I never really considered myself a dog lady. I was a self-declared crazy cat lady. All of that changed when I met Hooligan. I’ll be honest, at first I thought he was incredibly obnoxious. His howl-y, raspy beagle bark, his personality, his several attempts and his one success to bite me. You can say I held a special place of distaste for him in my heart, but this didn’t last very long because I am a softy at my core. The man who surrendered Hooligan was in a pretty difficult situation. His mother had passed away and he was on disability, so he could not afford to keep Hooligan. Hooligan had gone missing for a few weeks and when he returned, he had a bad leg injury, he looked like he had been beat up and he was severely anemic. With some tender love and care, he returned to his Hooligan self. I started taking him for morning walks with the two lovely ladies, Barbara and Glenda. I hoped that it might help him release some of his energy because, boy, he has a lot of it. He loved ...

Ashley as a child rescuer Believe it or not, at one point I held some resentment towards animal rescue before this summer. I didn’t like what it did to my mom and how it caused us to drift apart. I think my mom was a little wary about hiring me because she knew what my feelings were. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I insisted that I can do the job. The first days were rough because I didn’t realize how much hard work went into maintaining the sanctuary. When my mom told me some days she would be there all by herself, I couldn’t believe it. It was hard enough for the two of us to get things done, I can’t imagine doing it all alone. I quickly got into the swing of things and the pain turned into a great feeling of fulfillment. My eyes were opened to how animal rescue really is a full time job that takes over every aspect of your life. Even when you’re not working, you’re still thinking about the animals. I even have dreams of the animals. My heart grew bigger and wa...

Woody and Buzz in their shelter plea photo In February of 2012, Woody and his littermate were posted on the Orange Cove facebook page. Orange Cove is a rural shelter that is strictly animal control and at that time there were no adoptions from that location and only one volunteer to network the animals. This volunteer was pleading for someone to take these two in and that their time would be up that day as there was no room at the shelter. I could not resist their cuteness and the panic in her post, so I volunteered to foster them. They went to a local family that weekend and the family’s young boy named them Woody and Buzz. Unfortunately, Buzz did not survive the weekend, and so starting on Monday, I fostered only Woody. I found Woody to be extremely cute and charming. He has a very sweet demeanor, big brown eyes, huge ears and long legs - he looks very much like a baby deer. The first adoption event I took him to, I was so convinced that he would be snapped up immediately th...

I adopted Grandpa, now Max, from ACT 3 years ago. I didn't know his sad story when I first saw him on the ACT website. I saw this beautiful white fluffy poodle and I fell in love. He was the sweetest little guy. An ACT volunteer went to one of the small shelters in another small town to pull several other dogs that needed rescuing. While there she saw this hurt and scared little white dog in the back of the shelter. She asked about him and was told they were going to put him down. They said he was old and had been hit by a car and his pelvis was broken and nobody came looking for him.   She told them that they were NOT putting him down and she brought him back to ACT.   After many, many months in his foster home he was able to walk and play and had a second chance at life.  He ran the halls at the ACT center and was loved by many. The volunteers at ACT see hope in every animal they meet. They know they can't save them all but that does not stop t...

We get a lot of requests from people wanting to surrender dogs and cats. We can't always help. Bella's story caught our attention and captured our hearts. This was a cat truly in need. We received a call from a young man desperate to find help for his cat. Bella had wandered away for nearly a week and when she arrived home she was dragging her back end. He had no way to secure help for her. We believe our lovely  Bella had been hit by a car.  This brave cat managed to drag herself home and there she sat for another week. We agreed to take her. A visit to vet confirmed our fears, Bella had a thoroughly shattered pelvis. It had been over a week since the accident and if fixable at all, it would be an incredibly complicated and expensive surgery. Pain medication and a safe place to heal was all we could offer her.   Our cat team went to work and made Bella a very comfy and swanky  “flat” home inside a 5 foot screened enclosure.  Yoga mats on th...

They call me RayRay.  Not as impressive as Ishmael, but I’ve grown accustomed to it My life began in May, 2015.  According to medical records, I was born two or three months before that, but my life didn’t start then.  I don’t really remember anything from before.  My foster mom tells me that I must remember something because I am told that a couple of times, I have been sound asleep yet growling and fearful. I wake up to see my foster mom and my besties and all the bad stuff is gone.  Which brings me back to where I started.  My life began in May 2015.  The day I met Snuggles … and Opal. As the story goes, Joyce saw me at a different shelter … an “Animal Control” facility.  I had only one eye and my legs – all four of them – were bent in the wrong place.  Some called it Rickets.  I called it a drag. I laid in the corner of a small, stainless steel cage, too afraid to stand up.  I don’t remem...

Cats, cats, and more cats! When we see stray cats, we all want to help.  Unfortunately, if not done right, we end up with an even bigger problem.  If you are feeding stray cats but not having them spayed/neutered, you are actually harming them in the end. We recently received a call for help from the mother of a young man who had been feeding stray cats for quite some time.  None of the cats were spayed or neutered so the colony grew.  As well as not being fixed, most of the cats were sick. He loved the cats but sadly watched them produce litter after litter of kittens. He had several generations living at his house and could proudly tell you who belonged to who. To compound the problem, the home he was living in was rented. This created a crisis for the cats when he was asked to move.  His landlord told him he ’d better take the cats or find a place for them.  The landlord threatened to poison the cats if left behind. ACT was called...

Valentino was pulled from a shelter by ACT.  His hair was extremely matted, he was hurt and scared to death. ACT immediately got him to the vet where all those mats were shaved off, he got the medical care that he needed and was put into a foster home to get the love he needed.  After several weeks of antibiotics , many vet check ups and lots of love, he blossomed into a playful, happy and loving little boy. He may have lost hope but ACT IS hope and gives hope back to these sad and lost little babies. Have hope. Give hope. Be hope. Diana Carr Valentino's Foster Mom #havehopegivehopebehope #animalcompassionteam

How does a 3 month old puppy end up on the streets and then in an overcrowded small town shelter?That is a question that we ask ourselves every day. This is Korky’s story. It was his last day, and his future foster mom saw his photo. The photo of a very scared puppy being held up in someone’s hand and it tugged at her heart. Of course, her heart said yes, and thankfully so did ACT.   A local volunteer picked him up and kept him for the night, to be retrieved the next day by his foster Mom.   But, by the next morning, Korky was quite lethargic and clearly needed medical attention. He got an immediate appointment and was almost completely limp as he laid on the examination table. He had areas of his fur that were hairless and oozed with a sticky, smelly discharge. His demodex mange would take over his immune system and he would become almost hairless without treatment. His treatment was a long and expensive process with many medical visits to check on his progre...

My girl, Callie, was only about 3 weeks old when she was caught in a dry grass fire. The poor scared kitten had been separated from her mother and siblings in the frantic flight to escape. Her instincts for survival kicked in and once the fire was under control, she was found trying to hide in a squirrel hole by Captain Tommy Bolyard. The Captain later said he believed there was no hope for her. Callie was terribly burned and exhausted. She was picked up by Fresno Humane Animal Services and taken right away to the emergency vet where she was given fluids and oxygen. Her recovery was just beginning. I met Callie two days after she was burned. She smelled like smoke, her singed fur barely covered her body. Her muzzle was raw, a tell tale sign of the terror she had experienced. The pads on her feet were blistered making it difficult to walk and what toenails weren’t burned off were curled back from the searing heat. The edges of her ears were crispy and her eyes ...

This picture says it all! Hector is a little toothless old man who wound up in a small town shelter. Not every rescue will take little old chihuahuas but we love them!  Five years ago when we moved in we had no idea just what an impact we would have on the lives of so many. Thousands of dogs and cats have moved through our doors and our hearts. Hector spent the day with volunteers in the office today. It is that one on one connection that makes our place so special. Hope abounds at the Sofia Center!   #havehopegivehopebehope . #animalcompassionteam

This little man was rescued from a local shelter after being left to die. It was hot at the shelter and Stanley was in a small cage with no food or water. He also suffered from demodex mange. The rescuer had rescued a few dogs on a Friday and decided to return on a Sunday,  and thank God she did. There were many animals locked in cages with no water or food. The dog next to Stanley was dead and he was not far behind. So, this little guy was brought into our lobby. He was sad, hungry and dehydrated. I looked at his sweet eyes and told him that I would take him home. And I did. This little man was so full of love and goofiness. He is a fighter. After a short time, his hair grew back and he started to gain some weight. He was eventually adopted to a wonderful previous ACT adopter and he is now living the life he deserves. When I first met this little man, he was a mess but he wanted to live! And at ACT, we made sure to make that happen. Judith Scott #HaveHopeGiveHopeBeHope

One day a man showed up at the back gate of ACT and wanted to surrender this mom and her babies. Unfortunately, the shelter was full. The man proceeded to tell a volunteer that if we would not take them, then he would throw them onto the freeway! We took them and immediately they were put in a foster home. This is one of many stories that our dogs have to endure. This mom and her babies deserved to be loved and cared for and that's what we do!  Judith Scott #HaveHopeGiveHopeBeHope

Peri when surrendered Periwinkle (Peri) never wanted to give up hope, but her life had become very dismal. Each day was the same, as she wandered the streets looking for something to eat, drink or a little shade from the hot sun to rest her tired body. She had probably never been groomed, by the looks of her huge, heavy clusters of matted hair that hung from everywhere on her bony body. Would today be the day that someone may notice her plea for help and take her in and give her a chance?   July 16th was the day that hope was on the horizon for Peri. She was whisked up by a good samaritan and brought to ACT, to begin her road to recovery and her search for the forever home that she so desperately needed and deserved. Some wonderful ACT volunteers, patiently and with precision removed each and every one of the mats that were painfully pulling on her tender, parasite covered body. She laid there very still, as if she knew that she finally had humans that she could trus...

Depending upon where you look, you can find the word hope defined as both a noun and a verb. It is a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen that propels some into action. It is perhaps the single best word to describe the world of rescue. We are going to share our stories and hope that if you are able, you will  become a monthly donor to Animal Compassion Team. Click on this link to sign up now. Thank you all so much for your past, present, and future support. #HaveHopeGiveHopeBeHope Joyce Brandon Animal Compassion Team