08/13/2026
‼️ A message from our Director, Katie ‼️
I am not complaining. I am begging for help.
I wrote a post toward the beginning of this year about what rescue has been like. What I’m sharing now is only a small glimpse of what the last year and a half has looked like.
And honestly, every vacation… it’s something.
In just a year and a half, it feels like every time I leave town, another crisis hits.
Vegas — Baxter. And I’m still carrying the heartbreak of losing Cruz.
Cruise — adopter drama.
Chili Bowl — Harvey & Cleo.
St. Louis — Margie.
Knoxville — Josie & Butters.
Sioux City — Brody.
Omaha — Ila & Isaac.
Minneapolis — Tucker.
St. Louis — Beth.
There is always something.
A dog with parvo.
Kittens fading and fighting for their lives.
A dog hit by a car.
A foster who suddenly has to move.
An emergency that can’t wait until tomorrow.
There is always something.
And now, while I am trying to take a summer vacation and get just a little bit of a break, I checked the rescue email this morning to take care of a few things.
That’s when I saw our $3,949.97 general liability insurance bill.
This is insurance we have to carry because we are a 100% volunteer organization. Not one person in our rescue is paid.
We carry this insurance so that volunteers who are trying to serve the public don’t personally lose everything if something happens.
And that $3,949.97 is JUST our general liability insurance.
It does not include our board insurance.
It does not include the insurance on our rescue van.
It does not include veterinary bills.
It does not include food.
It does not include medications.
It does not include trainers.
It does not include everything else it takes to keep this rescue running.
Today, I had to pay the insurance deposit of $1,362.27, leaving us with a balance of $2,587.70.
Because we cannot pay it in full, we are being charged 16% interest, although they are allowing us to make 10 monthly payments.
And right now, our rescue has:
Checking: $1,651.73
Savings: $102.29
That’s it.
And today we have two dogs being spayed/neutered at a veterinary clinic in Chamberlain.
I don’t even know how I’m going to pay that bill when they call me and ask for the credit card number.
We desperately, desperately, desperately need help.
I am begging.
This isn’t me looking for sympathy. I’m not trying to complain or cry for attention.
I am trying to raise awareness about what rescue actually looks like.
Because when you adopt a dog or cat, that is a lifetime commitment.
When you decide you don’t want that animal anymore, you are putting the consequences of a decision you made onto another person who never signed up for it.
And that isn’t fair.
Our rescue doesn’t just get the cute puppies and kittens.
We take the animals who need medical care.
The animals who need training.
The fearful animals.
The animals with behavioral issues.
The animals who have been failed by people.
And we don’t even break even on many of them.
Cats can cost us far more than their adoption fees. Dogs don’t necessarily break even either.
A loss is a loss.
And some animals sit in rescue for hundreds of days.
We’ve had animals here for more than 1,000 days.
Think about what that means.
More than 1,000 days of food.
More than 1,000 days of veterinary expenses.
More than 1,000 days of medications, supplies, foster support and everything else.
We just had some of our longest-term residents finally get adopted. We celebrate those adoptions, but the financial hole those animals leave behind doesn’t disappear.
And when someone adopts a dog and doesn’t train it, doesn’t socialize it, doesn’t expose it to the world, and then two years later decides it’s fearful or aggressive and wants to dump it on rescue—
That shouldn’t become our responsibility.
When you choose to bring an animal into your family, you choose the responsibility that comes with it.
We are here to help animals.
But we cannot continue to clean up the consequences of irresponsible ownership without eventually breaking.
And I am terrified that we are getting there.
And that is really the point of this post. This isn’t about one bad day or one difficult situation. This is what the last year and a half has consistently looked like.
Do you understand why sometimes I feel like I’m not allowed to have a break?
Why does every time I leave town feel like something happens?
I’m not saying that because I think I’m more important than anyone else.
I’m saying it because I am exhausted.
This is an unpaid position that costs me money, time, sleep, my mental health—and honestly, I believe the stress has more than likely played a part in my heart attack.
And I know I’m not the only one carrying this. Our entire leadership team and our volunteers carry this.
We are literally at the point where we may have to close our doors.
And if that happens, Sioux Falls will lose one of its largest animal rescues.
That doesn’t just hurt us.
It means fewer places for animals to go.
More pressure on shelters and other rescues.
More animals without options.
More people with nowhere to turn.
So I’m asking.
Not complaining.
Not demanding.
Begging.
If you have ever adopted from us…
If we’ve helped you when you had nowhere else to turn…
If one of our animals has ever touched your heart…
If you believe our community needs animal rescue…
Please help us right now.
Even $5 matters.
$10 matters.
$25 matters.
Every dollar matters right now because we are literally trying to keep our doors open.
And if you are thinking about surrendering your animal, please stop and think about the commitment you made when you brought that animal home.
They are not disposable.
They are not someone else’s problem when things get hard.
They are your responsibility for their lifetime.
We cannot keep carrying the financial and emotional consequences of everyone else’s decisions.
Please help us keep our doors open.
I’m tired. I’m hurting. I’m crying.
But I’m still here.
And I’m still begging for these animals.
Please don’t let us disappear. ❤️🐾
GiveButter: https://givebutter.com/AlmostHomeCanineRescueSD
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Last 4 digits: 3313
✉️ : Almost Home Canine Rescue
P.O. Box 90707
Sioux Falls, SD 57109
