Small Body, BIG Heart: Peggy's Story

More Than Just 'Some Dog' : London's Story

From a life on the streets to lots of treats: Rosie's Story

Georgia came to us as an interesting case -- a transfer from another rescue that could not find her a home. She was originally found on a road near the desert with another dog, but her owners were never located. Then she went to a foster home for a long time and was returned to the rescue because her foster family had to move. It seemed like a stable life was out of reach.

​When Georgia arrived, she was matted, dirty, and covered in ticks. She had cherry eye in both eyes, dental issues, and typical old-age problems. No one knew what the chance of her finding a forever home would be. After months of searching, an interested party all the way in Idaho decided she was the one. Because our rescue rarely adopts out of state, it was not an easy decision. Constant communication, video chat sessions, and the fact that the people were willing to drive thousands of miles to pick her up made it so much easier. Not only that, but it showed dedication and how serious they were. 

​Long story short, Georgia now lives a spoiled life where she no longer has to worry about being unwanted. Not only that, but she is also a service dog to children in need. She has come such a long way and we wish her all the best! 

Pumpkin was rescued around the holidays (on Thanksgiving of 2015) as a stray roaming around the busy intersections of San Fernando and in danger of getting hit by cars. Strangers were attempting to help/catch her by throwing a cardboard box on her. She was so terrified, but was finally caught and transferred to our rescue. All efforts were made to locate her owner(s) but no one came forward. It is a possibility that she was abandoned because of the fact that she was in terrible condition. It is very common in the rescue community to come across animals in poor medical shape that get abandoned. In Pumpkin's case, she had a huge mouth tumor stemming from the area where her bottom teeth were supposed to be. It caused her a great deal of discomfort and pain resulting in an unpleasant experience every time she ate. A couple of her upper teeth were loose as well and had embedded into her mass. This was not an overnight occurrence and she must have lived like that for years.

​The first step to recovery was to do as much as we could for her medically. We were able to raise a great portion for her mass removal surgery and dental work. Once that was all done and Pumpkin had successfully healed, she started to slowly decompress and reveal her spunky personality. A couple of months passed and there was a fear that she would not be able to find a home because: a) she was a Chihuahua b)  she was not a puppy or that young c) she had a rough history with scars to prove it.

​Who would have guessed that her time to shine would arrive, and sooner than anyone thought! We were contacted by a wonderful woman who read Pumpkin's story online and wanted to meet her with the great possibility of bringing her home. It finally happened - she and her husband, with their dog Jack drove quite a distance and there was no doubt that they would be the perfect fit. A very happy ending indeed!

Last Minute Save But So Worth It: Violette's Story

 One Lucky Giant: Titus' Story

Goodbye Los Angeles: Einstein's Story

Best Friends Forever: Daisy and Donovan's Story

Peggy came to our rescue after being surrendered by people who found her on the street months before. Her original family could never be located and it was unclear on what kind of life she led because she was picked up off the street severely matted, dirty, tick and flea infested, and with a terrible eye infection. She had to receive a medicated bath for her skin to rid her of the bugs and had to go through rounds of antibiotics. Unfortunately the good Samaritans that rescued her could not keep her because they already had three of their own dogs. Peggy was safely transported to us, got fully vetted, and began her search for a forever home.

For some reason Peggy was one of those unlucky pups that kept participating in meet and greets with a handful of families over a course of months, but no one seemed to be the right fit. It was very disappointing for awhile due to no fault of hers. She was such a perfect and loving dog (great with children, other animals, strangers). It felt like she barely had any flaws, yet it took her longer to find a home then some of our other dogs that weren't as well-behaved and that did not have the magnificent personality that she did. Turn down after turn down we finally received a promising call from an interested party. That same day her human mom came and adopted Peggy. We knew from the beginning that she would be loved beyond belief and that she had found her forever home! And oh, it was so worth the wait!

California to Idaho : Georgia's Story

Einstein was rescued from the streets of Los Angeles/South Central in terrible condition. He was dirty, matted, and had ticks sucking the blood out of him all over his body. Aside from the neglect, Einstein may have been abused as well. He was submissively fearful meaning that if a person tried to initiate any contact with him he would fall over on his back in a "don't hurt me please" position. He also flinched a bit like he was afraid to get hit. After getting him into better physical shape, our rescue worked with him on the simple things. We leash trained him for one, but his past would get the best of him. He would freeze on his walks and had a hard time crossing streets (afraid of cars).

It came time to find Einstein a home and there were multiple families that were interested in him. It was crucial to put him in an environment where he would be able to adjust over time. He ultimately needed a patient, understanding, willing to further work with him owner. Believe it or not, that is exactly what he found. He lives the spoiled life nowadays with a mom that cares for him like he is a human child. Dream home is what it truly is!

Success Stories

In December of 2014 our rescue came across a pack of homeless dogs living in an industrial zone. A taco truck informed us that they had been there for six months, coming by multiple times a day in hopes of getting fed. We were able to catch three of them, but the fourth one, a two year old Chihuahua that we later named Mama Rosie, was not interested. She had lived on the street for so long that part of her had become a bit feral. At the time she also happened to be very pregnant, which was concerning. We had to move fast so we set up traps with food in them and waited. Three weeks later she was caught and days after gave birth to seven healthy puppies. It took a lot of TLC and socialization to get Rosie used to living in a home and being cared for. After all of her puppies got adopted, it was time for her to find a forever place as well. A loving family with their two Labrador sisters ended up adopting Rosie, giving her not only a chance, but a life that she probably never dreamed she'd have!

It was December of 2014, two days after Christmas, when we found out online about a dog that had been caught on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles and needed rescuing. We went out, not knowing what we were getting into, but with the hope of helping and possibly reuniting the pup with his family. When we arrived what we saw was unbelievably sad. There was this young, giant Irish wolfhound sweetheart standing outside by the garage of the people who found him severely malnourished and covered in over 400 fleas, pleading to be saved. It was late at night and all of the grooming places were closed so we ended up taking him straight to a Petco self-grooming store where we spent over an hour bathing him and trying to remove as many fleas as possible. Once we got there and began washing him it was evident how skinny he really was with ribs, the pelvic and even skull bones protruding. Miraculously he was alive and that is all that mattered. The next day we went to go check for a microchip and he had one! Unfortunately no one ever responded or looked for him and so after being rehabilitated he became available for adoption. 

It was very difficult to choose the right fit of a family for Titus because so many were interested in giving him a home. Being so big and handsome and a rare find on top of that was a plus, but the last thing we wanted was for him to get adopted solely based on that. One day an amazing family with Irish wolfhound experience contacted us, met Titus, and we ended up choosing them after a rather long process. Now named Keagan, which is Irish for "the fiery one", he is living the life with the kids loving on him and giving him tons of attention. He also gets to go out for jogs with his Sheriff dad, which I know he enjoys because he loved going for runs while he was here with us. One lucky giant...       

Thanksgiving Surprise: Pumpkin's Story

It was around mid June of 2014 when we came across Daisy, a one year old scared to death maltese/terrier girl that was being given away online - her family no longer wanting to keep her. Upon arrival to our facility it was obvious that 1) she was more than likely abused/roughly disciplined or handled because she would flinch a lot and was terrified of humans 2) did not have any sort of training and wasn't used to living indoors (as a matter of fact the people that owned her since birth kept her constantly outside) 3) never got the love and attention that she deserved. We got to work, socializing and showing her that not all people are bad. A month after living with us, Daisy became a completely different dog. She gained confidence and was more trusting of humans, making her ready for adoption. At the time no one knew the role she'd play in another rescues life...

At the end of July is when we found Donovan, an approximately eight month old poodle mix puppy that was covered in over 300 ticks. He was somehow alive dragging along the sidewalk, severely anemic and worn out. Doctors said that a couple of more days in his condition would have resulted in death. No one knows where he came from and how he ended up in the sickening shape that he was in. He was lucky to be saved in time. 

When Donovan arrived, Daisy became very drawn to him. She befriended the sick sweetheart and provided a sense of comfort and security that he longed for. During the recovery phase she would do everything in her power to lift his spirit by giving him kisses, sleeping cuddled by his side, and initiating friendly interaction. Long story short she helped him get through an extremely tough period in his life. It was like she eased his pain and made sure he knew that everything was going to be okay. By the time Donovan got better, it was clear how attached and inseparable they had become. We started looking for a home that would take them both because of the bond they had formed and that's exactly what we got! Daisy and Donovan got adopted together!

Today they are living in a large family that loves them tons even when they are mischievous. They have a little BIG sister named Maggie that was added to the pack shortly after their adoption. She has definitely outgrown them but they all get along and are happy. Just like it's supposed to be...   

London was surrendered to our rescue in August 2015 with her mother and brother from severely inhumane conditions. Her original owner meant well but could not keep the dogs due to housing issues. The dogs, including London, were transported to a ranch where they stayed for over a year cooped up in a fenced area near horse stalls. All they had was dirt and a torn apart dog house that they were given to live in through all seasons of the year. They were not socialized much and were only visited to get fed. It is baffling how their clear medical needs were not met and that they were left to suffer as long as they did. It was an especially hot summer when our rescue found out about the pups and within days they were picked up one by one with heartbreaking physical and mental trauma. Right from the beginning it was not going to be an easy save. Each dog was being eaten alive by over 200 flies, ticks, and fleas with infected, raw ears, body scars, wounds and gashes all over that probably hurt beyond belief over time. So much, that the pain threshold was at the max and the dogs did not know any better.  

When London arrived, the first priority was to get her medically cleared so to the doctor she went right way. The wounds on her face took months to heal properly with consistent care. The good news was that London was not as mentally traumatized as were her mother and brother. They all had different ways of showing how unused to normal dog things they were. London fortunately was able to recover and bounce back faster than her family.

For a short while there were possible plans being considered in terms of what would be next for all three dogs. London was by far the most adoptable due to her temperament and ability to forgive humans. We weren't sure if transferring them to a sanctuary or putting them with another rescue would solve anything. What happened is we ended up working with these pups on an individual basis and had time tell their progress. It was so worth it because in the end, everyone found a home (mother and brother got adopted together!) and London ended up with the best family of her own!

Our rescue came across Violette, a Vizsla mix that was brought in as a stray to the South Los Angeles Animal Shelter. She had been there for two whole months and began to completely shut down to a point where she would not let anyone near her out of fear and would constantly spend her days hiding in the cubby. Her time was up because no one would adopt her and the shelter was out of space. No one knows what kind of life she led before ending up on death row. The only medical notes about her stated that she came in full of milk, with no puppies.

We had gone to the shelter multiple times to meet Violette in person after seeing her intake photo online. Time was running out and being in a high kill shelter was the worst thing that could have happened to her. None of the staff knew much about her, shelter volunteers didn't bother with her, a well known animal rescue refused to save her on the spot and she honestly had no hope left. Our rescue ended up taking a leap of faith because something inside of us pushed us to, saving this precious soul. It was the best decision we had ever made. After spending one day in our home, Violette turned into a completely different dog. It was almost a miracle to see such a change happen so fast.

As months went by, we kept looking for a good family to adopt Violette. Someone that would have the patience and love for her. She completely fit in the dog pack and was the best play buddy to the other rescues, but she had issues with strangers. She was terrified of men. She was also terrified of brooms and anything that looked like it could be used to hit her as well as tile flooring. She would shake and wet herself and sometimes even bark out of fear because she wouldn't know what else to do. Other times she would completely shut down and fall to the floor, refusing to get up.

We finally found a perfect fit of a family that ended up giving Violette the best home she could have ever dreamed of. No more shelters, no more pain, no more fear...