us it is not important that our dog is an expensive purebred- we are lucky to have a beautiful, sweet dog, who loves us and it is important that Sparky is happy in our family.
Why adopt a beldi?
All dogs are wonderful, but we say “Beldi is Best” because it is the Moroccan dog. We are fighting to save them, but there are so many- over 30,000 in Tangier alone!
The younger generation in Morocco is starting to love pets, but sadly they often buy purebreds which are in fashion, but often from unreliable sources. Our ethos is adopt don’t shop and therefore we want to make the Moroccan Beldi desirable and famous! Everyone can have/buy the same “breed”, but a Beldi is a one-of-a-kind, no copies… like a snowflake. We aim to change the mindset and create a shift towards adopting Beldis as loyal, loving pets.
We need to start being proud of our strong and unique Beldi dogs here in Morocco. The best way to show that is by adopting them.
Molly; New York, USA- Steetwa
I love everything about my Beldi. She is the most beautiful dog with soulful eyes and a stunning figure. She has a long snout that she often accidentally bumps into things, making us all laugh. She is quiet and shy with strangers but fiercely loyal to her family. She doesn’t lick, but she will gently stand up with her paws on your shoulders and sniff your face and gaze into your eyes. She makes such strong eye contact that people on the street comment on it. We have discovered that she goes crazy for snow and will roll around in it and bury her face in it. She has really hilarious preferences for dogs. She loves small dogs — specifically Shibas and any dog that resembles one. She is truly the best dog. Her transition to life in New York City was much easier than anticipated. She adores her cat brothers, is comfortable walking on a leash, was super easy to train, and barely reacts to noises on the street anymore. We can’t imagine life without her. She is so special.
Find the pawfect match!
We have lots of adoptable kittens, cats, pups, and dogs at our sanctuary! Look at our list of adoptable dogs on our website and even more on our Facebook page! If you would like to inquire about a particular dog, fill out our inquiry form here.
If you’re interested in adopting within Morocco, check out our Adopt from us in Morocco page. If you’re interested in adopting from abroad, check out our Adopt to America, Adopt to Canada, Adopt to the UK, and Adopt to Europe pages!
Brigitte & Family; Tangier, Morocco- Buddi (originally Steady)
We adopted a Beldi because we love animals and a life without an animal is no good life. Here we can give a street dog a safe, beloved family life. For us, it's important to take care of humans and also of animals who deserve our help. We enjoy our dog, Buddi, who is so thankful for our love and care. He is so friendly to everyone. He is the best dog ever! I hope that more people decide to adopt animals. Every sanctuary is full of animals who deserve a family.
How to help our Beldis
SFT loves to have volunteers and guests at our sanctuary. Besides adoption, check out our donation page and take a look at our sponsor-a-dog project! Get in touch with us and let us know how you can help!
Marcia & family; Holland- Atlas
We did not specifically choose a Beldi dog, but he crossed our path and we could not resist him!
We found him on the side of the street on our way from Merzouga to Fes, all by himself, and he was filled with ticks. We took him to the vet who said he was a purebred Atlas Shepherd. After 2 days we were heading back to the Netherlands and found SFT where we asked to leave him. Sally (Salima) then asked us if we could adopt him and we started thinking about it when we were home. After some time, we decided that, yes, we would adopt him. As it turned out, he is Beldi but we would have adopted him anyhow because he is our Atlas! :-) We had to be patient, since he first needed to get all his treatments. But it was worth it. Atlas is a great dog, very sweet, and learns quickly. He is adapting, growing, and part of our family now.
