Animal Rescue Foundation

ARF’s core mission is the rescue of dogs and cats who have run out of time at public shelters, giving them a chance at life until a new home can be found. ARF couples this focus with innovative programs strengthening the human-animal bond for children, seniors, veterans, and people in disadvantaged circumstances. Through ARF, people experience the unconditional love and acceptance of dogs and cats to fulfill a mission of People Rescuing Animals … Animals Rescuing People®.

The one thing COVID-19 has not impacted at ARF is the need for our core programming of rescuing and finding loving homes for animals in need. In fact, demand appears poised for growth as California continues to deal with the medical and economic impact of this pandemic and mitigation efforts. Economists at UCLA’s Anderson Forecast predict the California economy and elevated employment may take a minimum of three years to fully recover, leaving many families in long-term struggles. This also means more hard decisions will have to be made regarding budgeting for animal food and care.

We've seen first hand sustained medical and financial hardships resulting in overcrowded public shelters, as people are forced to downsize or become housing and/or food unstable. This is consistent with other downturns we’ve endured in our almost 30 years of operation. It is a heartbreaking situation, but one our experience better prepared us to face.

When Bay Area counties implemented shelter-in-place orders, ARF secured an essential services designation. Though somewhat limited by regulations, we were able to help shelters in the immediate area by taking animals with the greatest needs. Our adoptions team developed a winning path for digital, contact-less adoptions and the result was a resounded success. In 2022, we've reopened adoptions for in-person appointments.

As we have in previous economic downturns, natural disasters and other times of need, ARF’s operations pivoted to meet the most pressing demands. We have concentrated on stabilizing our priority operations of rescue and adoption, Pets and Vets shelter-to-service training, and, when safe, public spay/neuter efforts. This focus will allow us achieve the greatest impact during hard times.

With 31 years in animal rescue and welfare, ARF has travelled thousands of miles rescuing dogs and cats at risk for poor outcomes in shelters. With experienced animal care experts, trained animal behavior specialists, as well as small fleet of comfortable and safety-equipped rescue vehicles, ARF staff is able to not only complete regular weekly rescues to shelter partners in need, but also quickly mobilize in incidents of emergencies and natural disaster to evacuate shelter populations of adoptable animals. With the frequency of wildfires in the Western U.S., ARF has become a trusted partner to lead and coordinate these emergency efforts to clear shelters of adoptable animals and make room for displaced pets waiting for identification and reunification within local areas.

ARF is also equipped with a full, on-site veterinary clinic to address shelter population health issues, spay/neuter surgeries, dental exams and extractions as well as most routine medical and surgical needs.

In addition to rescue and adoption services, ARF also works to prevent animals from entering shelters in the first place - addressing both ends of the problem. We offer low-cost spay and neuter clinics to the public and coordinate alteration and adoptions with local community cat programs to address over-population. In addition, our Food Share, Emergency Medical Fund veterinary care and Pet Safety Net services, help families experiencing financial hardships keep pets within their home by assisting with basic care. This is often key to keeping cherished pets within homes, whether due to temporary circumstances or long-term needs, such as seniors living on fixed incomes.

ARF strongly believes in the physical, psychological, and emotional benefits of the human-animal bond. Because of this, we work every day to bring the joy and unconditional love of pets throughout the community.

During the last fiscal year, ARF's achievements include:
105 rescue runs were completed
1,517 animals adopted into homes
850 animals received extended medical or behavioral care through foster homes prior to adoption
2,620 spay/neuter surgeries were performed (both shelter and community populations)
625 free veterinary exams were completed for pets of U.S. military veterans
52 veteran and dog teams in training to be service dogs or emotional support animals
183,467 pounds of food and litter were delivered to families in need
451 families served by ARF's Pet Safety Net services

As challenges from COVID-19 continue, ARF stays essential, with high demand for both adoptions and pet retention programs. We also continue shifting resources to rescue shelter animals with the most critical needs for veterinary services, as many municipal and county shelters struggle with shutdowns and funding reallocations.