Year End Rescue

SAN DIEGO — Breaking News!

As the year draws to a close, our team has worked tirelessly to rescue 40 dogs and puppies from a residence in La Mesa. These animals deserve the chance to start the new year safe, loved and with a much brighter future ahead of them. We’re committed to being there for them — but we need your help.

Late last night, our Humane Law Enforcement team responded to a call that no animal welfare organization ever wants to receive. Following a welfare check by the La Mesa Police Department, our Humane Officers arrived on-scene to discover 40 dogs and puppies inside a 500-square-foot apartment. They were living in severely unsanitary conditions, with floors covered in feces. The tenant hadn’t been seen for days, and the animals were in desperate need of help.

And when animals need us, we act immediately.

fter ensuring the dogs had access to food and water, our Humane Law Enforcement and medical teams triaged the animals and began transporting them to our San Diego Campus.

Many of these dogs have medical and behavioral needs that will take time and resources to address. They have skin, dental and eye conditions that require treatment. Their nails are overgrown, and they are so fearful they’re trembling. Caring for these animals takes a village, especially when they’re coming into a crowded shelter environment.

It takes a team of Humane Law Enforcement to rescue them. Dedicated Admissions staff to welcome them into our care. An Animal Care team to keep them nourished, warm and clean. A medical team to examine them, treat them and help them heal. Behavior and training experts to determine whether they’ll need individual intervention. And a whole community of supporters — like you — who make this level of care possible.

With your help, we’ll give each of these dogs a fresh start in 2026 — filled with safety, warmth, love and the chance to become part of a family. Tomorrow we’ll continue to assess their individual needs and do everything we can to give them the second chance they deserve.

Rescues like this are the reason we do what we do. Together, we changed 40 lives today. But rescues of this size also come with challenges — especially when our shelters are already critically over capacity. Before these dogs arrived, we were already caring for 725 dogs and puppies. Every available space is filled, but we’ll never turn away an animal in need.

That’s why we desperately need your help.

Any gift you make today will be TRIPLED by our friends at the Resource Partners Foundation. That means you’ll make 3X the lifesaving impact for the hundreds of animals who are sleeping safely in our shelters tonight, whether they just arrived or have already spent weeks, months or more waiting to be adopted. Your gift can play a critical role in their journey.

Thank you for being part of a community that makes second chances like this possible. Together, we are creating a more humane San Diego.