About Friends of Shelter Dogs
This started with one person who couldn't stop seeing the dogs. And it grew into a mission to help everyone else see them too - and know exactly what to do about it.
How This Started
It was 2:47 AM when her phone buzzed. Again. Another urgent message in the rescue network. Another dog out of time. A senior pittie with a heart murmur. Shelter closing in 12 hours. No rescue had stepped up.
I watched her - exhausted, overwhelmed, fighting tears - coordinate a rescue pull, arrange transport, line up a foster. All before dawn. All while holding down a full-time job. All for a dog she'd never meet, saving a life most people would never know existed.
She did this every single day. Not because she was superhuman. Not because she had unlimited resources or time or energy. But because she couldn't un-see what she'd seen. Couldn't un-know what she knew about how many dogs were dying simply because people didn't understand the system.
And I kept watching her field the same questions over and over:
"I want to help, but I don't know where to start."
"What's the difference between a shelter and a rescue?"
"I can't foster, so I guess there's nothing I can do?"
"How do I know which rescues are legitimate?"
"I shared a dog's photo. Did that actually help?"
Good people. Compassionate people. People who genuinely wanted to help. But they were standing outside the rescue world looking in, unable to find the door because nobody had ever explained where it was or how to open it.
Meanwhile, she was drowning in 2 AM messages, begging for fosters, begging for transporters, begging for people to share posts, watching dogs die not because there weren't enough people who cared, but because those people didn't know how to help.
That gap - between people who wanted to help and dogs who desperately needed help - that's what kills dogs. Not lack of compassion. Lack of understanding.
So I built this. Not as a rescue organization - there are already amazing rescues doing incredible work. Not as another plea for donations - though donations are desperately needed. But as a bridge. An education platform. A translator between the rescue world and everyone outside it.
Because if people understand how the system works, they'll find a dozen ways to help. And every person who helps means one more dog saved.
Our Mission
The world of shelter dog rescue is confusing and overwhelming from the outside. Shelters, rescues, fosters, networkers, transporters, pullers - there's a whole ecosystem of passionate people working to save dogs, but it has its own language, its own unspoken rules, its own barriers to entry.
If you're not already inside that world, it's nearly impossible to figure out how to get involved. So you want to help, but you don't know where to start. You see the posts about urgent dogs, but you don't understand what "CODE RED" means or what a "committed foster" is or why transport chains work the way they do.
Friends of Shelter Dogs exists to bridge that gap.
We believe that education is the key to saving more dogs. When people understand how the rescue world works, they can find meaningful ways to contribute - whether that's fostering, transporting, donating, networking, or simply sharing a dog's photo on social media with the right information to make it effective.
We're not here to guilt you into helping. We're not here to manipulate you with sad photos and heartbreaking stories (though those stories are real, and they matter). We're here to educate you about how the system actually works, so you can make informed choices about where you fit in.
Because once you understand the system, you'll see opportunities everywhere. And every person who finds their place in this network is another dog who gets a second chance.
Our "Why"
In 2024, 334,000 dogs were euthanized in U.S. shelters. That's 915 dogs every single day. 38 every hour. About one every two minutes. While you've been reading this page, at least one dog died.
Not because they were sick. Not because they were dangerous. But because there wasn't enough space, enough resources, enough people who understood how to help.
But here's the thing that gives us hope: In 2016, it was 800,000 dogs euthanized annually. We've reduced that number by 59% in just eight years. Not through legislation. Not through magic. But through ordinary people building a network of compassion, one foster home at a time, one transport at a time, one share at a time.
That network is working. But it could work better. It could reach more people. It could save more dogs. And that's why we're here.
The Personal Story That Changed Everything
"I'll never forget the dog that made me realize how broken the system was. Her name was Sadie - an 8-year-old lab mix with gray around her muzzle and the gentlest eyes I'd ever seen. She'd been in the shelter for 127 days. Four months. Overlooked because she was old, because she wasn't a puppy, because people walked right past her kennel without seeing her.
The shelter was at capacity. She went on the euthanasia list. I networked her everywhere - Facebook, Instagram, every rescue group I knew. Nothing. Nobody stepped up. She had 24 hours left.
At 3 AM, desperate, I posted one more time with the subject line: 'This dog has been waiting for 4 months. She has 18 hours left. Someone please see her.' A woman I'd never met messaged at 6 AM: 'I'll foster her. I didn't know about her until your post. I've been looking for a senior lab for months. How did I not know she existed?'
We pulled Sadie at 4:52 PM. She had 8 minutes left. The foster 'failed' within two weeks - which means she adopted Sadie. They had three beautiful years together before Sadie passed peacefully in her sleep, loved and safe.
But here's what haunts me: that woman had been actively looking for a senior lab for months. Sadie had been waiting in the shelter for months. They were perfect for each other. They just couldn't find each other because the system is opaque and confusing. How many other perfect matches never happen because people who want to help don't know how?"
That's our why. That's why we're here. Because every Sadie deserves to be seen. And every person looking for their Sadie deserves to know where to look.
What We Actually Do
We're not a rescue organization - we don't pull dogs or run adoptions. We're an education platform designed to demystify the rescue world and help you find your place in it. Here's how:
We Educate
We break down the rescue ecosystem so anyone can understand it. What's the difference between a shelter and a rescue? Why do rescues need committed fosters before they can pull a dog? How do transport chains work? What does "CODE RED" actually mean? Why does networking matter?
We answer these questions in plain English, without jargon, without assuming you already know anything. Because you shouldn't need an insider's guide to help save dogs. The information should be accessible to everyone.
We Connect
We help people find ways to get involved that match their actual situation - not their idealized version of themselves, but who they really are right now. You work full-time and have kids? There's a role for you. You live in a tiny apartment? There's a role for you. You travel for work? There's a role for you. You're on a tight budget? There's a role for you. You're a licensed professional? Your expertise is exactly what rescues need.
We match people with opportunities that actually fit their lives, because sustainable help is what the rescue network needs - not guilt-driven one-time gestures that burn people out.
We Support
We provide resources for new adopters and first-time fosters. What should you expect in the first week? What behaviors are normal vs. concerning? How do you handle the "two-week shutdown"? What supplies do you actually need?
We share the wisdom that experienced rescue people have learned through trial and error, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel or make preventable mistakes. We want your first experience to be successful, because success leads to sustained involvement.
We Advocate
We spread awareness about shelter dogs and the people who save them. We share the statistics that matter. We tell the stories that need to be heard. We humanize the numbers - because 334,000 dogs euthanized annually is a statistic, but Sadie waiting 127 days before someone saw her is a story that makes people understand.
We advocate not through guilt or manipulation, but through education and empowerment. Because people who understand the problem become part of the solution.
Why We Started in Southern California
We're currently focused on the Southern California rescue community - not because dogs in other places don't matter, but because effective education requires local knowledge. We know the shelters here. We understand the specific challenges of this region. We can point people to resources that actually exist in their communities.
Southern California has some of the busiest animal shelters in the country. LA County alone takes in over 50,000 animals annually across multiple shelters. The rescue network here is extensive, sophisticated, and absolutely critical - but it's also overwhelming to navigate if you don't already know how it works.
Much of what we share applies everywhere. The rescue ecosystem works similarly across the country. Shelters face the same challenges. Rescues need the same resources. The ways to help are universal. But the specific organizations, the local networks, the particular quirks of each region - those require local expertise.
Our goal is to eventually expand our local resources to cover more areas. But for now, we're starting where we know the community best. Where we can provide the most accurate, most helpful, most actionable information.
Start local. Do it well. Then expand. That's how sustainable change happens.
Our Vision for the Future
We dream of a world where the rescue ecosystem isn't confusing. Where anyone who wants to help can easily figure out how. Where the gap between compassionate people and dogs in need is bridged by clear, accessible information.
We envision a future where:
- ✓ Every person who sees a shelter dog post understands what it means and how they can help - whether that's sharing it effectively, offering to transport, committing to foster, or donating to cover vet costs.
- ✓ The rescue network has more resources than it needs - because enough people understand how to help that fosters are abundant, transport chains fill quickly, donations flow steadily, and networking reaches exponentially.
- ✓ New adopters and fosters have the information they need to succeed - so their first experience is positive, sustainable, and leads to continued involvement rather than burnout.
- ✓ The number 334,000 keeps dropping - because more people understand the system and find their place in it, creating a network so robust that no adoptable dog ever runs out of time.
That's not naive optimism. That's what we've already seen happen - euthanasia rates down 59% in eight years, driven entirely by people choosing to help. We're just working to accelerate that trend by making it easier for more people to get involved.
This is achievable. Not someday. Not maybe. But through the accumulated small actions of ordinary people who understand how to help and choose to do it.
Who We Are
We're not a large organization. We're not backed by major donors or foundations. We're just people who've watched the rescue world from both sides - seen the incredible work being done, and seen the barrier that keeps well-meaning people from joining that work.
We've watched someone we love give everything to save dogs - time, energy, financial resources, emotional bandwidth - because she couldn't un-see what she'd seen. We've seen her network dogs at 2 AM, coordinate emergency transport chains, talk fosters through their first nervous nights, celebrate every adoption and grieve every loss.
And we've seen her answer the same questions over and over from people who genuinely wanted to help but didn't know how. Good people. Compassionate people. People who would absolutely have gotten involved if someone had just explained how the system worked and where they could fit in.
So we built this. Not to replace the work rescues are doing - they're the experts, the heroes, the ones saving lives every single day. But to support that work by helping more people understand it and find their way into it.
We're translators. Bridges. Educators. We're here to help you see what we've seen - that there's a place for everyone in this network, and every person who finds their place means another dog who gets a second chance.
Want to Be Part of This?
Understanding the problem is the first step. Understanding the solution is the second. Taking action is the third. You've done step one - you're here, reading this, learning about why this matters.
Ready for step two? Let us show you how the rescue network actually works. Not the confusing insider version, but a clear, practical explanation of how each piece fits together and where you might fit in.
Then step three is up to you. But we'll be here to help you figure out what that looks like - whether it's fostering, transporting, networking, donating, offering professional services, or any of the dozen other ways ordinary people save extraordinary lives.
There's a place for everyone in the rescue community. Come find yours.
Show Me How to Help