Happy Birthday, Ruger!!
Happy 13th Heavenly Birthday...
...to the happiest
...squishiest
...sleepiest
...cuddliest
...most handsome
...official CEO of Ruger's Rescues..
RUGER!!
Please enjoy his squishy face album ♥️
Recap of today's Barket!
Today was our 1st big Barket of the year. We went out to "Lot O" in Downtown San Diego, which is home to nearly 450 tents.
We saw some some familiar faces, like good boy Jo-Jo, whose dad is doing an amazing job helping him overcome his previous life of abuse. We also met some new friends, like Sandy, the pup in the first picture with me!
We also had some extremely difficult moments that broke me after we left, but I'll be posting about that separately.
Most importantly, today, we were able to help 30 best friends!
We also handed out:
- 120 lbs of food
- 82 bags of treats
- 33 toys
- 18 blankets
- 9 bowls
- 3 beds
- 3 harnesses
- 3 collars
- 3 leashes
- 3 sweaters
- 1 large bottle of Cosequin hip and joint supplements
- 1 cat tower
- 1 bag of litter
Today wouldn't have been possible without some extremely generous donations. A huge, huge thank you to:
@dexters.deli
@tobytomorrow
@_turnthepaiige
@ibpet (The cat tower was a huge hit!)
@raisingramen
@drtonyawhite
@antelopepets
Thank you everyone for your support and love! ❤️
First Barket of 2025!
Our first Barket of the year!
Small, but mighty, and out of the County!
Most of the time, we're in San Diego, but this one was about 4 hours north in Kern County. There's a lot of need there, and the temperatures are much colder.
Just driving around, we helped 12 pups-in-need and handed out:
- 47 pounds of food
- 24 bags of treats
- 20 water bottles
- 15 blankets
- 15 bowls
- 13 toys
- 4 beds
- 4 leashes and leads
- 2 sets of jammies
- Some warm clothing for these pups owners
Depending upon the weather and how badly it rains, we plan on having another Barket around Downtown San Diego tomorrow.
Stay tuned for more happy pups!
Final Barkets of the Year!
What a year!
To round out 2024, we wanted to recap our last 2 Barkets of the year. We handed out food, beds, supplies, and so much more to pets (and pet owners also!) in need on both Christmas and December 28th at 2 different homeless encampments in Downtown San Diego.
We have some big numbers for you!
With these 2 Barkets, we helped 61 best friends!
We also handed out:
- 146 lbs of food
- 84 bags of treats
- 61 toys
- 47 beds
- 25 bowls
- 15 fleece blankets
- 3 collars
- 2 dog sweaters
- 2 harnesses
- 2 leashes
For at least 2 of these pups, it was their first bed ever.
For struggling pet owners, we handed out:
- 94 bags of snacks and water
- 94 pairs of new wool socks
- 30 donated books
- 5 hoodies and sweaters
In total for 2023, we handed out 2,050 pounds of pet food!
What a way to end the year.
Even though we're almost 2 years old, 2024 was our first full calendar year as a rescue. Undoubtedly, this has been one of the most emotionally exhausting, busy, and sanity-draining years of my entire life. But to know that we've helped hundreds of animals-in-need makes all the blood, sweat, and (lots of) tears worth it. I wouldn't change it for the world.
We hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve and an abundant new year. Keep your babies safe and tell them we said hi :)
See you all for an exciting 2025!
Here's a recap of our last 2 pawesome fundraisers of the year!
First, a big thank you to @thriveanimalrescue for inviting us out to their 10-year reunion and holiday market! We had lots of happy pup cupstomers and were able to raffle off some wonderful baskets donated from local bakers and organizations!
We then spent the day with the awesome team at @residentbrewing in Chula Vista, who not only invited us to participate in their Procrastinator's Holiday Market, but donated $1 from every single beer sold that day to us!
We're so lucky to have met such generous and kind people this past year. The donations from not only these 2 events, but the others we had in November and December will be able to get us through the next couple months, which is amazing!
Thank you to everyone for your continued and unwavering support for our little rescue ❤️
Huge Barket Recap!
What a day!
Yesterday, we had our 3rd largest Black Nose Barket. We went around Downtown San Diego and provided free food and supplies to 35 best friends in need!
We also handed out:
- 135 pounds of food
- Approximately 75 bowls
- 66 bags of treats
- 36 toys
- 7 beds
- 4 harnesses
- 3 leashes
- 2 sweaters
- 2 bags of puppy teething toys
- Water bottles
Tomorrow, we'll have our last Barket for the year where we'll also be handing out new, wool socks, snack bags, and books to the unhoused pet parents.
We hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Christmas Eve 🎄 ❤️
We have so many updates to share with you!
This is a recap of our time volunteering with Project Street Vet @thestreetvet a couple weeks ago as well as The Street Dog Coalition @thestreetdogcoalition yesterday in Downtown San Diego at @fatherjoesvillages. Both organizations are amazing and provide free vet care to pet owners in need. When we volunteer, we always bring food and supplies for a Black Nose Barket disWe have so many updates to share with you!
During these 2 days, we were able to help 33 best friends!
We also handed out:
- 110 pounds of food
- 51 bags of treats
- 31 toys
- 10 bowls
- 6 beds
- 3 blankets
- 1 harness
Enjoy a video of some of the best boys and girls we met, along with some action shots of wonderful and generous vets that volunteered their time during these 2 days.
We had such a great fundraiser yesterday!
Thank you to @sanmarcoschamber for having us at your Holly Jolly Holiday Market yesterday!
We had our pawesome pup cups and amazing raffle baskets that were generously donated by local companies, including @residentbrewing, @innout, @traderjoes, @totalwine, @rescuedogwines, and more! We raised MUCH needed money that will be going to help pets-in-need.
Thank you to everyone who came by and supported us yesterday. The turnout was better than expected, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
We look forward to returning next year!
Enjoy a few seconds of our happy whipped cream-faced pupstomers :)
Earlier this week, we spent a day with the incredible Project Street Vet team, volunteering alongside The Animal Pad and SNAP at the Safe Sleeping Lot in Downtown, San Diego. Over 400 unhoused folks are given a chance to get back on their feet at this location. The need is significant, but over 60 pets-in-need were provided much-needed, free vet care.
We also distributed food, toys, treats, beds, harnesses, bowls, and blankets to 10 pups and kitties!
We'll include those numbers with our next Barket distribution next weekend.
Enjoy a few seconds to see Project Street Vet in action and some of the adorable faces we were able to help!
National Adopt-a-Senior Pet Month!
Today marks the day of National Adopt-a-Senior Pet Month!
A month that aims to raise awareness about all the senior animals that are in shelters across the country.
Did you know?
Dogs, depending upon their breed, could be considered a senior at only 6-years-old. Cats are considered seniors at 10-years-old.
Did you know?
Only 25% (on the high end) of shelter dogs get adopted. Thag number is much less for senior kitties.
All 4 of these pictures are of my Honey. I adopted her at 8-years-old, but likely she was almost 11. She had a really, really tough life when I found her. She was so loving, so loyal, so sassy and full of life, and so emotional. She just wanted stability, good food, some toys, and a comfy bed for her old girl bones.
I miss Honey every day. Senior shelter animals bring such an immense amount of love, gratitude, and companionship. Please consider visiting your local shelter to adopt a senior.
❤️
Yesterday, we volunteered with the amazing San Diego team of @thestreetdogcoalition at @fatherjoesvillages in Downtown.
The team helped over 15 pets in need get free vet care!
We volunteer with them once a month and always bring food and supplies for a Barket Distribution. Yesterday, we were able to help 26 best friends!
We handed out:
- 90 pounds of food
- 54 bags of treats
- 25 toys
- 24 bags of food
- 2 harnesses
- 1 bowl
Meet some of the adorable faces we met yesterday!
