Ruger's Rescues

4 weeks ago today, my Honey gained her wings. Yesterday was her birthday. Honey had significant health issues. Heart issues. Kidney disease. Neuropathy in all 4 legs. Dementia. She couldn't stand anymore. She was getting confused, list, and forgetting how to use her bowls. And that doesn't count past issues. She passed peacefully in her comfy bed, at home, surrounded by those who love her, the world's most amazing and compassionate vet team and after having the biggest chocolate sundae. My Honey. The best big and little sister. Diva. Fashionista. Extremely opinionated and emotional. A back talker. Toy destroyer. Snorer. Ultimate begger. Food lover. Fight hater. A big girl with a traumatic past but still had so much love to give. The video is a compilation of just a few pics I've been able to take over the years, during her birthday photo shoot last year, and during her bucketlist week. I know she's with her brothers, sister, grandpawrents, boyfriend @micah_blue_boy, and friends. Thank you to everyone who took a role in her life, regardless of what it was or for how long. She is hugely loved and hugely missed. Thank you for the outpouring of love and beautiful edits from @kim_mccurdy_paints, @derek_topper_rescue_rotties @gaetano_canecorso, and the whole #MDMC family. An extra special thank you to Beth @honoringouranimals for a beautiful pet memorial service tonight. Thank you for what you do and for remembering my Honey and Pumpkin. @mongrel.dawgs @kichiekrew @straightupdogtalk @furever_journey @char.loves.dogs11 @@southpawvet_sd ♥️

Today, we volunteered with the always amazing @thestreetdogcoalition team at @fatherjoesvillages in Downtown San Diego! Street Dog was able to help 20 animals in need with free vet care. Our Black Nose Barket helped 19 best friends today! We passed out: - 65 lbs of food - 19 toys - 18 bags of treats - 17 bags of food - 12 water bottles - 5 bowls - 3 harnesses - 1 collar - 1 leash If you were unable to get vet care today, Street Dog will have an Ocean Beach Clinic next Saturday. @thestreetvet will also be in Ocean Beach this coming Tuesday. Enjoy a few seconds of some of the good boys and girls we met today as well a few action shots of the incredible vet team hard at work! Thank you everyone for your support! 💜

1 year. Over 2,000 pictures. How to pick? 1 year ago today, I saw a picture of a 14-week-old, 15-pound little girl. She was skin and bones. She had no fur. Her skin was a disaster. She had mange and kennel cough. She was going to be put to sleep that same day for simply needing antibiotics. They named her Lavender in the shelter, but we knew as soon as we got in the car to bring her home, that she was a Roxy (and Roxanne when she's being naughty). She's now 65 pounds, and the smartest, sweetest, strongest, most emotional little girl. She's wild with zoomies that can take an Olympic Gold. The best little, and now big, sister. A foster fail. A velcro pup with the biggest heart. She loves to cuddle, play, steal stuffed animals, watch TV, and take over an entire bed. Happy 1 year adoptiversary to Roxy! It's taken a village the last year, but you're very, very loved ♥️ The first video is Roxy eating her adoptiversary cake today with the best floppy ears. The pictures then go back over the course of the last year, ending with the very 1st pictures of her.

I know we haven't been very active the last couple weeks. We had a huge loss in our family, and our rescue family. We're not quite ready to talk about it, but we'd to like post some positive happenings until we are. On Saturday, we had a pop-up Barket in San Diego at a new location. San Diego hosts multiple safe sleeping and safe parking programs. This particular location, Lot O in downtown, is the site of 400 tents. You're allowed to stay there with your animals. It's safe, food, security, bathrooms, and showers are provided. You have to apply for a tent here, while actively being sober and applying for more permanent housing. It's a wonderful step for many of the very grateful and kind people we met. We were able to help 15 pups (10 adults and 5 puppies) and 5 cats (1 adult and 4 kittens). We passed out over 100 lbs of food, along with 20 toys and treats, numerous bowls, bottled water, and a few cooling bandanas. This was one of the more emotionally difficult food distributions we've done. We didn't realize the unexpectedly massive need of animals here. We could have come with 100 bags, and that likely wouldn't have been enough. We'll absolutely be back, along with visits to the other sites. Take 30 seconds of your day to meet some of the wonderful faces of last weekend, starting with Garfield, a very sweet boy. Make sure to hug your babies tonight and tell them how much you love them ♥️

We had a HUGE day! Today, we volunteered in Downtown San Diego in conjunction with the amazing organizations @thestreetdogcoalition @thinkdignity @burritoboyzsd and @face_foundation to help as many pets and pet owners in need as possible! We spent all weekend preparing for this huge Black Nose Barket and it paid off! Today, we helped approximately 35 dogs and cats and gave out nearly 200 items! We handed out: - 131 lbs of food - 50 bottles of water - 38 toys - 34 bags of treats - 27 bowls - 4 harnesses - 3 blankets - 2 leashes - 2 collars - 2 leads At peak time, there were at least a couple hundred people that were there. The line was huge, but I believe everyone received food and supplies! The incredible vet team we volunteer with @thestreetdogcoalition was able to provide free medical care to 22 animals in a little over 2 hours! Thank you to everyone for all your support to make today possible. We met some amazing people, made new friends, and have some ideas for the food distribution and free microchip clinics in the next couple months. Follow us and check out our events calendar on www.rugersrescues.org for updates. Enjoy 1 minute of today's good girls and boys!

Yesterday, while preparing for our big Black Nose Barket distribution tomorrow, we unexpectedly were able to help out 21 pups around San Diego! We handed out: - 73 pounds of food - 41 bottles of water - 21 toys - 21 bags of treats - 14 bowls - 3 leashes - 1 collar - 1 XXL harness Here are 25 seconds of some of the good girls and boys we helped yesterday! Hopefully, this brightens your day a little. 🌞 As a reminder, our Barket provides 100% free food and supplies to struggling pet owners who are unhoused, low income, or in emergency and transitional shelters. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you, or some you know, need some help. Stay tuned for an update on our Barket tomorrow at Reliable Pipe Supply in Downtown San Diego in conjunction with the awesome @thestreetdogcoalition and @thinkdignity. We'll be there at 7:30 am! Get there early, especially if you need vet care for your animal! Have a great weekend, everyone, and thank you for your support! ❤️

In the last 24 hours, we've: - Visited 2 locations in San Diego, twice; - Fed 25 pups and provided supplies to their owners; - Passed out 28 bags filled with food, toys, and treats; - Handed out 49 boxes of free dog food to unhoused pet owners; - Gave out leashes, blankets, and many bowls filled with fresh water; and - Gave out 147 POUNDS of food! Our Black Nose Barket will be back out on 7/21 @ Reliable Pipe Supply in San Diego. We'll be there with Think Dignity and The Street Dog Coalition to help as many unhoused and low income pet owners as possible. If you need vet care, get there early! We'll be there from 8 am - 11 am. In the meantime, if you need help with food or supplies for your best friend, please don't hesitate to reach out to us We're still in need of harnesses, blankets, and dog treats! Enjoy a few faces of the good boys and girls we met yesterday and today. We hope everyone has a safe 4th of July ❤️

Yesterday's pop-up Black Nose Barket in Downtown San Diego resulted in 14 happy pupstomers! We handed out: 39 pounds of food 13 bags of treats 14 toys As well as a few bowls and many water bottles! Enjoy a 10-second break to meet some of the adorable faces from yesterday 💕

Last night, we had a wonderful pup cup pawty fundraiser at the 1st City of Santee Summer Concert of the season! We ended the event by passing out some very special cups to the good boys and girls that are up for adoption from A Way Home For Dogs Babs Fry Thank you so much to everyone who came out, donated, and supported us. All the funds raised from yesterday are going directly to Penny's ongoing cardiology care. Santee, we'll see you again in July and August! Have a great weekend, everyone. Our Black Nose Barket will be out distributing free pet food and supplies around San Diego! #santeesummerconcerts

The biscuit factory is OPEN! Little Penny showed off her expertise this morning by making approximately 1 million biscuits at top kitten speed.

Penny Update: Hi everyone. It's been about 20 hours since Penny has been at the house and back from the vet. Here are some updates: - Penny has congestive heart failure and an extremely loud murmur. Her whole little body moves when she breathes. - She had some donut-free supervised play time today. Sickness aside, she's still a 7-week-old kitten that wants to play. She always had eyes on her, and when she got too excited or her heart level increased, she went back in her room and rested. We want to make sure she's living the best life she can, for whatever period of time that is. - She received new toys and supplies today and loves her angel brother's stuffies. She has 2 large crates set up end-to-end, filled with blankets and comforters and toys. She has a perfect little mansion to heal in. - She's a good sleeper. She slept soundly through the night - Over 6 hours. - She's a good eater - She had breakfast and lunch and took all her meds. She's on pain meds, parasite meds, and what's called Lasik - It helps remove the fluid in her lungs caused by the congestive heart failure. - We're going to be calling the best vet in the whole world tomorrow (seriously) @southpawvet_sd for her to be seen as soon as possible and have an echocardiogram scheduled. - If Penny can pull through this, this is still likely a lifelong disease that will cause flare-ups and can always be life-threatening. We were told at the ER yesterday that she may even need open heart surgery as she's that serious. Cost update: The echo, exam, and any meds will be around $850, and that's just for the 1st one. We received very, very few donations yesterday. Please help if you can. If all our followers gave even $0.50 each, that would help cover yesterday and all of her echo. Literally, every single dollar adds up. We totally understand if you can't donate, but if you could please continue to share, that would be amazing! Ways to help Penny: - Venmo: @rugersrescues - Paypal: info@rugersrescues

On Saturday, we celebrated turning 1 in the best way - At the amazing Walk for Animals fundraiser put on by the San Diego Humane Society We had a build-your-own pup cup bar with whipped cream; yogurt; 6 different kinds of fruit; sweet potatoes; 9 types of treats; and chicken, beef, and PB sprinkles. We made the best pup cups you've ever seen and had close to 180 happy pupstomers. Enjoy the best minute of your day - The happiest pups with the most excited eyes! A huge thank you to everyone who came out and supported both us and the San Diego Humane Society. It was a huge success and we can't wait to make more pup cups at Concerts in the Park in Santee on June 13th. If your pup came to our booth, message me and I'll send you the videos and photos I took!

On Saturday, we celebrated turning 1 in the best way - At the amazing Walk for Animals fundraiser put on by the @sdhumanesociety! We had a build-your-own pup cup bar with whipped cream; yogurt; 6 different kinds of fruit; sweet potatoes; 9 types of treats; and chicken, beef, and PB sprinkles. We made the best pup cups you've ever seen and had close to 180 happy pupstomers. Enjoy the best minute of your day - The happiest pups with the most excited eyes! A huge thank you to everyone who came out and supported both us and the @sdhumanesociety. It was a huge success and we can't wait to make more pup cups at Concerts in the Park at Santee on June 13th. If your pup came to our booth, message me and I'll send you the videos and photos I took!

Happy 1st birthday to Roxy!! We pulled her on her euthanasia day back in August from Riverside. She was never going to make it to her first birthday solely because she had some mild kennel cough and demodex. She just needed antibiotics and love. She was 15 weeks and 16 lbs. The vet said they didn't think she'd get bigger than 30-40 lbs. She's now 65 lbs, bigger than her older sister, and taking over the world. She had a huge, super exciting birthday pawty, filled with a new ball pit, a table of toys and treats, a pawesome cake made by @dexters.deli, a fabulous outfit, nuggets for lunch, and of course a full bar! I love this little girl so much, and she deserves every bit of what she got. She even ended her day kicking butt at her 2nd ever agility class. She shared her day with Honey, who was a cake-eating champ in the last video. And we think it's safe to say that little Roxy isn't going anywhere. Unbeknownst to everyone on August 12th, that you had found your furever home 💜

Yesterday, our Black Nose Barket helped 22 animals in Downtown San Diego @fatherjoesvillages! There were so many happy puppies when they saw their new yummy venison treats and tough chewer toys granted to us by @greatergoodcharities and @theanimalrescuesite! In total, 79 items consisting of food, toys, treats, collars, leashes, and harnesses were handed out. The crowd was much larger than expected, and we only stopped handing out food and supplies because we ran out. We'll be back at least 2 times in May with many more supplies - Keep an eye out for those announcements! In addition to our Barket, we were there volunteering with the amazing @thestreetdogcoalition, which provides free vet care to pet owners that are unhoused or in transitional living. 8 best friends got much needed medical care. Take a break from Monday stress and enjoy a few seconds of the pups that we were able to help.

Huge family freedom ride day! Today, we helped rescue a family of 7 from the Moreno Valley, CA shelter, that was 4 days passed their euthanasia deadline. Mama Vita has 6 4-week-old babies that she can't nurse due to mastitis - 3 boys and 3 girls. They're all chunky, healthy, and wild! Mama is going to get medical care very soon and will quickly be on her road to recovery. She's the absolute sweetest. She just wants pets and cuddles. She's been a wonderful Mama and takes great care of her little ones. We thank her for trusting us with them today 💜 It takes a village, as usual! @itsthepits is the rescue that saved them. The whole family landed a wonderful foster with pawsbeatfeet1. They're getting baths and great care today. They have beds and blankets and new toys all ready. They even have their own heater to make sure that everyone stays nice and warm. We're honored to have partnered with such a great organization for today's emergency transport and rescue! These babies will be available for adoption in about a month. Please reach out to @itsthepits if you're interested in learning more! Enjoy freedom videos and pictures, including a very smiley little boy at the very end ❤️

Happy Freedom Ride Day, Hank! ❤️ Everyone, meet Hank. The biggest, fluffiest, most handsome Great Pyrenees boy. We teamed up with the awesome @grandmabettyshouse to save this sweet boy on his euthanasia day from the Apple Valley shelter! This boy hit the jackpot, and doesn't even know it yet. He has a little to learn about dogging, but he's going to be perfect, safe, and loved for the rest of his time. Hank is pretty sick. If you'd like to contribute to helping this boy get healthy, please head over to the page of @grandmabettyshouse. Every dollar helps! Scroll -> to see Hank's freedom video, adorable pictures, and part of his delicious freedom lunch!

Introducing Honey and Roxy's Bandana FUNdraiser! Honey and Roxy have 2 very important causes that they want to donate money to, but with them being unemployed and still living at home, they didn't know what to do. So, in order to help the best they can, they're MAKING BANDANAS for your pups! Enjoy this sneak peak 👀 More info coming shortly!

Meet Chester! This handsome, sweet boy was our first transport of the year. He went from boarding in LA to an amazing foster home in San Diego! He's very scared of everything, but is already making leaps and bounds. It was a rollercoaster of a transport as he was very attached to me and didn't want to leave my car, but with a wonderful team, he was able to settle in. I absolutely love Chester! I went back to see him again today and brought him toys, treats, and puzzles to help with his anxiety. He loves his new Lamb Chop and Ali the Alligator from @kongcompany. Both are miracle worker toys! He already seems like a different dog. He's happier. We played and he got lots of cuddles. I can't wait to see him gain confidence with training over the next few weeks and months. Chester hit the jackpot yesterday and doesn't even know it yet. He also got his first pup cup yesterday and ate like the king he is! Thank you to Bubbles Dog Rescue for allowing us to transport Chester and get him on track to a wonderful life ❤️ I'll see you very soon, sweet boy!