Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Haley.
Hi Katherine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We moved to Anza in 2003 to open up a sanctuary for large animals such as Donkeys, Goats, and Pigs, and other livestock. In 2008, we started fostering dogs and puppies for a couple of other rescues but, we were not happy about the dogs living in kennels 24/7. We then got our 501(c)3 nonprofit organization status and expanded into rescuing dogs but placing them into foster homes until they got adopted. We are very fortunate to have a very strong team of volunteers and fosters. We are always looking for more foster located in or surrounding Temecula, CA. We pull dogs from our local shelters that are on the euthanasia list. We also take in abandoned dogs and owner surrenders (depending on the situation) and we take on many medical cases. We have recently hosted two mobile spay/neuter clinics in our hometown of Anza, CA which is very rural and very under-served for affordable spay/neuter. Spay and Neuter has now become one of our primary goals and we will continue to assist our community with this whenever possible.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We cannot lie and say it’s been smooth sailing in the rescue world across the board, we are all emptying a never-ending ocean with a small bucket. It’s hard and it’s a road with lots of (sudden) bumps in it. And with no consistent foster families, almost no adoptions, and donations being at an all-time low in years, we find ourselves not being able to save as many lives as we could have if we did have fosters and donors. Being that Spay/Neuter services halted to a full stop during COVID, we are all just now being hit full speed with unwanted, “unexpected” litter after litter, as well as “pandemic puppies” who’ve grown into young adults and their humans can no longer keep them. Just in 2022 within our hometown alone, we have had requests to help over 200 puppies in Anza and the number continues to rise each week. Foster homes are like gold right now and we NEED more people looking to welcome a new furry family member to please adopt from rescue organizations like us or shelters or become foster families where EVERYTHING is provided. And because we take in many extreme medical cases and plan to continue hosting more “Free/Low-Cost” Mobile Spay/Neuter buses for low-income community members desperate for this service, we need donors or sponsors. We cannot save these precious lives alone and we cannot fight this overpopulation battle without stopping it at its source.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Hope Ranch rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes dogs of all varying backgrounds, from Euthanasia listed at shelters, abuse, neglect, and abandoned cases, owner surrenders, and more, and provides sanctuary for all in between. We rescue those who need us most – regardless of age, size, or breed – and strive to give them a better, promising, second chance at life with families who will cherish them as much as we have, and in the meantime, we are proud to give them a “home” away from home where they are kennel/stress-free, live in our homes, sleep inside at night, and we will forever welcome them back should they be in need of us again. We specialize in medical cases and are glad to have such great vets around Southern California who help us take great care of our dogs when they are in need of loving vet care. We are just a small rescue trying to make big differences in our local community and are proud to have Spayed/Neutered over 100 dogs and cats for low-income families and will continue to do so as much as financially possible.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
We’d like to say that in 10 years from now: Every dog will have a home, every home will have a dog, and that our job is pretty much done. But we all know that’s unlikely, especially at today’s rate, so 10 years from now we hope to be able to expand our Spay/Neuter outreach from not only our hometown Anza but to many other low-income communities as well. We hope to have a bigger, upgraded space and facility for our rescue residents so we can help more dogs, maybe even cats too, who are in need of a second chance at life. We hope more people will join us and our mission to save lives by fostering, networking, donating, adopting, and educating.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hoperanchanimalsanctuary.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hoperanchanimalsanctuary
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/hoperanchanimalsanctuary
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/hoperanch4
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkER0d3_vOAosrh6okVYhxA
