What We Do
Rescue................................
Rehabilitate.........................
Network...............................
Educate...............................
Our Sanctuary.....................
Continuing Care Program..
The Transfer Station...........
Rescue:
5,000,000 animals lose their lives in shelters designed to protect them. Not included in this figure are the animals who are abandoned having to fend for themselves. While Desert Pearl Rescue will pull from high kill facilities, we concentrate on those animals who were abandoned and injured. Skyrocketing vet costs make saving these animals much more difficult and we cannot do it without your help.
Charlie, a boxer mix, was found lying on the street after being badly beaten. Unfortunately, the damage was too great and his eye could not be saved. The vet donated his treatment and this little guy made a complete recovery. He is currently living in Culver City and has become a happy, energetic member of the family!
Mr. Red was found living in an abandoned trailer surviving on what he could catch to eat. We went to the trailer every day for weeks to get this big frightened boy to accept our help. Eventually, we were able to catch him. Several people came forward to adopt Mr. Red, but he would have none of it, growling and spitting at anyone who came near. He is currently living a safe and happy life in our sanctuary.
A few months later Red's favorite companion, Digit, was found as a tiny kitten living in a squirrel hole. Wanting help and nourishment, she ventured out and we will able to bring her to the sanctuary where she received medical treatment for an upper respiratory infection. Her affection for Mr. Red is so strong that we decided to keep these two best friends together.
Rehabilitation:
Many of the pets who have come through our door have required substantial rehabilitation. While the physical wounds healed, many are emotionally scarred and require substantial amount of work to return to emotional health. Training is important in the path to emotional well-being and these animals are no exception. Using techniques designed to build their confidence, we do everything we can to help these animals through the healing process. Some situations are so severe that the animal may never be adoptable. Those who cannot accept people in their lives will live at our sanctuary in a home environment.
It's hard to believe that these two pictures are of the same dog. We were called in to help another rescue to pull him from a high kill shelter and bring Thunder to our sanctuary while a foster home could be found. The trauma this poor guy had suffered being abandoned and left to fend for himself was so severe that when the transporter looked into his eyes she said she could feel from him that death would have been a blessing to end his suffering. But, with a little time and effort, his attitude to live life has returned. His improvement over the past year has been so profound that he is now a certified service dog helping his disabled person. Both dog and person are completely bonded and bringing quality and purpose into in each other's lives.
Networking:
It can take an army of volunteers to rescue one pet. DESERT PEARL RESCUE NETWORK helps to bring rescuers and volunteers together to organize and assist in any way possible to help animals in need. Animal Rescue is always a crisis situation and minutes count. Using the internet to collect leads for safe rescues and homes, organizing pulls and transports, collecting donations to cover the cost, and working with the shelters to delay euthanasia times can take hours or even days to organize. Helping animals in need has gone beyond the local level and has become a national effort. A chihuahua slated to die in Southern California may have a home or foster available in New York.. We work with rescuers all over the country to help find safe fosters and rescues for pets in high-kill shelters.
Educating:
So many pets end up in the shelter for minor behavioral problems that can be easily solved if you know what to do. In corroboration with COMMON SENSE DOG TRAINING, we offer free advise on how to solve the typical canine behavioral issues. By supplying no cost step-by-step instructional brochures to low cost consultation, we work to return the family to a happy unit and keep good dogs in their homes and out of over-crowded shelters.Watch for the up-coming link to the COMMON SENSE DOG TRAINING website! The program was originally designed with the rescue community in mind, to get the job done at no or low cost and keep needed funds available to save other lives. Cats also need help adjusting to their new environments and help will be available for them as well.
SPAY/NEUTER has worked in some parts of the country, but Southern California still has a pet-overpopulation problem. We will not adopt out any animal until spay/neuter has been complete. We work within the community to educate the public on the need for spay/neuter and the health benefits associated with the procedure. But we don't end there. We will find low cost spay/neuter facilities and even transport and wait for animals to be ready to return home. We want to make sure people have no excuse to add to pet over-population problem.
Thousands of emails and telephone calls went out to save this mom and pups located in a high-kill rural, southern California shelter. Trying to save this mom and her eight pups wasn't daunting enough, but covered in mange and requiring long-term medical care added to the likely hood that the rescue would not suceed. DESERT PEARL RESCUE NETWORK was one of many rescue groups and private rescuers who took up the challenge to help this little girl who would eventually be named Mama Cass. When Start Rescue Team joined the battle, things looked promising. Seen here arriving at her new foster home, Mama Cass and all her babies were RESCUED! It would take months of medical care and thousands of dollars to bring them through the ordeal which included a one thousand mile journey to the Pacific Northwest, where a safe rescue was waiting for them.
Our Sanctuary
We currently hold a Private Kennel License with San Bernardino County, CA allowing us to house up to 15 dogs and cats in a home environment. Located on a 5 acre parcel, our family lives in a home setting. The dogs have a 1 acre secured yard to play in and the cats have a completely enclosed kennel area to enjoy sun and fresh air. We are proud to report that in our most recent inspection, we have been given and EXCELLENT rating for the care we give our animals. We are currently at full capacity. The sanctuary is designed to give unadoptable animals a chance to live a long, safe and happy life.
Going into a new home can be a traumatic experience, especially for dogs like Bear. Near death at a high-kill city shelter, it would take him months to recover from his illness. When he went to his forever home, he had trouble adjusting, but we were still there to help him by giving behavioral advice to his new people to help him blend into his new family unit. We love to hear how the pets we placed are doing in their forever homes.
Join the re-union party taking place at the sanctuary. Each dog seen in this picture had been previously rescued and went on to find a loving home. The dogs and the people truly enjoyed the day in our large, fully enclosed yard.
Currently at full capacity, our residents live in a home setting, being treated as one of the family. In addtion to the comforts indoor living provides, they get to enjoy the fresh air and plenty of exercise in their large 1 acre fenced yard.
Sadie was our first contining care program dog. She came to us originally when her elderly person was placed into a nursing facility. Everyone hoped she would be able to return home and bring Sadie back into her life, but it wasn't meant to be. This pure-bred, puppy-mill bred lab suffered from horrible allergy issues so severe that euthanasia was recommended. But, we wouldn't accept that and found a determatology specialist who helped resolve the issues. Despite her medical problems, this girl was filled with the love of life making her fight hard to surive bouts of bloat and pancreatitis. Even a ruptured disc couldn't bring Sadie down. Acupunture treatments returned her to full health. Cancer finally took Sadie during her thirteenth year.
Continuing Care Program
Provide for your pet. It happens more times than you can imagine, Wonderful animals end up in the shelter because their people died. With animals being considered property, there is little you can do to ensure their safety, until now. DESERT PEARL RESCUE NETWORK has designed a legally binding contract to help protect your pets. The cost of the program is determined on an individual basis and covers the cost of care for the pet. We will find a permanent foster home, supply food, monitor the pet's health and well-being and handle all veterinary care to ensure a long and happy life.
The Transfer Station
So many more pets could be saved if only they had a little more time at the shelter to secure rescues and fosters. Our goal here at DESERT PEARL is to build a transfer station where approved rescuers can bring animals rescued from the shelters for up to two weeks giving them time to secure a foster, permanent home or safe rescue. The land you see in the picture is the proposed site for the station. Despite the fact that the 1 1/2 acre land has been donated, with both water and electricity accessible and can be easily be brought to the station, the costs to meet county code is quite steep. The cost to simply apply for the correct permits is $9,000. The county also requires surveying, water storage facilities, separate septic systems and indoor housing which will all be expensive to install. We currently estimate the cost of this facility to house up to forty animals to be about $160,000. However, when you realize that over 1,000 pets could come through our doors each year, it seems like a small price to pay.
This is the proposed site for The Desert Pearl Rescue Network Transfer Station. There is a lot to do to make our dream happen, but with your help, we can start the process that could save THOUSANDS of pets in the upcoming years!