Little Red Dog Inc

The Little Red Dog saves the lives of at-risk dogs others overlook, providing rescue, rehabilitation, and hope. We fight to end shelter euthanasia and envision a world where every dog—regardless of age, breed, or history—has a loving home and where dogs and people thrive together in safety and compassion.

The Little Red Dog, Inc (TLRD) was founded in 2011 in memory of a little red American Pit Bull Terrier who was beaten to death because she didn’t want to fight. TLRD is an homage to her sweetness and loyalty; two pillars of this breed. TLRD strives to save all dogs. We have an affinity for the bullies, but we rescue all breeds and special needs. We have processes and infrastructure in place and senior staff. We have saved nearly 4,000 dogs of all breeds and hundreds of cats since our 2011 inception. We educate people on basic dog behavior and match the energy of the dog, with the knowledge and discipline level of the owner. People surrender their dogs due to ignorance of these basic skills and a lack of discipline. We know if we do this, the dog will have a forever home and we reduce the number of dogs euthanized. Our senior team consists of a CEO, CFO, and six senior staff members. Our team evaluates applications, conducts interviews with adopters, facilitates meet and greets, and ensures the dog is going to an appropriate forever home. We have 75 trained fosters to provide a home for dogs until they are adopted out. These fosters also attend bi-monthly adoption events, and during the pandemic, we do virtual events broadcasted on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. We have 35 trained dog walkers to help with dogs that are in boarding. This team walks dogs twice daily to ensure the dog has one-on-one human time and exercise. We also have Volunteers that transport dogs from shelters, to vet visits/foster homes, and perform home checks of adopters. We have bi-monthly PetSmart adoption events, four annual corporate events, and three annual major fundraisers. We have 200 volunteers that help at these events for set up, wrangling dogs and selling merchandise, raffles, and facilitating adoptions. Our board is made up of seven diverse volunteer members who are dedicated to TLRD; 37% are women. The board meets quarterly and has a chair, treasurer, and secretary. All members serve on one fundraising committee each year. We know the greatest need there is in rescue. We know we can’t save them all, but we want to save more.

The epidemic of animal homelessness stems from people purchasing dogs from breeders, unplanned pregnancies, and owner surrenders due to cost, lifestyle change, or lack of training. 90% of the dogs in the US will never find a permanent home. TLRD addresses this and has saved nearly 4,000 dogs since 2011. We service California and Mexico, representing 15 million people. The services provided by TLRD reduces the number of dogs euthanized in local kill shelters, provide proper medical care and training to rescued dogs to ensure a successful transition to adoptive homes, and facilitate permanent adoption of rescued dogs. TLRD helps owners with vet care and training so they can keep their pets. TLRD hosted its first spay/neuter clinic in February 2020. The event prevented the potential of 3M unwanted cats and 5M homeless dogs. In six years, a pair of unfixed dogs can produce 67K puppies. Our goal is to offer spay/neuter 2-3 times a year post pandemic. Since 85% of dogs in our area are not fixed due to cost, this will prevent unwanted litters from entering shelters. We will analyze the data from local shelters to determine the direct effect of our clinics decreasing the number of abandoned animals going into shelters. Adopters are surveyed to assess satisfaction in customer service, response time, services provided, and program impact. Feedback helps us improve our processes and provides a conduit to address needs once dogs are placed with families. Our goal is 95% satisfaction on both customer service and retention rate. Our staff communicates daily to discuss program/process improvement. We review correspondence, calls, and reviews as part of our evaluation. Issues are discussed and changes are made. TLRD tracks data throughout the year and reports out at the board of director’s meetings. We are part of the Maddie’s Fund shelter counts program and provide monthly data.

Funding for The Little Red Dog’s programs currently comes from adoption donations, small grants, and hosted events. Unfortunately, over the last 2.5 years we’ve had to rescue fewer dogs due to a lack of consistent funding and foster homes. Our 2025 goal is to save 200+ animals — a fraction of our normal 600+ dogs per year.

Adoption and personal donations make up the majority of our budget, but this is unpredictable and deeply stressful, as medical and behavioral needs vary widely from dog to dog. Since COVID-19, the challenges have grown: shelter surrenders reached record highs in 2021, and in 2023 alone, 100,000 dogs were euthanized in California. The crisis continues, and without reliable funding, our ability to save lives has been greatly reduced.

We work on both the symptoms (rescuing dogs in immediate danger) and the root causes (lack of affordable vet care, spay/neuter access, and owner education). Yet the costs are rising dramatically. It now averages $1,290 to save each dog — up from $690 in 2019. Boarding costs alone will near $80,000 this year when we don’t have fosters available. Animal welfare is among the least-funded sectors in philanthropy, and competing for grants is extremely difficult, especially when audit requirements alone can cost $20,000 — funds we would rather spend directly on the animals.

We were also forced to close our facility due to lack of donations and funding, but reopening would be transformational. With $350,000 to buy/lease and retrofit a new space, The Little Red Dog could:

Generate sustainable revenue through doggie daycare, boarding, training, and grooming.

Provide low-cost or free temporary boarding to owners in need.

Expand our foster network, especially for pregnant moms and litters.

Hire 2–5 employees (at $60,000+ salaries), creating jobs while quadrupling the number of dogs we can save.

Without investment, our lifesaving work will remain constrained. With support, we can not only save exponentially more dogs but also address systemic issues in animal welfare, strengthen families in crisis, and create jobs in our community.

The Little Red Dog is headquartered in Orange County, California, and provides services throughout the state and neighboring regions. Our rescue efforts extend as far north as Modesto, south to Joshua Tree and Mexico, and into Arizona and Texas — collectively reaching more than 25 million people.

My journey with animals began as a child surrounded by pets — dogs, cats, and farm animals. At age 10, I made my first rescue, bringing home a box of kittens from school. Later, after adopting my first Pitbull, I discovered how misunderstood the breed was and realized that dogs of every breed, size, and age needed help.

The overwhelming crisis in shelters compelled me to act. With my family and a small group of volunteers, I founded The Little Red Dog to make the world better for both dogs and people. I studied dog behavior and psychology, training with a protégé of Cesar Millan, and recognized the critical need for education. Inspired by Shipman’s research on the human–dog bond and by the story of the “little red dog” who lost her life because she refused to fight, I knew I had to honor her by creating a rescue that stood for compassion and second chances.

Every day, I witness both the worst and the best in humanity. Neglected dogs reveal the depths of cruelty, but the kindness of our volunteers and adopters restores my faith. Dogs remind us of resilience, forgiveness, and unconditional love. In turn, they have taught me to be a better communicator, leader, and human being.

Through The Little Red Dog, we have built a powerful community: over 500 volunteers and 150 fosters trained, 3,500+ dogs rescued and adopted, and countless adopters educated. Together, we provide safety, health, enrichment, and hope. I have learned that while we cannot do everything, we can make a lasting difference — and with a dedicated team, we already are.

The Little Red Dog rescue was founded out of a deep need to make the world a better place for dogs and the people who love them. We have been blessed with incredible support from volunteers, fosters, and donors who share our passion for saving lives. Most people understand the joy and healing dogs bring, and we are grateful for every contribution that allows us to continue this work.

As a charity, we recognize that we not only compete with other rescues for donations, but also with countless other worthy causes. We never take that support for granted. While we are proud to remain 100% volunteer-based, to save more lives we must grow — and that requires dedicated employees. Even as we expand, we are committed to keeping administrative costs as low as possible so that every dollar goes directly to the care and feeding of the dogs we rescue.

Fundraising is our top priority this year, because without growth, we cannot save more dogs. Our goal is to rescue 475 dogs in 2020, building on the more than 3,000 dogs we’ve already saved in the past nine years. We know we cannot save them all, but we are determined to save as many as possible. We are, quite simply, on a mission from DOG.