Meet Julia! 

Julia joined SGA (Saving Great Animals) as a volunteer in 2022 and has a huge impact since! Not only has she fostered and adopted – she supports events, spends time at our rehabilitation house, and donates! We had the chance to ask Julia a few questions – keep reading to check it out.

Tell us a little bit about yourself: 

Hi, I’m Julia! I’m a dog-mom of three rescues ranging in age from 12.5 years to 8 months. I have always loved animals, growing up on an avocado orchard in Santa Barbara, CA and raising dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, other birds, guinea pigs, rabbits, and fish. I work in hospitality, love food and beer, and have a wonderful and supportive partner who is a chef. I love taking the dogs camping and kayaking, hosting dinners and board game nights, and the few precious moments between being free of the dogs and missing them.

What’s one of your favorite memories with SGA?

I loved when the “Box Puppies” were delivered by Jacintha to my house! They were so little, so sweet, so innocent, and smelled worse than anything I’ve previously encountered. It’s so rewarding directly helping an animal in need, and knowing that even though it’s not convenient, and it’s often gross (puppies pretty much universally make up for their cuteness in volume of poop) that their lives are better- that day and hopefully forever- because of your efforts.

 

 

What made you decide to join SGA?

I have always wanted to be a foster, but felt that I couldn’t while renting with my, at the time, 2 permanent resident dogs. When I bought my house and didn’t have to answer to a landlord I knew it was my opportunity to help more dogs in need!

What’s one of the weirdest things your dog or foster has eaten?

Through some stroke of luck my dog’s don’t usually eat weird things! The weirdest is probably that Ravioli, our puppy, loves ice cubes, and will wait by the fridge each night before bed to be awarded one.

How long have you been volunteering and fostering with SGA?

I started fostering in SGA in 2022, and have hosted 5 dogs. I’ve recently put a hiatus on fostering, as it seems my oldest dog is having vision problems and I’d like to let her adjust, but I hope to get back to it soon! In the meantime, I volunteer at Doug’s Place, help with events, and contribute monetarily as I can!

How have you supported SGA and what does it mean to you? 

Supporting SGA as a foster and volunteer really rounds out my life! I am so blessed to have a wonderful family of both pets and people, to enjoy my career, and have the opportunity to maintain hobbies; however, it means a lot to me to be able to contribute outside of my direct sphere as well, and SGA really allows me to do that! It was an aspect of my life that was comparatively empty, and now that it’s filled it’s something I know I want to maintain!

What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering or fostering?

Try it out! Fostering is a big commitment to a dog, but a relatively small one to a person! Any amount of love, attention, and training is better than they’d be getting in a shelter, on the street.

What is one of the funniest things your dog or foster has done?

Each one of our dogs are absolute clowns, however Solar, my 3 year old pocket-pitty is the probably the funniest. Solar can walk on her hind legs absurdly well, and if you bump into her, she will not be knocked to all fours, but instead will readjust. She can even walk uphill, backwards or forwards, on her hind legs!

What do you enjoy most about volunteering with SGA?

I love working with SGA because of the flexible commitment! My partner and I both work full time and have somewhat regular personal commitments, but we can always carve out a few hours to help as it’s needed or when we have some spare time!

Let us know anything else! An impactful moment, a funny story, anything!

Impactful! Our first foster, for reasons unknown to me, did not get along with one of our resident dogs. It was a heart-wrenching experience to take in a dog in need and have her not feel comfortable in our home environment. Even though my partner and I both loved her, she ultimately had to be moved to another foster home, who ended up adopting her and giving her the chance she deserved. I was so worried that the next time we fostered it also wouldn’t work out, and that I’d have to give up my fostering goal before it had even started; but the next time (fostering the “Box Puppies”) went far better, and even though it was hard, tiring, and real dirty-work, it was more rewarding than anything else.

 

Meet Julia’s dogs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saving Great Animals is extremely lucky, and thankful to have Julia on our team! 

THANK YOU JULIA

Pepper was adopted this year by Meg, together with her husband, John. Please read this open letter from Meg about Pepper’s incredible journey from feral dog to loving house-mate!

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I am so excited to share the story of my dog Pepper who was rescued by Saving Great Animals after years of sitting in a cage.

I hope that you will be inspired by my story to make a gift that helps save other dogs – from their worst days to the day they finally go home.

Donate

When I first met Pepper, she glanced up at me and quickly turned her eyes back to the floor. Her head hung down, her ears drooped. She just looked deflated.

Our first instructions from Saving Great Animals were to sit with her in her kennel. “Don’t make eye contact. Do not touch her. She needs to get accustomed to the presence of humans. She needs to know there is nothing to fear.” I spent the first visit sitting on the floor of her kennel against the door and she on the opposite end of the kennel leaning against the wall as if she was trying to disappear into it. I sat and read her affirmations and told her that she was loved.

I  told her that a great life was now beginning for her.

 

Gradually we were able to sit closer. Peppers eyes met ours. It took a long time for her to be comfortable enough to lie down with us in her kennel. She would sit, falling asleep, head bobbing, but lying down made her too vulnerable.

Eventually we could brush her and we knew we had gained a little trust when she would lick “squeezy cheese” from our fingers and finally she was willing to lie down and even sleep pushed up against us.

On Christmas Eve, 2019, I helped take Pepper on her first walk outdoors. She was so excited! She was coming to life.

She loved her walks outside. On days when the weather didn’t allow an outdoor walk and we walked around inside the building but she would stop at the windows and paw at them. My husband, John became her best buddy. He would run with her through the nearby park and Pepper, who had not run for the majority of her life, absolutely loved running, maybe more than anything she had experienced.

When Pepper was ready to move to a foster home, John and I decided to volunteer. The night Pepper came home, she ran and did her goofy bunny hops through the house with our dogs. She had never been in a house but seemed so happy and comfortable. The next morning Pepper literally bucked and jumped around the kitchen and woofed at me as I prepared the dogs’ food. At one point she ran into the room and gave me a kiss when I bent down and then she ran back out. Her personality was really coming out!

She began playing with toys and playing with us, doing play-bows and jumping and running around the house. When we were able to let her off-leash in the yard, her favorite game became one of hiding in the trees at one end of the yard and then jumping out and running as fast as she could, tail flopping around, nose out, running past us, daring us to try to catch her.

We knew we couldn’t part with Pepper. We had to adopt her.

Pepper is adorably mischievous. She wags her tail and gives kisses when we come home and she follows us around the house, always wanting to be close. This sweet, playful, goofy girl who had no hope, now has a life in which she has other dogs to play with. Pepper knows love and gentle touches, soft beds and good food, treats and toys – something she never experienced until Saving Great Animals rescued her.Pepper gets out of her dog bed every morning, wags her tail, and approaches everything with a playful, happy attitude. She shakes her toys and throws them around. She plays chase with our other dogs, she whines while I prepare her food, and she runs to the bedroom at night and waits for her “night-night” cookie before we all go to sleep.

Pepper is soaking up life and she reminds us not to dwell in the pain of the past but to be grateful for what we have today, every day, and to look for the even the simplest and greatest joys.

I can’t imagine any other life for her now. I’m so grateful for Saving Great Animals and the incredible work they do to give dogs like Pepper a chance!

Please consider making a gift this holiday season to help other dogs find immense joy as Pepper has done.

Thank you and warmest wishes,

Meg & John
Pepper’s Parents

You’ve decided you want to adopt a dog. It’s the right thing to do and surely there are many dogs in need! So why is it so hard? Why is finding a rescue dog so frustrating?

We hear this complaint often. Sadly it is often followed by “I guess we’ll just go to a breeder then.” While we understand that it can be a frustrating and sometimes heartbreaking journey, sticking with it and waiting for the right dog to come along is worthwhile.

Do rescues just want to make things difficult and are they overly picky with applicants? We don’t think so. Are rescues sometimes overly protective of the dogs they are trying to place? Perhaps. You see, when the dogs we rescue come to us, they have often already encountered multiple difficulties. Many are lost, confused, afraid and have been let down by humans. When they come into our care, we make them a promise. We promise them that we will find them a home that is a good match for them, so that they won’t be re-homed again when their people decide they are too active, too noisy, too difficult on the leash, too anything. We promise them that their next home will be one that fits them just right. While a dog may receive many applications, not all of those applications will be right for that dog. Aside from this, we also want to make sure that you end up with a dog that is just right for you. If you apply for a dog that will not be a great long-term fit, we will tell you. No one is served by giving you a dog that isn’t right for you. Our dogs typically spend some time in a foster home before being placed so that we can get to know them and their personalities and needs. We do this so that we can make good decisions for the dog as well as the applicants.

But I have applied for so many dogs and the one I want is never available!

It’s true that some dogs receive a great deal of interest right away and are placed easily. It can be sad to fall in love with a cute face on a website only to find that dog already has a pending application. But here’s the thing… another one will come along. Perhaps not today, perhaps not this week. But if you are open to the process and allow a rescue to help you find your match, it will happen. Finding a dog should not be an instant gratification kind of endeavour. Just like with people, you typically don’t marry the first person you meet. Rather than falling in love with a face or a look, try to expand your view and look for a personality that matches your circumstances. Everyone wants the cute Maltese with the little ribbon on her head. Everyone wants the little fluffy poodle. But there are other dogs out there waiting to be loved. Try to keep your heart open and there will be a lovely dog just waiting to take up that space. And, if you really just want a specific breed and are not open to other types of dogs, be willing to wait for that dog to come along. If you narrow your field, you automatically narrow your chances of success. There are dogs of all breeds, ages and sizes in need so don’t give up.

So what’s with the endless questions on the application? And references? What on earth…?

We ask these questions not just for the sake of of snooping around in your private business. The questions serve a purpose. They guide us in our matching efforts. Why do we need to know how old your kids are or how long you are at work? Because not all dogs like kids and not all dogs like to be alone while you are away. We love it when people write things about their family and their lives in the application. We love it when people are thoughtful in their application and take the time to explain who they are and what they are looking for. It really helps, and it shows that you care. That you have put some thought into getting a dog and are invested in the outcome as much as we are. Skipping most of the application questions because it’s too much work to fill hem out, doesn’t exactly inspire us with confidence that a dog will be the light of your life and is worthy of more than a few minutes of your time. If you email us and ask “how much for the dog” we hope you will understand that our reply will be in equal measure.

And references… sadly we need those because life is unfair and sometimes people are not who they say they are. Most rescues will have experienced placing a dog in good faith only to find out that the dog was poorly treated, neglected or abandoned once again. It happens more often than you think. And it never ends well for the dog. So yes, we’re a little protective. Because we think that our dogs deserve that. And because we need to sleep at night.

It is truly our goal to partner with you to find the right match. This is not a simple business transaction. We deal with living beings. We care about our dogs. We care about you. We do our best to make this a good experience so that you and your new furry friend can live happily ever after. Let’s be patient with each other.