The Animal Pad

08/22/2025

Today is the first day of the tournament here in San Diego, and we have an incredible offer of support- but we need this community’s help to make it happen!

Today through this weekend’s tournament, ALL donations raised will be matched up to $25k, thanks to our friends at ! And we desperately need it, so we can continue to help dogs like NumNum.

I will try my best to explain in this video all that this dog has been through (captions are not working, so make sure sound is on- sorry!), but the truth is we don’t even know the half of it, and the other half is still a mystery. We do know that this is what we do best, though. Taking in dogs that don’t have a fighting chance anywhere else, and letting them show us their will to survive.

Today, NumNum is not just surviving- she’s thriving. She’s got a long way to go and a continued road to healing, but every day is better than the last. Her only complaint is that we gave her such a dumb name, and now I’m sharing it here on the internet for all to see. Sorry Nums.

ALL donations- today through Sunday- across ALL platforms will be matched, so please consider giving even $5 this Friday to help us make our goal. 🙏

Ways to donate:
•Through the fundraiser on this post
•Venmo (beware of scammers!)
•Zelle [email protected]
•Paypal [email protected]
•theanimalpad.org/donate

Thank you all, so much, for always being there for our dogs. And of course, a BIG thanks to and for making this possible! 💚

08/20/2025

Back in 2021, an independent rescuer was on her way to our HQ to deliver some dogs when she found 2 puppies on the side of the road in Tijuana. She couldn’t leave them, and when she showed up with 2 extra dogs at our door, neither could we. We welcomed Oscar and his little sister Mayer into TAP.

Yesterday, 4 years later, we received a little dog named Churro at our very same HQ. She was once ours and had been adopted out under the name Mayer, to an amazing mom who cherished her and gave her a beautiful life. She even had a human brother who would dress her up as Superdog and celebrate every birthday together!

We got the devastating news that Churro’s mom suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, and due to circumstances that are no fault of Churro’s or her former mom’s extended family, Churro is now in need of a home… again.

Churro is amazing with kids. She is a little slower to warm with adults, but give her 5 minutes and some lunch meat, and you will be her best friend. She’s very food motivated. We are unsure at this time how she will do in a home with other dogs, as she has been the only one for the past 4 years, but we will learn a little bit more about that today. Also unsure on cats and other animals.

Please help us share this post so we can find Churro a patient, loving foster home- and eventually, once she’s ready, a forever as good as her last one. ❤️‍🩹

San Diego fosters - Please apply at theanimalpad.org/foster and our team will be in touch. 🫶

07/31/2025

Thank you 10News – ABC San Diego KGTV for featuring adoptable Mr.Wilson as pet of the week!

Meet our ABC 10News Pet of the Week, Wilson, a fun, playful, sweet, and snuggly German Shepherd mix available for adoption from The Animal Pad.

07/22/2025

🚨 THE HQ DOGS ARE HERE WITH A PAWBLIC
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

has generously partnered with us for our very own line of limited edition merch whose proceeds will go back to the dogs!

Much like our all breed, all need dogs, shirts come in variety of different colors, styles and sizes!

Head to this link to order your shirts today!! And tell us which is your favorite (design, not dog 😜) in the comments!
Bossdogart.com

Dogs featured in order of appearance and in need of foster!
🐾Jeppson
🐾Fergus
🐾Eileen
🐾Raja’s butt (now in foster!)
🐾Macadamia
🐾Bilbo Baggins
🐾Fergus (snuck himself in again lol)
🐾Millie (a ESLR 2.0 survivor who stopped by HQ on her way up to her rescue in Northern California!)

07/22/2025

🚨 THE HQ DOGS ARE HERE WITH A PAWBLIC
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

has generously partnered with us for our very own line of limited edition merch whose proceeds will go back to the dogs!

Much like our all breed, all need dogs, shirts come in variety of different colors, styles and sizes!

Head to the link in our bio or check out the website to order your shirts today!!

Dogs featured in order of appearance and in need of foster!
🐾Jeppson
🐾Fergus
🐾Eileen
🐾Raja’s butt (now in foster!)
🐾Macadamia
🐾Bilbo Baggins
🐾Fergus (snuck himself in again lol)
🐾Millie (a ESLR 2.0 survivor who stopped by HQ on her way up to her rescue in Northern California!)

06/20/2025

After 143 days in our care, Roy has officially been adopted. ✨

He came to us after being badly burned in a house fire and then taken to the shelter when his former family knew they couldn’t get him better on their own. They did the most selfless thing that day, because Roy’s transformation from burnt crispy to a plushy stuffed toy took months of specialized care and $$$$$ that the average person simply could never. He underwent many procedures, many bandage changes, and so much pain to get here- but he made it.

While in foster with one of the best medical fosters in the biz, Roy caught the eye of someone very special. When his now mom reached out to us via email, sure he must have had a family lined up already, she said it was ok if he did, as long as Roy was happy and loved. But the one liner that got me, personally? …

“In our hearts, we’ve already adopted him.”

She went on to say that her late pup Lili, also a rescued Cocker Spaniel with a tragic past, had been her whole life. “When we look at Roy, it feels like Lili is sending us a little nudge to pay attention to him. So… we’re listening.” 🥹

I don’t think I need to say more. Roy, now BonBon, is home. 🫶

If you believe in dogs like this one, who need help the most but very often don’t have any other hope or chance, please consider joining our TAP Pack of monthly donors at theanimalpad.org/donate. Saying YES to dogs like Roy/BonBon… that’s made possible by you.💚

06/14/2025

Thank you 10News – ABC San Diego KGTV for featuring adoptable Morticia as pet of the week!

Meet our ABC 10News Pet of the Week from our featured animal shelters: The San Diego Humane Society and the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

06/14/2025

Meet Indi, Part 2.

After an 11 hour rescue mission to get her safe and so many unknowns about her past, we thought there was no way of knowing what Indi had possibly been through- but immediately,she started to show us glimpses. She showed us that, different from the many street dogs we rescue, she did, in fact, know what a leash was… and to her, it was all bad. She showed us that she had been abused to some degree, by the way she would cower when we stood up, not let us get close enough to touch her, and her many, many sensitivities. But she also showed us that dogs were her safe space, so every day, little by little, we used our pack to work on Indi’s fear. And little by little, it melted away. Now she sees the leash and breaks out into the most joyful happy dance, because she knows something good is coming. And that’s the best feeling ever. 🥹

After 7 months of rehabilitation, Indi is now adoptable at https://theanimalpad.org/adoptable/indi/. 💚

PROUD OF YOU, INDI GIRL.

06/13/2025

Meet Indi, Part 1. The 11 hour rescue mission condensed to 1 minute 30 seconds. 😅

Indi was dumped outside of a Dick’s Sporting Goods in a local mall in the middle of a stormy night. Security footage showed that she sat outside the mall entrance in the pouring rain for hours before the store opened and we were called by a supporter to help. Trying to secure her turned into quite the expedition and involved El Cajon PD and the San Diego Humane Society. Indi was terrified, but we eventually got her and she hasn’t looked back toward her old life since! Indi was extremely feral when we took her into our care and showed signs of being heavily abused and triggered by things like leashes and touch. She’s worked really hard in her foster home since November 2024, and the progress she has made is astounding.

Tune in tomorrow to see. 🫶

05/27/2025

8 months ago, he was dropped off at the ER after being attacked by a dog he was living with. His owners didn’t bat an eye when they requested he be unalived. He had been a problem and inconvenience to them for too long. He was only 1 year old.

After the ER called us and we agreed to take on his case, we asked you all to help name him, and you did. Overwhelmingly, you suggested “Chance,” and right there on that first day in our care, that’s what we promised to give him. And today, Chance needs this community of supporters to take yet another chance on him.

After taking Chance into our rescue, we learned that there was so much more to him that just this facial injury, and honestly, it’s been a battle ever since to undo the bad that was done by the people who so terribly failed him.

He’s a complicated boy in need of a complex dental surgery to extract all of his teeth. In Chance’s past life, he was starved and left in the backyard, where rocks were his only source of food. This is something his former owners complained about to ER staff. Being forced to eat rocks to keep his belly full, Chance badly and irreparably damaged his teeth. He has a massive infection in his mouth and it has caused multiple abscesses. The only solution to fixing this and ridding him of this painful infection is to pull all of his teeth. Every last one, removed. And this is happening RIGHT NOW.

This already complicated surgery is made even more complicated because of a heart condition, which doctors believe stemmed from malnourishment. Because of this, going under anesthesia isn’t as safe as it is for most- But it’s a risk we have to take. We have an anesthesiologist sitting in for the procedure whose sole job is to monitor his vitals and heart rate during surgery. The cost for this is overwhelming, but we would pay any price to keep him safe.

Chance is in surgery now. Please keep him in your thoughts today, and if you can, donate to or share our fundraiser linked below.

We need all the help we can get, but Chance deserves every chance at a good, long, happy and healthy life. Let’s do this for the best boy. 💚

https://givebutter.com/r4AUCO

05/21/2025

💚 Help Us Keep Saying YES to the Underdogs 💚

At The Animal Pad, we don’t shy away from the hard cases. We step up for the dogs who’ve been neglected, abandoned, or forgotten—the ones with medical needs, the ones rescued from hoarding or the streets, the ones no one else is fighting for.

And thanks to our incredible monthly donors, we’re able to say yes—yes to vet care, yes to transport, yes to healing.

If you’ve ever thought about supporting TAP in an ongoing way, becoming a monthly donor is one of the most impactful things you can do. Even $10 or $15 a month adds up in a BIG way and helps us plan for the future and keep our rescue efforts strong.

💥 It’s reliable support for the dogs who need it most.

🐶 It helps us cover emergency medical cases, supplies, and transport.

📦 It keeps our foster program running smoothly.

💚 And honestly—it helps us sleep at night knowing we can keep saying YES!

Want to help us save more lives, every single month?

👉 https://theanimalpad.org/donation/

From all of us (especially the pups)—thank you for always showing up. 🐾

You can make a monetary donation online or pay an adoption fee with PayPal or the donation box on this page.

04/28/2025

In case you missed it…She’s CANCER FREE, and that’s not all! She’s also…

Adopted. 🥹❤️‍🩹
But that’s a reel for another time.

Congrats on graduating chemo treatment at the top of your class, Cora! 🎓Where’s the grad party? There’s a handful of people on the internet who have been following your story + cheering you on for the past 7 MONTHS… They miiiiight be expecting an invite…

Thank you to 15/10 Foundation for making Cora’s lifesaving treatment possible, and thank you At-Choo Foundation for being the reason we learned that she existed in the first place.

Her story is just beginning. 💚