Founded in 2011, Ready Pet is my dog rescue, under which I have rescued more than 100 dogs from Los Angeles kill shelters. Many of the dogs we saved were red-listed, meaning they were at high risk for euthanasia. Ready Pet’s Instagram account also documents daily life inside my “rescue dog retirement home” with my gaggle of personal senior rescue dogs.
Shelter To Spoiled
I truly believe dogs deserve to be spoiled in return for the love they give us. I cared for many of the dogs I rescued in my own home, and some I found loving fosters for while they waited to find their forever family. During that time, I spoiled them rotten and showered them with love. Like Delphine, who was depressed in her shelter cage, and then blossomed once we got her into the safety in my home.
Senior Love
Ready Pet puts special focus on seniors, special needs, injured dogs, and cruelty/neglect/hoarding cases. I raise money to provide for their costs, including medical care, which is often in the thousands per dog.
Like Wallace, our oldest rescue, who was nineteen when we pulled him from the shelter with a neurological condition that made him walk in circles. We found Wally a wonderful forever home to retire in, where he lived to the ripe old age of twenty-two!
Getting Creative
One of the first things I do once I get a new dog out of the shelter is a special photoshoot in our studio. I do my best to capture these pups’ unique personalities and help them stand out when we post them online for adoption. Like Bruiser, whose photoshoot showcased just how squishable and sweet he is.
Building a Dream Team
Over the years, I cultivated a team of volunteers and fosters who helped with adoption events, transportation and foster care for dogs until they found their forever homes. There is no way I could do this work alone, and I’m lucky to have had some amazing people help out along the way!
Free The Furbabies
Unfortunately, there are many dogs wasting away in the shelter system with medical issues that are relatively easy to resolve. Like Remy, who was stuck in the medical wing at South LA shelter with a massive mammary tumor. She wasn’t being seen by the people who visited the shelter to adopt a dog, and she also wasn’t being treated. We pulled her out, got her tumor removed, and it didn’t take long to find her the most amazing home where she lived in the lap of luxury for the rest of her days.
This video was taken in my house, a few weeks after getting Remy out of the shelter and getting her the medical care she needed. She was like a whole new dog, with more balls (her favorite) than she could have ever dreamed of having!
Dom’s Story
One of our most complicated (and expensive!) cases to date was Dom, who was suffering in the shelter after being hit by a car. He had a broken leg, and the shelter was preparing to put him down because of his injuries instead of treating them. Not only was Dom hurt and in pain, he was also extremely overweight.
We swooped in and rescued Dom, taking him straight to an emergency vet for surgery on his fractured elbow.
He was depressed and couldn’t walk from all the discomfort he was in, but he was still so sweet and became an instant favorite of everyone who met him and fell in love.
Izzy’s Second Chance
This sweet senior lady was stuck at South LA shelter after being dumped by her owners at 12 years old. She’d been there over a month and was beginning to shut down. She was scared and confused, wouldn’t eat, and couldn’t stop shaking with all the loud, scary noises. The shelter is no place for a tiny senior and time was running out for her. Izzy desperately needed someone to give her a second chance at a happy life.
Of course, we rescued her from the shelter. The second we got her to my house and she realized she was in a safe, loving environment, she turned into a whole new dog. She couldn’t stop smiling!
She ended up getting adopted by the most amazing family and became the best friend of little Imogen, who had just lost her best doggie friend. They healed each other and were the perfect fit! Mission accomplished!
Sharing is Caring
We posted the cute pix we took on our Instagram to help spread awareness with easily shareable content. Our loyal following helped to spread their stories, which ultimately ended up connecting many of them with their forever homes.
Ready Pet Reunion
The people who adopted from Ready Pet became one big family, so we decided to have a Ready Pet reunion to get everyone back together. The dogs all got to play together and I got to see many of the furbabies I had broken free from doggie jail in one room. I spent the whole event smothering them with love, and it might have been the best day of my life so far!
