SAVE A LIFE! ENRICH YOURS!
12682 Kagel Canyon Road, Sylmar, CA 91342, US
Those who touched our hearts and to whom we said goodbye
Colt
Colt, aka Dexter, came to us from the South LA shelter on June 24, 2021. Colt is a 9 yr old neutered Staffordshire terrier mix. He is a little guy, weighing in at 47 pounds. He gets along great with other dogs and is living with three small dogs in foster. He was brought in to the shelter on April 21, 2021 as an owner surrender. He has limited use of his left hind, but it doesn't stop him from moving around, playing or being the biggest love. he is currently in foster and awaiting his forever home! Colt was never adopted. He lived with his foster family for almost 4 years! He had surgery three times to remove cancerous tumors. Each time he bounced back. On March 1, 2025 cancer finally won. he did not want to get up or eat. We did not want him to suffer and with his foster family by his side, we said goodbye.
Check out this amazing reel of the love and life Colt had in foster instagram reel
Casha
On July 23, 2024, eleven Australian shepherds were owner surrendered at the Castaic shelter. Two of these dogs are 16 year old sisters, old girl #A5641100, now Cayla, and daisy, #a5641002, now Casha. We rescued them on August 1, 2024. We rescued them knowing we had a foster home. yet after only hours, they said it was too much. They decided to keep them for the weekend and then sent them back to our sanctuary, leaving us scrambling to get two of our dogs adopted. We did, giving them room to come live with us. They love it! Before they went to the shelter they were not living in a nurturing environment. Now, they are loved, have doggies friends and are having the best of the rest of their lives! Casha was always smiling! Casha was very loyal and always wanted to be with us. She would follow us anywhere we would go. She had this head tilt that we figured was either a brain tumor or the result of a bad ear infection. in December, she came down with vertigo. When we treated the vertigo, the head tilt went away! Unfortunately, At the end of February, she was suddenly not herself. On February 24, 2025, she could not sit up, and when she didn't want to eat anything, we knew it was her time. It breaks our hearts every time we have to say goodbye. But it also warms our hearts knowing that after she was rescued from a breeder, she spent the last 7 months in a loving environment. She went on walks every day, had yummy food to eat, her sister to keep her company, and love and love and love. RIP our dear Casha.
Calgary
Meet Calgary, aka pawpovich #a5192883 from the Downey shelter. This sweet 10 year old American Eskimo was owner surrendered on December 7th for lack of space. He is "vision impaired" but seems to be making his way around his new home just fine. We rescued him on December 16, 2024. The foster was immediately smitten with him and had to have him forever! Shortly after we rescued him, he started having trouble sleeping and was agitated when he was awake, often circling non stop. His wonderful adopted mom tried everything to help him. We had several veterinarian visits and consulted with different veterinarians about how to help him. With medication, we gave him some quiet time. However the medication only helped for short periods of time. Giving him more medication would just make him loppy or sleep. There was not a great quality of life going on for this poor guy. It was a tough decision to say goodbye. His adopted mom tried everything, but in the end the veterinarians told her there was nothing to fix his issues. He was not going to get better. His adopted mom sent us this email: We said goodbye on Tuesday morning. Gave him a nice weekend with plenty of outdoor time and special snacks and meals. He even went on the longest walk he’s done since we had him on Saturday! He had a good day. But had a very restless day and night after that which confirmed what I was doing was the right thing for him. It was incredibly hard but I think you were right — he was not living his best life.
Chimichurri
Chimichurri
Good things come in threes.....so meet Chimichurri, aka Dutch, #a2168194. He is the third dog we rescued in the last week of October. We rescued him from the West valley shelter on October 23, 2024. Chimichurri is a 13 year old super sweet mellow dog owner surrendered to the West Valley shelter on October 18, 2024,after he spent his entire life in one home. Thankfully, shelter staff sent out a please for a rescue. We had a wonderful foster we just approved and the match was made. Makes us so happy to give these seniors the best of the rest of their life. That is what they deserve not to be dumped in the shelter after years of being loyal loving companions. Chimichurri had a wonderful loving sweet foster family. He was adored. On February 2, 2025, the foster brought him to our sanctuary as we was not feeling well. We gave him a B12 shot, some fluids, anti nausea medicine and some A/d/ that he loves! The veterinarian saw him the next day. He had a bad URI and we were treating him with antibiotics. Wednesday morning, he had a seizure and was not ok after. The veterinarian said the best thing to do was to let him go. We said goodbye that morning, February 5, 2025. We always wish we have more time with these loving dogs, but we are so grateful for the bit of time we get!
Cabernet
Chimichurri
Cabernet
This is Annie, now Cabernet, from the Baldwin Park Shelter. She is a kind, sweet, 13 year old german shepherd that was owner surrendered on February 27, 2024. Since the shelters are overcrowded, she was first to be on a kill list. We rescued her on March 27, 2024, and are so happy to give her the best of the rest of her life. She immediately was friends with everyone. She goes on slow walks and spends lot of time lounging on her bed. A wonderful couple stepped up to foster her so we could save another senior from the shelter. She is loving life in her forever foster home! Cabernet was a true princess in her foster home. She loved life there and her family loved her. As with all big dogs, as she aged, her arthritis worsened. We tried increasing her medication and adding a second medication, but she was still having difficulty getting up. Her bad days were becoming more frequent. It is never easy to say goodbye, or to know when is the right time. When she did not improve drastically from the additional medicine and she was still having trouble more often than not getting up, we decided it was time. Her foster mom and susan were by her side when we said goodbye on February 25, 2025.
Capricorn
When we rescued Stella, now Capricorn, on September 10, 2022, we thought she had been in the shelter for nearly a year! She was owner surrendered on September 30, 2021. She was very sick in the shelter and was adopted out in November of 2021. However she was returned by her owner in July of 2022. Of course she was being overlooked as she was an older black pit bull mix. She is the sweetest thing! She loves her toys and still runs to play fetch. You would never know she is 13! She immediately fit in at the sanctuary and gets along with the pack. Welcome to the best of the rest of your life! Capricorn was one of our all time favrotie dogs. She was just so sweet. She got along with all the dogs. She loved her runs and to play with toys. As she got older, the younger seniors would bully her from her toys, so we gave her separate playtime. On January 31 she had two seizures in the morning. We took on her morning walk and she was not the same. Then, when the veterinarain was on site for her wellness checks, Capricorn had a long seizure. We knew the best thing we could do for our beloved dog was say goodbye. RIP Capricorn 1-31-2025. We love this reel which shows her running across the field like a gazelle....she was 15 years old when we filmed that!
Caramba
Good things come in threes.... So, in addition to getting out 16 and 17 year old hama and Yuki from the Castaic Shelter, we also found a foster and we're able to rescue echo, now Carumba on October 29, 2024. Echo and her sister, hiccup, were brought to the shelter as owner surrenders back in September. Hiccup was adopted, but echo remained behind. She's a very sweet happy Jack Russell terrier who is people and dog friendly. Our wonderful foster has other dogs for her to play with and hang out. Unfortunately, Caramba's medical issues for were not great. She was in kidney failure. Originally, we thought she would be available for adoption, but no! her fosters had to have her a part of their family for the rest of her life. They adopted her onDecember 24, 2024 giving everyone the best holliday present ever! Unfortunately, She crashed quickly on January 27, 2025. her adopted mom took her to the vet, but they said there really was nothing we could do, except love her and be by her side while we said goodbye.
Catalina
Catalina
This is Scrappy, now catalina, This scared sweet 14 year old terrier mix came in as a stray to the Castaic Animal Care Center on November 3, 2023.Someone reached out to us saying they wanted to give her a forever home.of course we would help with that! We are so happy to share that we rescued her on November 18, 2023. She was touch sensitive at first,. Her fosters, who adopted her, were great at giving her time and allowing her to gain trust and learn that love is awesome! She was super happy in her forever home. in december of 2024 at the age of 15, she was starting to have difficulty standing and walking. On January 6, 2025, we made the decision to say goodbye and free her from any pain. We are so glad to giver her over 13 months of the best of the rest of her life.
Cora
China
Catalina
Cora was owner surrendered to the North Central Shelter on July 28, 2023. The owners were moving. After 7 years as a loyal member of the family, they were dumping her. She has bad skin, ear infections, a little mass over one eye and even developed ringworm while at the shelter. She was set for euthanasia on January 4, 2024. Not one, but two people stepped up to foster. We rescued her on January 8, 2024 and are so happy to give her the best of the rest of her life. She had surgery to remove a tunmor which the biopsoy showed was a mast cell tumor. She lived on medication to help deter the growth of the tumors, but we knew they were there. On Friday, December 27, 2024, Cora's foster mom called us and said she was not doing well She had a great day on Thursday, but Friday morning she didn't want to get up or eat. Something was definitely wrong. We made the decision to save her from any pain or trauma and say goodbye.
China
China
China
Some dogs just break your heart! Meet China, aka Whittle Fing from the Palmdale Shetler. She arrived on April 29, 2024 as a stray. She has a cataracts on her eyes making vision limited, typical bad teeth for a 10 year old little dog, a heart murmur, partially collapsed trachea, a mass in her abdomen and a bad cough. We fought so hard for her, that she is now better! The cough seemed to be from kennel cough and not her trachea. We thought she was a hospice dog, but she is doing great! She is in great hands at her temporary foster home. In early December, the foster noticed one of her eye was cloudy and then there was a little growth on it. The foster's vet was confident he could remove the eye and do a dental at the same time. China came through the surgery fine and was walking around and eating the next day. Then, she sadly, died in her sleep on December 22, 2024, day two after the surgery. We are heartbroken for our little girl.
Cubby
China
China
On December 7, 2023 we rescued two little dogs! Cubby, aka buddy, from the West valley shelter was the second rescue of the day! Cubby is a 14 year old schnauzer mix that was brought to the shelter as a stray on November 27, 2023.. He has cataracts so he does not see well, but has energy to move around. The foster is not sure he is 14 years old! Either way, he is in great hands and will know nothing but love. As cubby aged, he developed dementia. Dementia and blindness are not easy obstacles. he was still happy until a few days after thanksgiving. His foster noticed he was having more trouble navigating his surroundings. By December 20, he had stopped eating for a couple of days. We took him to see our veterinarian and she confirmed what we suspected. it was time to say goodbye. We hugged and kissed him right up until the end. RIP sweet cubby, you were 15 years old and a great dog!
Calla
This sweet dog, Calla, aka skipper #A2171682, was brought to the east valley shelter as a "stray." on November 12, 2024. She was 12 years old and in great condition save the huge bone tumor on her shoulder. She was super sweet and loving. We could not let her die at the shelter. We posted for a hospice foster and a wonderful woman offered to give her the best of the rest of her life. We rescued her on November 18, 2024. Her prognosis is not great; our veterinarian gives her a month. Pain management is the key with bone cancer. She is on pain medicine and doing great. She wags her tail, loves to go on short walks, and is enjoying the company of her new family. Her foster mom said they felt they knew CAlla her entire life. She fit right in with the other dogs and her children. Unfortunately, Calla was in pain and the pain meds only did so much. No one wanted her to suffer. So she had a steak dinner and then, the next morning, on December 12, 2024, we said goodbye surrounded by her foster family.
Camelot
Puffy, now Camelot was first brought to the north central shelter as a stray in 2014 and adopted in less than a month! Then he was returned to the shelter on January 12, 2023. Camelot is an amazing dog. He was a shelter volunteer favorite and everyone was rooting for him to get out. We were hoping to find a foster, but when no one stepped up and an opening came at our sanctuary, we saved him on May 3, 2023! He is very mellow and gets along with the other big boys. We are excited to give him his freedom and look forward to spending the rest of his life with him. Camelot was one of our barn dogs. He was loved by all our clients. Unfortunately, he had bad hip dysplasia and it worsened the last few days. He struggled to get up and we couldn't let him suffer. He was 13 and we did our best to give him a great life. We said goodbye on December 10. 2024. He will be greatly missed.
Caldwell
Caldwell had a great life after his short time in a high kill shelter. Caldwell, formerly, Emmett, was on the list to be killed when someone reached out and asked us to save him. He is a super sweet, gentle 10 year old tri-colored dachshund that was set to die because they said he had a URI and was weak in his hind end. He also has some odd scarring on his abdomen as if he had a leash, wire or some other material tied so tightly on him for a long period of time that he has a scar around his entire torso. What torture that must have been! Thankfully, someone reached out and said they wanted to foster him. So of course, we rallied help, got him pulled on February 16, 2022, and into a temporary foster as the permanent foster was in Temecula. As always, our veterinarian checked him out, did a chiropractic adjustment and gave him the thumbs up on his health. Of course, he has senior issues, don't they all. Caldwell had a great life with his foster mom who adopted him on November 12, 2024. Unfortunately, on December 4, 2024, his mom reached out and said he was not doing well. She took him to the veterinarian on December 6, 2024. I was with her via telephone and discussed with the veterinarian his prognosis. It was not good. He had trouble standing and walking and was not eating. We made the decision to prevent him from suffering and said goodbye.
Chai
Can you imagine how scared this little 8 pound, 10 year old dog must have been when she was brought to the shelter as a stray on January 12, 2023. Lucky for her, we had a foster who could not wait to give a little dog a forever home! We rescued Maya, now chai, on January 27, 2023. She is so loved and well cared for! She had terrible teeth, so we had a dental and most of her teeth were rotten and removed. She is so much happier now! Of course her foster adopted her! Chai had an amzing life and was very loved. In Novemberof 2024 she was having trouble brathig and strted coughing. She was diagnosed with a collapsed trachea. Despite medication, she was not getting better and her condition worsened. Her mom made an appointment to say goodbye. instead, Chai passed away December 4, 2024 on her own in her sleep.
Cadbury
We were so glad when Cadbury was adopted on October 23, 2023. We rescued her on March 15, 2023. This dog was set to die at the south LA shelter. There was not one post on her. Cadbury, aka Boba, was brought into the shelter as a stray on February 25, 2023. They estimated her age at 12 years and in less than a month at the shelter, she was going to die. So of course, we had to save her. To honor our precious Candy who died on 3-12-2023, we named her Cadbury, She is a very calm dog who keeps to herself but is enjoying her freedom. We felt she was not moving around enough. she loved her walks without the other dogs so we thought a foster home with less dogs would do her good. She went to a loving home where she gained two little furry brothers! her fosters fell in love with her and of course, are giving her a forever home! We said goodbye to sweet Cadbury on November 29, 2024.
Conundrum
It's a conundrum...so that's what we named him. Conundrum, aka Tyson #a2168442, is a blind 15 year old boxer with a slow stiff gait who was owner surrendered at the west valley shelter on October 20, 2024. The shelter wanted to euthanize him. A volunteer reached out to us asking if we could take him. We had a discussion with the staff and their medical team before we pulled him. If he was suffering, we didn't want to delay the inevitable. He is definitely declining in health, but he has an appetite and does not seem to be suffering. He is able to walk slowly but is not volunteering a walk. We are hoping whenever he is more comfort, he will want to explore a little. And if his condition worsens and he has no quality of life, we will sit with him and give him peace and love when we say goodbye. Only time will tell how much time we get to love him. As I said. It's a conundrum! Unfortunately, Conundrum stopped eating and didn't really want to explore. The kindest thing we could do for him was to sit by his side, hold his paw and say goodbye. We did that on November 7, 2024. While his time with us was not long, he was loved and left this world peacefully.