Coco's Pet Ranch - 501c3

01/06/2025

Click to see video.

Human and Animals United's Grift

01/04/2025

Pets are for life!

12/26/2024

How does a puppy learn to smile only to face a tragic end before her first birthday? Kiara’s precious life hangs in the balance—can you be her Christmas Miracle?

Kiara, a beautiful 6-month-old Malinois puppy, sits on a patch of dry grass. Her dark eyes plead for help, brimming with innocence and confusion. Her slim frame and perked ears signal her youth, while her surroundings—a barren and lifeless outdoor shelter area—highlight the urgency of her dire situation.

Animal Details:
Name: Kiara
ID:
Age: 6 months
Weight: 31 pounds
Breed: Malinois
Time at Shelter: 40 days

Shelter Location:
Riverside County Animal Control - Riverside Shelter
6851 Van Buren Boulevard
Jurupa Valley, CA 92509
Phone: (951) 358-7387

Kiara’s days are numbered, and her life depends on you! Let’s make sure this puppy gets the chance to celebrate her first birthday. Share, adopt, foster, or donate to save Kiara. Call Riverside Shelter today and give her the loving home she deserves!

12/17/2024

12/17/2024

Found on Mobley Heights in FB. He was a little cold so we gave him a hat.

12/07/2024

The problem with gatekeeping breeds

Anyone who has spent more than a minute online in dog world will have seen the rhetoric of how it takes someone very special to own a power breed such as a Belgian Malinois or a Cane Corso or an APBT or the like. Social media platforms are filled with posts either showing these breeds doing incredible things, or posts about how you should never get a breed like this unless you are going to work them and unless you are able to fulfil their needs. These posts are spot on and I couldn’t agree more. But they are creating a problem.

Everyone thinks they are special.

It’s a bitter pill to swallow.

As humans we have an ego and our ego often leads us to believe we are more capable than we are. The problem with gatekeeping breeds is that it makes them more desirable. People want to say ‘yes I can handle my Belgian Malinois because I am special’. We desperately need approval and admiration from others, especially in a world that is chronically online.

We saw it happen real time with the XL Bully. People saw this incredibly powerful breed and said ‘I’m special enough to handle one of them’ and then promptly bred them in the hundreds of thousands leading to many ill equipped homes owning a dog they absolutely could not handle.

The truth is, that to own a truly intense, working bred dog, you actually need to have an incredibly small life. You need your entire being to be obsessive about training, handling and working with the dog. It’s a full time career in itself to truly meet the needs of these dogs. You need to be absolutely addicted to it. That level of obsession however isn’t ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’. It doesn’t make for great online content either. That level of obsession however is what makes the dog easy to live with.

Even as I’m writing this, I know someone out there will read it and go ‘yes I can do that’. If you’re that person, please really look inward and be truly honest with yourself. Confront your ego.

I work at a rescue centre and years ago all we had was bull breeds, terriers and lurchers. Now all we have is fad colour Frenchies, Cane Corsos, Shepherds and Malinois/Dutch Shepherds. It speaks volumes.

I don’t know what the solution is. The more we say ‘not everyone can handle this breed!’ The more that is perceived as a challenge to the ego, and the more the ego grabs at a chance to prove itself.

We are heading down a very dark road of breed bans and dog legislation and those of us in the industry can see the patterns unfolding. We don’t know how to stop it, or even if stopping it is the right answer.

The issue is that our human egos and our desperation to be seen as ‘worthy’ is ruining our dogs and creating real danger for the general public.

Look inward. Really question why you want a certain breed. Take pause from the online rhetoric on both sides. Choose a dog that you and those around you need, not just one that you want.

- Kahla

📸 Alison Bowkett

12/02/2024

Memories.