ABOUT US
Rescue always begins with
one dog.
Every dog that comes through our gate arrives with a story.
And each has a better story, yet to be written.
OUR ORIGIN STORY
About Olaf.
Rescue always begins with one dog. This rescue story begins with Olaf, an orange and white spotted dog rescued from Spain. He was complicated dog. Sad. Traumatized. Untrusting. He lived in his own world. A world that did not include humans. He made that clear when I visited him at the city shelter for the first time. I went back everyday for a month. His behavior did not change. No matter. I knew he was the dog for me. Mostly because I knew he was not the dog for anybody else. In rescue, it only takes one person to say yes. “Come home with me. We will start a new life together. I will show you my world and you can show me yours when you are ready.” Eventually, Olaf let me in. Never fully, but enough for me to understand that even the most traumatized dogs can heal through a life of dignity, agency and belonging.
Even the most traumatized dogs can heal through a life of dignity, agency, and belonging.
I had Olaf for five years before he succumbed to complications of epilepsy caused by blunt trauma to the head. Somebody had beaten him when he was a puppy. Five years of complicated love, barking, rare touch, and the greatest joy our hearts had ever known. He ran free in the forest with his friends. Slept next to me at night. Always placing himself between me and the door. He had freedom. He had purpose. He belonged.
Shortly before Olaf crossed the rainbow bridge, we came across the farm that would later become Walnut Tree Sanctuary. We drove down the road on that misty morning and the street sign caught my eye. “Chemin du Salut.” The Path to Salvation. Indeed, it is. For every dog who comes through our gate.
Rescue is a journey that is always unfolding. Saying “yes” to rescuing a dog is the easy part. Building what I call “a village for dogs” is the difficult part. It requires extensive resources and trusted community. We are still learning. We fall and get back up. Luckily, Walnut Tree Sanctuary has a compassionate, dedicated, and resilient team in France and abroad. We continually say “yes” for we all know that no matter what struggles we face, they do not compare to the struggles of millions of dogs like Olaf.
—Elizabeth Aga Khan
FOUNDER, WALNUT TREE SANCTUARY
OUR MISSION
The promise we make to every dog.
Walnut Tree Sanctuary is committed to healing dogs through dignity, agency, and belonging.
Our nonprofit sanctuary—set on twenty-two acres in Southwestern France—is a refuge for at-risk dogs. We are committed to rescuing the most vulnerable dogs from France and around the world.
Walnut Tree Sanctuary provides safe passage and life-saving care, guiding our dogs through rest, rehabilitation, and readiness for a life beyond rescue.
We support each dog’s journey to wholeness through fear-free handling, expertly crafted programs, and long-term solutions designed to bring each dog safely home.
safely home.
OUR VALUES
Three words we live by.
Walnut Tree Sanctuary is grounded in values that guide both how we operate and how we care for every dog that comes through our gate.
Dignity, agency, and belonging are not just aspirations—they are commitments. They are the foundation on which we build. They shape the life of every dog that comes through our hearts.
DIGNITY
Dignity is a standard of care that reflects deep respect for the dogs entrusted to us. We attend not only to their safety and health, but to the quality of their daily lives—handling each dog with care and ensuring every essential aspect of their lives is held to an exceptional standard.
Our dogs are treated with respect across all the details of their daily lives and at every stage of their journey—kept clean, comfortable, protected, and thoughtfully tended to in ways that honor their wellbeing and inherent worth.
AGENCY
Agency is the recognition of every dog’s individuality. It is our commitment to rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach and to understanding that true sanctuary supports each dog according to their needs, personality, and pace.
Agency is allowing our dogs to simply be dogs—to explore, rest, connect, and grow in ways that feel natural and safe to them.
BELONGING
Belonging is a culture of community, patience, and wholeness in everything we do. It is the foundation of our sanctuary, which prioritizes safety over expectation and presence over pressure.
For our dogs, belonging is being accepted for who they are in a home rooted in tranquility, stability, and joy—something many of them may be experiencing for the first time in their lives. We are dedicated to giving each dog the space to rest, heal, and begin to trust without a predetermined timeline.
OUR TEAM
Who runs the sanctuary.
A small, dedicated team in France with a vast network abroad—these are the people who keep the sanctuary running, one dog at a time
HOW WE WORK
The sanctuary,
in practice.
Walnut Tree Sanctuary doesn't operate alone. We work alongside vets, trainers, behaviourists, foster families, and partner rescues across France, the UK, and beyond. The goal is never speed — it's the right outcome for the dog in front of us.
Every decision is an intentional one. Every adoption begins with a long conversation. Dogs stay as long as they need to.
01.
WHERE WE ARE
A 22-acre farm in southwest France, on a road called Chemin du Salut — the Path to Salvation.
02.
WHERE WE WORK
We rescue dogs from across France, China, and especially Romania. We find good homes across France, the UK, and the EU.
03.
WHO WE PARTNER WITH
Vets, behaviourists, foster families, partner rescues, and the local community.
04.
HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS
Not in turnover. In the steady, slow rebuilding of trust between a dog and the world.
WHERE WE FOCUS
Why Romania.
In addition to rescuing local dogs across France and neighboring countries, many of our dogs come from Romania—where we work with an expansive network of safe-houses and shelters.
Romania has long faced a severe stray-dog overpopulation crisis, fueled by abandonment, inconsistent sterilization, and gaps in enforcement around microchipping, registration, and responsible ownership.
Animal-welfare organizations estimate that as many as 500,000 to 1 million dogs may still be living on the streets across the country. Many shelters remain severely overcrowded and under-resourced—one of the shelters we work with has over 4,000 dogs in their care.
Dogs who are not claimed or adopted are often euthanized, which makes rescue work especially urgent.
The need is not isolated, but systemic. Too many dogs are born into a cycle of neglect with very little protection or opportunity. That is why Walnut Tree Sanctuary rescues so many dogs from Romania: to give these dogs a better future.