The Rise Rescue Alliance, Port Angeles, WA (2025)

09/28/2025

Big news—RISE is taking over the bar at the Dungeness Crab Festival on October 10th! 🦀🍻 It’s always one of the best weekends of the year, and this time we get to be right in the middle of the action.

We’re looking for a crew of awesome volunteers (must be 21+) to help us run the bar, keep the good vibes flowing, and make this takeover one to remember—all while raising funds for our rescue pups. 🐾

You’ll get to be part of the festival energy, meet tons of people, and have some serious fun while helping out. Oh, and you'll get to snag a limited edition Rise Rescue Alliance Crab Fest T-shirt!

If you’re in, email us at [email protected] — we’d love to have you on the team!

09/27/2025

OMG you guys…
How amazing are our dogs? 🤩
A few of us had fun pretending to be photographers yesterday (cell phone cameras are so amazing)…
Here are just a few of our current kiddos.
How did we do? 😉
Pictured are Ursula, Pixie, Lilly, Gizmo, Cami and Wasabi 🥰
(Disclaimer: The real photographer in our group was not present - her photos would have put us all to shame 😂)

09/27/2025

There’s no place like home…and Toto finally found his! 🏡✨

When life circumstances changed, Toto’s loving owner had no choice but to bring him to the shelter. By pure luck, a rescue was there that day for another dog and stepped in to scoop up Toto and his housemates, Luke and Leia—sparing them from ever spending a night there.

Luke and Leia have already settled in with their new family, and now it’s Toto’s turn. After blossoming at Rise and showing his sweet, social side, he’s off on a whole new adventure—heading to Canada 🇨🇦 with a family who couldn’t wait to welcome him.

From nearly being left behind at the shelter to starting a brand-new life across the border, Toto’s story is a reminder that happy endings really do happen.

09/26/2025

How cute is this little nugget?

This is Nellie...

And her story didn’t start easy.

She was picked up as a stray...

And just days later she gave birth to two tiny puppies in the shelter.

Nellie did what any good mom would do—she protected them fiercely.

So fiercely, in fact, that she wouldn’t let anyone near them, and she kept her distance from people altogether.

So the family was transferred to RISE.

Nellie was still on edge of course…

But in no time, things started to change.

She made some new doggy friends (Pixie, we’re looking at you 😉)…

And she started to open up.

And when she did…

Out came this goofy, zoomie-loving little girl who can run circles around her buddies in the yard.

She’s still a bit standoffish with people, but patience—and a few treats—are the keys to her heart.

Nellie is just a year old, only 9 pounds, and we think she’s a beagle-chihuahua mix.

She's crate trained, SOOOO sweet, and she gets along famously with both dogs and cats.

Her puppies have already moved on to their new adventures, and now it’s her turn.

She will be spayed on October 9th and will be ready for her new home immediately after.

Apply to adopt at https://j163jarsr1t.typeform.com/to/YvgcEVPA?typeform-source=riserescue.org

09/22/2025

The other day we asked what you thought might help Othello handle stress better (if you missed his story, just scroll back)…

And your answers were awesome. 🙌

You said things like predictability, a sense of control, and even agency.

All spot on. Let’s talk about it.

The truth is, Othello is going to feel stress. He’s in a brand-new place, surrounded by dogs he doesn’t know, and his past experiences with people, leashes, and collars haven’t been great. Stress is part of his reality right now.

But here’s the good news: we can make it a lot more manageable for him.

👉Control first.

If Othello feels like he has some control, scary things become less scary.

Think of it like this: if you could tell a spider to back off—and it actually listened—you probably wouldn’t mind spiders as much, right? 😉

How Othello gets control:

- On walks, he picks the path whenever possible and sets the pace - we follow his lead.
- There is absolutely no “obedience.”
- He’s learned safe ways to ask for space, and his handler always listens.
- No pulling on the leash or using it to guide him on walks.

👉 Then comes predictability.

Knowing what’s about to happen helps him relax. Same handler, same walk routine, and stressful things are always announced first (“Leash time!”) and then paired with something good, like going outside.

But here’s the catch: predictability can actually backfire. If something really awful is predictable, it just makes anxiety worse. That’s why control has to come first. Once Othello feels like he can handle things, predictability turns into a tool that helps, not hurts.

👉And agency?

That’s just giving him choices. Othello can choose to move away if he needs to. But agency only matters if it leads to real control.

For example, if he walked away and his handler followed—he’d have choice, but no control. If he walks away and actually gets the space he wants—that’s both choice and control. Add predictability (knowing his handler won’t push him past his limits), and now he’s learning the world isn’t so overwhelming after all.

👉 Control.
👉 Predictability.
👉 Agency.

Those three things together are helping Othello feel safer, braver, and a little more confident every day. 💙

(Photo from our walk the other day. It's not the best because it's a screenshot from a video - he's not quite ready to pose for the camera just yet - but we still love it because he looks so much lighter than he did before).

09/19/2025

Othello has been with us just over a week. (If you missed his story, just scroll back.) On day one, he had a vet check and got the all-clear to begin training.

Since then, he’s been making small but important steps forward.

His progress isn’t dramatic—and that’s exactly the point…

The goal isn’t fast change…

It’s steady, safe improvements without pushing him into unnecessary stress or conflict.

Some days are great, others are harder…

Progress isn’t a straight line—but right now, the direction is positive.

Here’s what’s changed in just one week:

👉 When he first arrived, he’d panic, bolt, and even try to chew through the leash. Now he walks calmly, and leash tension no longer triggers a panic response.

👉 Instead of hugging the fence line for security, he’s starting to walk through the middle of the yard by choice—even though it leaves him more exposed.

👉At first, he’d freeze at fence corners, either bolting back to his kennel or lying down in surrender—turning that corner felt overwhelming because it meant stepping toward his handler. Now, corners are no problem, and he moves through them with ease.

👉He’s not running into walls and fences because he’s too busy watching his back. And if he does misstep, it doesn’t panic him like it did before.

👉 He comes to the front of his kennel when it’s time to go out. Leashing still worries him, but less each day.

👉He’s gone from avoiding other dogs entirely to sniffing and investigating ONE new friend (for a whopping 3 sniffs).

👉He takes food by hand more readily and doesn’t get up and press himself to the back of the kennel when we come to feed him.

👉Instead of ducking behind obstacles to hide, he calmly walks around them.

👉 He’s graduated from a short leash to a long line—no more panicking, just thoughtful, safe choices.

None of this is flashy. But it’s the kind of quiet, steady work that builds real trust and lasting confidence.

And since we’re talking about stress and how dogs handle it… here’s a little quiz for you:

Despite our best efforts, Othello is going to experience stress through this process - it’s unavoidable…

But research suggests dogs cope better when they have:

A) A favorite toy
B) Predictability
C) A sense of control
D) A leader
E) A big open space

Which (you can choose more than one) answer do you think is correct? 🐕💡

09/17/2025

Update: ADOPTED 🎉

Welcome to RISE Luke and Leia!

How perfect are these two?

At just 1 year old, Luke and his 4-year-old mom Leia are the ultimate cockapoo duo. They’re as sweet as they come—gentle, affectionate, and happiest when curled up together. Most of the time you’ll find them snuggled up in a cozy heap of soft curls, ready to share all the cuddles you could ever want. 💕

But don’t be fooled by those nap-time photos—these two are anything but couch potatoes. The second a ball appears, they transform into fetch fanatics, happily chasing it for as long as you’ll throw. 🎾

Luke has never known life without his mom, so while we’ll consider placing them separately, we’d love to see them go home together and will give preference to adopters ready to welcome both. They also get along wonderfully with other dogs, making them an easy fit for many households.

Now that they’re ready for their next chapter, we’re confident Luke & Leia will make someone’s life brighter—whether that’s through their championship snuggles, endless games of fetch, or just the joy of their companionship.

🐶 Ready to meet your new best friends? Apply now to adopt Luke & Leia!
👉 https://j163jarsr1t.typeform.com/to/YvgcEVPA?typeform-source=riserescue.org

09/17/2025

We’ve been so wrapped up behind the scenes working with our boy Othello that we almost forgot to share some really big news!

Our perfect girl Bonnie has found her forever family—and we couldn’t be happier for her. 🥳

Our sweetest Mitzy has landed herself the loving home she deserves. 💕

And our adventurous Mara? She’s off to explore the world with her new family, who can’t wait to give her all the love (and adventures!) she could dream of. 🌟

That’s three incredible adoptions we’re celebrating, and our hearts are so full.

Oh—and before we forget… we may have had a few new arrivals. Did someone say puppies? 🐶👀

09/15/2025

How great is this?

We’re so excited to share that our brand-new donation shed is officially ready!

This project came together thanks to the incredible generosity of General Contractor Sam Yadon, who donated his time and skills to build the shed, and Rise volunteer Sherri Lewis, who brightened it up with her wonderful hand-painted signs. We are so grateful to both of them for making this possible.

The shed is now open 24/7 at our facility (around back - just follow the signs!) for donation drop-offs—rain or shine! No more soggy supplies left out in the weather.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support our mission. Every blanket, bag of food, and donation makes a difference for the animals in our care.

09/14/2025

Yesterday, we asked what you thought our first step would be in helping a dog like Othello…

And your answers were wonderful.

So many of you said time, space, and decompression—and we loved seeing how many people recognize the importance of letting a dog settle in without pressure.

But here’s the twist… it was kind of a trick question.

Because the truth is, our very first step is almost the opposite of decompression.

Stay with us.

When we arranged to bring Othello into the RISE program, the very first call our head trainer made was to the vet.

Her exact words?

“I don’t want to bring this dog down until I can get him immediately in to see you.”

So she picked him up Tuesday evening… and dropped him off first thing Wednesday morning.

He spent the whole day there getting a full workup:

✅ X-rays
✅ Bloodwork
✅ A nose-to-tail exam

And thankfully, he got a mostly clean bill of health. (Don't worry, he was sedated to minimize stress as much as possible)

Now, to some people this might seem like overkill. But for us, vetting a dog before training isn’t just important—it’s absolutely critical.

Here’s why:

👉 Pain changes everything.
If Othello has orthopedic pain, no amount of training will “fix” it. In fact, asking more of him could make it worse.

👉 Medical issues can look like behavior issues.
Low thyroid, neurological problems, or other conditions can show up as fear or shutdown. That’s not something you solve with treats and leash skills—it needs medical treatment.

👉 Stress can be dangerous.
Even though our goal is always to minimize stress, dogs this fearful will experience some during rehab. Certain conditions—like Addison’s disease for example—can make stress literally life-threatening. We need to know what’s going on inside before we start.

This is why every severe case we take on is fully vetted before training begins.

It keeps the dog safe—and gives them the very best chance at a true comeback story.

A huge thank you to the amazing folks at Blue Mountain Animal Clinic for squeezing our big guy in, helping us get creative to minimize stress (he actually WALKED into the clinic) and for taking such exceptional care of him. We appreciate you so much!

09/13/2025

Yesterday, we shared the story of one of our newest arrivals…

Othello, the Great Dane, came to RISE completely fearful and shut down. (If you missed it, scroll back to catch up.)

With every fearful dog who enters our training and rehabilitation program…

We always begin in the exact same place.

That first step is critical—especially when the behavior challenges are this severe.

So tell us…

What do you think it is?

Drop your guesses in the comments ⬇️

Tomorrow we’ll reveal the answer—and explain why it matters so much.

09/12/2025

Break out the champagne...🥂

Our best boy Tate has found his forever family!

Tate was one of our longest residents, and to this day we can’t quite figure out why. If you’ve ever come to one of our events, you’ve probably been greeted by him—he’s a big, goofy ball of wiggles and joy.

Tate has never met a stranger, and he adores dogs, cats, and kids alike. Yet, for some reason, he kept getting overlooked.

That all changed when his new family came to meet him.

They welcomed him into their home for a trial period, and Tate quickly showed them exactly who he is—hiking buddy, swimming partner at the lake, expert snuggler, and all-around best friend.

Today, they made it official: Tate is home.

We owe a huge thank you to Friends of Forks Animals for rescuing him and helping him find his way to us...

And to Tate’s amazing foster mom who loves him like crazy and taught him fun skills that helped him shine.

Most of all, thank you to Tate’s new family for seeing the wonderful dog we all knew he was, and for giving him the life he deserves.

Here’s to Tate—our bestest boy! Go live it up, buddy. Things won’t be the same without you, but we couldn’t be more excited for all the adventures ahead.

The Rise Rescue Alliance

09/28/2025

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09/12/2025

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