Wags and Walks: Disaster Response and Recovery Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
This grant provided critical support during one of the most challenging times in our organization’s history. As wildfires approached our area, we urgently evacuated all animals from our facility. Our foster team worked around the clock to find safe placements for every dog—matching and placing more animals in a single week than we typically do in an entire month. This unprecedented volume required extended staffing coverage, which the grant helped support through overtime pay for both our intake and medical teams.
Thanks to this funding, we were able to bring in relief vet techs to help manage the surge in intake exams and ensure every new arrival received immediate care. Medical costs also skyrocketed due to the number of dogs needing treatment, making this our highest period of medical spending in recent memory. The grant helped cover basic veterinary care, critical surgeries, and ongoing medical support for dogs impacted by the fires.
In addition, the grant supported the purchase of necessary supplies—such as crates, potty pads, and PPE for staff—to keep both people and animals safe during and after the evacuation. Our entire team, across all departments, also stepped up to manage an ongoing wildfire supply drive, distributing donations to over 100 families and organizations in need.
This funding helped us respond quickly and compassionately, ensuring continuity of care for our animals and relief for our overwhelmed staff. We’re incredibly grateful for the support—it made a real difference for both our team and the pets who rely on us.
How many pets did this grant help?
175
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
When we first met SweetPea, a 5-year-old Great Dane, she was in critical condition—severely emaciated, struggling to breathe, and in urgent need of rescue from a local shelter. We knew we had to act fast. Within hours of arriving in our care, SweetPea’s condition rapidly declined. She was rushed to the ER, where she was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia on top of her dangerously low weight.
Her emergency treatment alone exceeded $12,000, not including the ongoing care she would require to survive. For weeks, SweetPea remained under round-the-clock supervision at our center, supported by a special diet, a tailored feeding schedule, and a team that refused to give up on her—even when the odds felt stacked against her.
Thanks to this funding—and the compassion of our community—SweetPea grew stronger by the day. She gained weight, regained her energy, and slowly came back to life. We shared her story on social media and email, and the response was incredible. Your support helped us cover her care and show her the love she had long been denied.
Today, SweetPea is thriving. She’s gentle, affectionate, and prefers sunbathing and leisurely strolls to rough play. Best of all? She’s now in her forever home, where she’s showered with head scratches and love. You can watch the moment she met her new family in the Instagram reel – a powerful reminder of what your support makes possible.
A photo of Sweet Pea when she first arrived in our care is included (first photo) as well as photos from our distribution supply drive. Also included are transports and a few other pups who received serious medical care immediately following the fires.
