Happy New Year from Rescue Ranch! We hope your holidays were filled with happy moments, laughter, and joy for everyone in your family–especially the furry four-footers! The end of December wraps up another busy year of dog rescue. But there’s never a pause when it comes to saving dog lives, and this holiday season has been no exception. Let’s take a quick peep at what we’ve been up to and our current numbers as we head into 2025.
December was a big month for saving dog lives
This December, we rescued dozens of dogs from the euthanasia lists of municipal shelters in central California. As the holidays approached, rescue contacts put out an urgent call on behalf of dogs who were running out of time.
Though it’s a challenge to keep up with the flow of strays and unwanted dogs here in our own county, experience also shows that smaller dogs have a higher adoption rate than their larger counterparts. So we said yes on as many of these “littles” as possible. In the month of December we welcomed four transports that brought us a total of: 17 small adults, 9 puppies 12 weeks of age, and 4 moms that together had a total of 23 pups under 4 weeks old.
Each of these 53 dogs was scheduled for euthanasia at their respective shelters. There’s always a mix of emotions when a rescue transport arrives at the Ranch full of lovable dogs saved in the nick of time. We’re overjoyed to save lives and to be able to help them find the forever homes they deserve. At the same time, it’s sobering to ponder what they’ve escaped.
We’re so grateful to announce that many of these new littles were adopted by their new families in time for the holidays! The rest are safely settled in our shelter, at the Sanctuary, or enjoying a respite in foster homes.
Intakes for 2024 eclipse previous year
It’s not surprising that these December intakes brought our totals for the year to a new high water mark. In 2024, we rescued a total of 606 dogs! Thankfully, adopters and foster families helped us finish the year strong. A total of 412 dogs and puppies were adopted through Rescue Ranch in 2024. Thank you to everyone who chose a shelter pup. And thank you to each of our wonderful foster families! 25 of our dogs are currently settling into forever homes through our foster-to-adopt program, and another 44 are in regular foster care. Adopters and fosters are the backbone of Rescue Ranch. We couldn’t continue saving dog lives in these numbers without your compassion and dedication.
With 283 dogs currently sheltered in our facilities and cared for through our foster network, we have our hands full. Especially since 79 of those dogs are puppies under the age of 6 months, and another 37 are adolescents. In the new year we’re hoping to see adoptions increase as our networking and outreach grow. With animal shelters and rescue organizations in crisis mode, it’s more important than ever to promote spay/neuter and responsible dog ownership. Encourage your friends to adopt a shelter pup when adding a pet to the family. Share your rescue story with coworkers, family and friends. And as always, adopt don’t shop!
Here’s to a happy and life-saving 2025!
