Rancho Coastal Humane Society is helping lost pets find new homes

We have five acres here. But the thing that makes Rancho Coastal unique is that we have the luxury of time. We are what's called a "limited-admission shelter," which means more than 90% of our animals come from other shelters which are overcrowded and are stressing to be able to provide the level of care we can provide. And so, as a consequence, we get to know our animals very well.

The animals are getting a lot of interaction with our staff, with our volunteers; behavior and training and enhancement activities on a daily basis. We have a beautiful park. Bringing them outside to sit in a pool during the summertime, to engage in play with other dogs, and to engage in interactions with potential adopters, as well as the resident dogs of those homes to see if that's going to be a good fit.

Our medical staff is extraordinary. They are working in a very, very small space to do extraordinary things, to bring our animals into a condition that makes them imminently adoptable.

Bellwether came to us with more than 400 fox tails buried in her fur. There were six surgeries and more than 420 days of rehabilitation from the procedures that we engaged in in order to get her foxtail-free and available for adoption. She's gone home, and she is absolutely the most adorable pet.

People can support Rancho Coastal Humane Society in a number of different ways. Come in, volunteer, become a foster! Because we are self-funded, money is always a key factor for us. And in fact, at Rancho Coastal, more than 85% of the money we raise goes directly to programs that support the animals in our shelter and the animals in our community who need a little helping paw.