We’re excited to announce that Rescue Ranch is expanding its operations to include a new dog sanctuary and training facility. The facility is located on Humanity For Horses’ 151-acre property in the Big Springs area. We’re so grateful to our long-time supporter for this amazing gift. We couldn’t wait to tell the world, but were delayed by the proximity of the devastating Lava Fire.
Rescue Ranch Sanctuary escapes the flames and shelters fire dogs
Thankfully, the sanctuary escaped the flames completely. As soon as the evacuation was lifted, we were able to get back in and resume our work. Conversion to a dog sanctuary will take some time, but we’ve already made good use of the extra space.
Rescue Ranch is the designated dog evacuation center for Siskiyou County. When there’s an emergency, we take in a lot of extra dogs. During the Lava Fire, we received a record 150 evacuated and displaced dogs at our Yreka facility. We were able to house some puppies and very young dogs, a nursing mother and other adults at the new location.
Since then, some of the fire dogs have moved to Yreka, while longterm ranch residents have moved out to Big Springs.
New Sanctuary will help Rescue Ranch achieve its mission
“This is an incredible opportunity for Rescue Ranch, we can’t thank Humanity For Horses enough for their generosity. We’ve been looking for better ways to respond to the various needs of the dogs that come to us. Now we can offer them more room and true sanctuary.” –John Golay, Executive Director.
As a no-kill shelter, Rescue Ranch prioritizes dogs at risk for euthanasia in the state of California. Dogs are put down for many reasons, including overcrowding, behavior, age, health issues of all kinds and even treatable injuries. Unfortunately, the kill-lists are long.
The new property is large enough to accommodate multiple uses. We look forward to exploring all of the ways it will help us fulfill our mission. We’ll start by addressing one of our most pressing needs by establishing a sanctuary for at-risk dogs. We’ll also look forward to serving how we can serve special needs dogs, nursing mothers, puppies and seniors.
“Space is at a premium and, even in a great facility like ours, the intensity of shelter life is not appropriate for long term or special needs residents. The sanctuary will provide the low-stress environment they require to thrive. It will also be a great place for any of our dogs who need extra training or a temporary break from the shelter while they wait to find their forever homes.” – Laura Finley, board member.
