My name is Patricia Riska and I was born in Colombia, South America. I am a flight attendant for a major airline and enjoy my job very much. I have travelled to many destinations around the world and have seen many amazing countries. During one of my work trips to Kuwait, I met a group of  women who save dogs that have been abused and abandoned onto the streets by their owners. The women invited me into their homes to meet the dogs they rescued. During that visit, I knew I had to do something to save the Kuwaiti dogs. With the help of Jennifer Yoon, I began this organization to find homes in the U.S. for the abandoned and abused dogs, and transport them here. It is my goal to bring over as many dogs as possible! They all deserve to have loving, carefree lives! Since 2015, we have rehomed over 590 dogs from Kuwait in the Baltimore City area; for me that is a blessing. 
 

Thank you and please share our page with everyone. It does make a difference.

Co-Founder, Executive Director, Board Member

Learning about the plight of animals in Kuwait has been a life changing event that has opened up a world that I did not know existed, where animals are purchased like trinkets and tossed out at a whim. On average, Kuwaiti summers reach 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit. Shelters exist in Kuwait but they are overflowing. There are animal lovers but not enough. Dogs are deemed dirty and unwanted by society. It is a country with very few outlets for unwanted animals. Why do we bring in dogs when there are so many in the U.S. that are in need? Because we are animal lovers and the animals of Kuwait deserve a chance at a happy life. Many dogs are dying from neglect, abuse, and ignorance. We'd like to provide that chance. We know we can't help all of them but we can help some.

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So here we are. With the help of a group of amazing women in Kuwait, we’ve managed to rehome the majority of our rescues within the Baltimore area. Baltimore is a dog-loving city and we are grateful for the kindness people have shown us and our Kuwaiti dogs. We thank you Baltimore and we thank you for taking a moment of your day to stop by and visit our site. Yours kindly,~Jennifer

Co-Founder, Co-Director, Treasurer, Board Member

I have known Patricia for several years, so when she told me that she had started flying to Kuwait in her free time to bring back rescued dogs, I was not in the least bit surprised! After hearing her stories about how the abandoned and abused dogs are rescued, medically treated, fostered for a period of time in Kuwait, and then flown to the U.S., I knew I wanted to help her with Wings of Love, Kuwait. Since that time, I have met many of the remarkable dogs Wings of Love, Kuwait has saved, and I have seen first hand how much they love their new families, and how much they are loved in return. Thank you to Patricia for having this vision, and for allowing me to be a part of it!

Website/Facebook coordinator

I met Jennifer after advertising in our neighborhood Facebook group that I had some dog items to donate to someone who could use them.  Jennifer came over to pick up the items and we chatted for a while about Wings of Love, Kuwait.  My husband and I had fostered dogs for another organization and it unfortunately left a bad taste in my mouth.  I hesitantly agreed to be a foster for a small dog that was arriving in a few weeks. Jennifer and Patricia were so wonderful, constantly checking in with me to make sure everything was going well with my first foster.  After seeing how much they loved these animals and cared about not only the animal's wellbeing but also the foster's comfort, I knew I had found a wonderful organization! 

After fostering for a few months I talked with Jennifer and Patricia to see if there was anything else that I could do for the group.  They mentioned that they needed help with setting up and running events.  I do event coordination for a living so it wasn’t that far of a stretch for me.  I really enjoy working with this group not only because of their caring and compassion for the animals, but because we really are the definition of “Girl Power!”

Volunteer

I first started fostering dogs because I was looking to adopt a second dog. I have a 3.5 year-old yellow lab rescue named Princess Leia, and I wanted her to have a pal to play with. I sent an email to Wings of Love, Kuwait to inquire about adopting and Justine emailed me back. I then talked to Jennifer and she convinced me to foster instead of adopting, and here I am! Wings of Love, Kuwait instantly made me feel welcomed and supported. It has become family! Leia has a great temperament and is an amazing foster sister. She helps give the pups confidence and teaches them how to “dog” which most of them have never been able to do, because they were too busy just surviving. In the past 11 months I have fostered six dogs. Fostering is so rewarding and I really do love it!

Foster Coordinator, Event Planner, Board Member

I met Patricia through my daughter-in-law when Wings of Love, Kuwait had just started rescuing dogs. Patricia had told her about the organization, and said that they were looking for people to foster the dogs when they arrive in the States. I had just lost my 9-year-old dog and, although I love dogs, I did not want to adopt another one. I thought that fostering would allow me to have dogs in my life, spoil them as their “grandmother,” help find them the perfect family, and love them forever. Since then, I have fostered 12 dogs and I still keep in touch with all of their families. I even get to dogsit for some of them when their families go out of town! In addition to fostering, I also help out in any way I can - working at events, picking up dogs at the airport when they arrive in the States, and doing home visits. My all time favorite thing to do, though, is to bake cookies for the Wings of Love, Kuwait team! For me, the organization is not just a rescue; it is my family. 

Foster, Volunteer, Baker

In February 2018, I lost my dog and was absolutely heartbroken. I didn’t know whether I could go through that again, so I told my wife I needed at least six months before I would even consider adopting another dog. That didn’t last very long! I starting looking online for dog rescues in Baltimore. I found Wing of Love, Kuwait’s website; I had never heard of them but I really liked their mission, so I looked at the available dogs. I immediately fell in love with a dog named Blinkin who had just arrived in the States with her siblings Winkin and Nod. I showed my wife her photo and within minutes she showed me a photo of the same dog on Petfinder. She said she had seen the dog previously and wanted her but was worried about telling me because I had asked for time! Now Blinkin (we renamed her Tahini) is part of our family and we love her so much! I am writing this on the morning that I will fly to Kuwait to bring dogs over to their new homes. I love this rescue! Everyone who is involved with it is truly dedicated to the organization’s mission; to save the lives of these amazing dogs.

Education Coordinator, Board Member

Several years ago, I was at a Super Bowl party and my good friends were fostering a dog for Wings of Love, Kuwait, named Sophie. She had just arrived from Kuwait and I immediately fell in love with her. I went home, filled out an application, and she became mine! I had always wanted to get involved with an animal rescue, so I started going to they events and volunteering my time with them. I helped out wherever I was needed and fostered for a bit. After a while, I decided that Sophie needed a sibling, so I adopted another pup from Wings of Love, Kuwait that I named Jameson. Currently, I do an assortment of things for the organization including working at events, transporting dogs, helping with the dogs when they arrive in the States, and doing home visits. Essentially, I’m a do-a-little-of-everything volunteer! I love being part of the Wings of Love, Kuwait family and helping these beautiful dogs find their forever homes in Baltimore. 

Volunteer