Latest news with #GermanShepherdRescueofOrangeCounty
Los Angeles Times
08-08-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County in need of rescuing amid hardships
Nala, a German shepherd, returned from a leashed walk around the neighborhood back to a kennel for her breed at the end of a cul-de-sac in Newport Beach. She enjoyed the shade from the summer sun before being led back into the kennel. The German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County took the 4-year-old dog in as a recent arrival. 'She was the beloved pet of a woman who lost her job, then lost her home and had nowhere for her to go,' said Maria Dales, the rescue's founder and executive director. 'It's a very sad story.' It is also becoming an increasingly common one. Dales shared a recent outreach email from Brea Regional Animal Hospital about a 3-year-old German shepherd named Zya. Her owners couldn't afford the medical costs anymore. A representative from the animal hospital contacted the rescue in hopes of finding an adopter or foster caretaker. For Dales, the big, lovable dogs at her kennel are also proverbial canaries in the coal mine. 'Pets being surrendered because of their owners losing their job or income has tripled this year,' she said while seated on a shaded bench outside the kennel. 'We get requests every single day and the animal shelters are telling people to call the rescues because they're full. Shelters being so oversaturated is something we've never seen before.' At the same time, donations are drying up, which imperils the rescue's ability to stay apace with rising costs. The statistics it provided in sounding the alarm are staggering. Veterinarian care, pet food and pet boarding prescription costs have all risen 30%. At the same time, the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County reports that requests for help from residents have sharply risen by 300% and shelters seeking their assistance has skyrocketed by 500%. O.C. Animal Care, which offers temporary shelter for lost, owned and stray dogs, is experiencing overcrowding. 'The current numbers are slightly less than last year,' said Alexa Pratt, a spokesperson for O.C. Animal Care. 'Larger dogs are often last to get adopted. This is due to a variety of factors but most common are landlord restrictions placed on rental properties, space restrictions in the home, and costs associated with large dogs can be higher.' Animal shelters nationwide are seeing similar overcrowded conditions, in part, as owners struggle to make ends meet. In Newport Beach, all calls received by the rescue, whether from pet owners or shelters, have quadrupled. On Thursday, the rescue got its first request related to a German shepherd whose owner was deported. As the phone lines and emails jam up with more requests than can be handled, adoption rates for their shepherds have plummeted 50% since before the pandemic to hit a 10-year low. Another stat poses an existential threat to the nonprofit itself: private donations for the rescue are down 25% since before the pandemic and may imperil its ability to continue O.C. operations as soon as next year. Dales, a Costa Mesa resident, started the rescue in 1998 when working as a marketing executive. She turned it into an award-winning nonprofit in 2005. In the years since, the nonprofit has rescued, rehabilitated and found new homes for more than 10,000 dogs. The German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County's kennel in Newport Beach can house 21 dogs. Another kennel in Rialto holds 40 more. German shepherds remain the second-most popular dog breed in the country, but that hasn't stemmed the rescue's hardships. 'They are an incredible breed that deserves to be cared for,' Dales said. 'They're popular, but not popular enough because people can't afford large dogs anymore.' With donations declining, the nonprofit is having a hard time keeping up with its own operational costs. Just one drum of cleaning fluid for the dogs is $3,000 a month. The kennel also spends another $2,800 a month on dog food. A caregiver lives and works at the facility and there are three additional paid staff. With the Rialto kennel, Dales reports a total staff of 17 but notes that the rescue is mostly a volunteer-driven venture. In hopes of keeping the nonprofit alive, the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County is rolling out a $100,000 'Sheptember' matching pledge campaign next month in hopes of keeping the Newport Beach wing of its operations going. 'We're relying on hope and kindness,' Dales said. 'I never would have started this rescue if I didn't believe in the goodness of people and our ability to work our way out of this challenge.' The nonprofit is looking for what Dales is calling 'angel' donors who can underwrite the kennel's care and housing costs. She sees the rescue as a community resource and raises concerns for more 'ghost' dogs roaming the streets if her group's efforts become unsustainable. 'We're the last best hope, and if we go away, there's going to be a vacuum,' Dales said. 'We're the safety net for the forgotten.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Dog abandoned, left zip-tied in Malibu wilderness dies
A dog whose story of surviving animal abuse and being found and rescued by good Samaritans has come to a bittersweet end. Argon, a German shepherd who made national headlines after he was found last year wandering the Malibu wilderness with his snout zip-tied shut, died this week after a second battle with cancer. The dog was found in July 2024 by two rock climbers who noticed the sweet and stoic creature suffering from clear signs of abuse, most noticeable, its mouth and neck being restrained with zip ties. They were able to gain the dog's trust and remove the zip tie from its mouth; they waited alongside him as the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrived on scene and then carried him some 250 feet up the hill to safety. He was brought to a local animal shelter for treatment of starvation, dehydration and exposure to poison oak. It was also discovered that the dog, given the name Argon, had telltale signs of lymphoma — a diagnosis that was later confirmed by animal care specialists. Local nonprofits began raising funds for the dog to cover costs for his treatment, and to hopefully locate the person who left him to die in a remote area of Malibu Canyon. He was eventually transferred to the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County where he became a 'beloved guest' and a 'model of heroism and strength for his followers.' The cancer treatment, officials said, proved to be successful and Argon was able to enjoy five months of 'pain-free remission' in which he ran and played and enjoyed his new lease on life. He even got adopted by 'a wonderful woman and slept in a cozy bed by her feet every night.' But, sadly, the cancer returned, and the dog who battled and fought and refused to give up, ultimately was too tired to keep going. His rescuers say he will be remembered for having a gentle and forgiving spirit, not for the pain and loss that he endured in his tragically short life. 'His story is one of inspiration and hope and reminds us that compassion conquers cruelty in the end,' officials said. 'The last things he experienced were love, great care and the knowledge that he was treasured.' The person responsible for abandoning Argon is still sought by law enforcement and animal welfare groups. The $25,000 reward raised by local groups remains available for anyone who's able to provide information that leads to their identification or arrest. Anyone with information is urged to call In Defense Of Animals at 415-879-6879. Those who wish to honor Argon's memory are encouraged to make a charitable donation to the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County in his name. The donation-funded nonprofit focuses on rehabilitating and rehoming German shepherd dogs that have faced past hardship. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
