ScratchMyBelly.org is a non-profit founded to save animals from high-kill shelters in Southern California and the streets of Baja California. Join us.
Scratch My Belly Rescue focuses on saving dogs on the day they are to be euthanized at high-kill shelters, dogs surrendered from owners in crisis health situations, and abused and severely neglected dogs from Southern California and Baja California. Our goal is to rehabilitate the neglected, injured and sick. We also help healthy animals find forever homes. Every year, about 10 million pets are br
ought to animal shelters across the US and more than 2 million of those are put to sleep. Economically distressed areas and the mindset that selling puppies will make one rich results in too many of the current popular breeds, physical and mental issues in many offspring, and sickness when puppies are not vaccinated and kept in unclean conditions. Parent dogs suffer by being bred over and over and are eventually dumped when they can no longer produce puppies. People adopt these puppies without any concern by the sellers for how the dogs will be raised or live. Many grow up without training or socialization and they wind up in animal shelters. There are areas in Southern California where dogs are not protected in homes and they roam freely, eventually being picked up as stray. Our goal is to rescue dogs who are at the end of their time in a shelter or on the streets in Tijuana when other rescues have not responded to save them. We rescue all breeds as long as we have fosters to bring them into a home. We rescue puppies, adults, and some senior dogs. Every dog is fully vetted and gets the care needed to be sure they are healthy before they are made adoptable. We also take in some owner surrenders, focusing on dogs whose owners have medical or financial emergencies that force them to relinquish. We look for just the right home for each and every dog. We do home checks of fosters and adopters and dogs are part of the rescue for their entire life - if they ever have to be surrendered, they are to come back to Scratch My Belly. Donate, foster, adopt. Save a life with us today.
11/19/2025
Temp foster opportunity (details below)
Marco needs temp foster from Dec 7-19.
His temp foster needs to be experienced with fearful dogs, Marco came from tremendous abuse and even tho he has made incredible strides, don’t expect him to just jump on your lap and cuddle.
He is dog friendly and has learned that walks are the best.
Temp foster should not have young children as that can be very scary for him.
If you have experience, please contact us.
Location: San Diego, Orange County, Temecula
Supplies provided
11/14/2025
TEMP FOSTER OPPORTUNITY - ONE NIGHT Stevie needs a 24 hours foster from Monday morning to Tuesday. Who can help???
Location San Diego
Supplies will be provided as foster is picking him up on Tuesday. Dog friendly and very sweet.
11/14/2025
Thor needs a temp foster from Monday to 11/23. Can anyone help? Good with other dogs and just a sweet boy. Location San Diego, to Temecula. No doggie doors please.
11/12/2025
Foster found 🙏
FOSTER NEEDED - San Diego, CA
Sonny
Yorkie, male
6-7 years
Dental done, neutered and vaccinated
Approx 5 pounds
Friendly
Mostly Potty trained
Kids 8 and older, no doggie doors
Supplies provided, home check required.
To become a foster, go to ScratchMyBelly.org/forms
11/07/2025
Part Frenchie
Part English bulldog
Mostly silly 😂
Polly is looking for a foster or forever home. This silly monkey come to the rescue with double cherry eyes and since then has been waiting for her chance.
If you like English bulldogs, if you like Frenchies, this is your girl!
She is dog friendly and very playful.
Spayed, vaccinated, tested.
Supplies provided. Dm us if you can help!
11/06/2025
Stevie
Still waiting for a foster opportunity. This boy has endured some much pain in his such short life. Five surgeries is what it took to get him in the right direction after a major case of pr*****ed re**um.
Now he sits and waits for a foster and/or forever home as we always disclose that he needs a balanced diet with most of his food being wet (or home made) to preserve his IG system.
Stevie is lovable and sweet, loves other dogs and is only about 3 yrs old.
If you know anyone interested in a special boy like Stevie please tag them to this post!
11/06/2025
Adventures of Basil at Balboa park… such a special boy. Approx 2-3 yrs old, +/- 16 lbs, super lovable and easy going.
Approx 5 yrs old, spayed, vaccinated and just had a dental cleaning.
No doggie doors. Home check required.
She gets along with other dogs but prefers to be the center of the attention.
❤️
11/04/2025
FOSTER FOUND 🙏
It’s time for Penny to find a foster! She is sweet and great with other dogs. This sweet girl came into the rescue in rough shape and look at her now. Approx 3 yrs old. Supplies provided, no doggie doors please.
10/31/2025
It is Halloween and Wally is ready for it!!!!
I have always loved Halloween and when Wally’s foster sent me this pic it made my day!
Wally is nothing less than a perfect dog, a best friend and a gentle soul.
Here is what we have as his bio:
Meet Wally – Your New Best Friend!
Looking for a loyal companion who’s as sweet as he is well-behaved? Wally is the total package! This amazing foster pup is ready to find his forever home, and he’s hoping it might be with you.
Why Wally is Wonderful:
· Loves going on walks and snuggling up for TV time
· Sleeps peacefully in his crate every night—no complaints!
· Gets along great with other dogs and is gentle with kids
· Mild-mannered, affectionate, and full of love
Wally is the kind of dog who will melt your heart with his calm demeanor and loving nature. He’s been such a joy to foster, and now he’s ready to bring that same joy to his forever family.
If you or someone you know is looking for a sweet, easygoing pup to complete your home, Wally is waiting to meet you!
DM us to meet Wally or share his profile.
10/30/2025
Foster found - thabk you everyone
FOSTER NEEDED! After loosing Aspen yesterday, today we were asked to help this little girl. She is great with dogs and people, approx 4-5 yrs old. We need a foster to help us. Location San Diego. I know Aspen is sending her to us ❤️
10/29/2025
She didn’t make it 😭😭😭💔 what a sad day. The heartbreak of rescue to loose the ones you fight to help. Run free of pain sweet girl, enjoy your next journey free to play and be a dog without the exploitation of humans. I’m sorry we failed you… we will have her tiny body cremated. Thank you for everyone who donated to cover her initial vet bill
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Scratchmybelly.org posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
ScratchMyBelly.org is a non-profit that was founded to save dogs from high-kill shelters in Southern California, from homes where an owner has suffered a critical life-changing situation requiring them to give up their dog, and from the streets of Tijuana, Mexico, where dogs are neglected and abused.
Scratch My Belly is a “death-row” rescue - our primary effort in saving shelter dogs is to take the dogs that are going to be euthanized at the last minute - when we are their last hope. We do not go to a shelter to look for the most adoptable dogs and pick the cute ones. We take the ones nobody else wants, when they are desperate and scared and sick. When we are needed most.
Our goal is to get the dogs into safe, happy foster homes where they can recover physically and emotionally. We provide all the vet care needed to make sure the dogs are healthy before we go through a process to find each one its own perfect forever home.
We strive to meet the highest ethical standards in rescue and require home checks for both foster and adoptive homes and we take dogs back for the lifetime of the dog. Our foster program includes support with food, crates, beds, toys, leashes, collars, harnesses, baby gates and anything else needed to make a foster home successful. We are contracted with over a dozen veterinarians so that dogs can receive care as close as possible to a foster’s home. Most of all, we focus on quality, not quantity, of adoptions. That means it may take longer to find the right home for a dog, but it also means we have almost no returns.
Join us. Volunteer. Foster. Donate. It takes a village to save each and every life.
