El Camino Dog Rescue

01/07/2026

Yesterday, we received the very first bag of food donated for Mama Lilly, and our hearts are full. A huge thank you to Barbara for picking it up locally at North 40 and bringing it straight to Gabby, along with a t-shirt to help keep Mama Lilly warm while she’s so thin and working on gaining healthy weight.

We are also incredibly grateful to everyone who has already started purchasing food through our Amazon Wishlist. Every single bag, every thoughtful gesture, truly matters and is helping Mama Lilly on her road back to health.

This is what saving dogs looks like—local support, people following and believing in what we do, and a community that shows up when it counts. We appreciate every one of you more than we can say. Thank you for being part of this and for helping Mama Lilly heal. 💛🐾
El Camino Dog Rescue

01/05/2026

🩷 Help Support Mama Lily 🩷

After recently finishing nursing 11 puppies, Mama Lily is understandably very underweight and in need of time, gentle nutrition, and care to recover. Right now, our focus is helping her safely gain weight and rebuild strength.

Because her body has been through so much, we are not starting her on a high-protein diet, and are instead focusing on food that’s easier on her system while she heals.

The food we are using is:
Nutro Natural Choice – Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe (Large Breed Adult)
This is a gentle, balanced option to support steady weight gain without overwhelming her system.

Mama Lily would also benefit from a daily probiotic to help support digestion and gut health while she gains weight. A probiotic option is listed on our Amazon Wish List as well for anyone who would like to help with that.

🧡 Whatever you order will go straight to her foster home — directly to Gabby, her foster mama — where Lily will stay until she’s healthy and ready for transfer.

We currently have multiple bags of food and the probiotic listed, and any amount helps. Even one item makes a meaningful difference in her recovery.

🔗 Amazon Wish List:
https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1LJNSUB4XOSH0?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_VMKKEK6E58KJ4FJ8XNFP&language=en-US

Thank you so much for supporting Mama Lily and helping us do what’s best for her 🤍
El Camino Dog Rescue

01/05/2026

🐾 TODAY: 38 DOGS ON TRANSPORT 🐾

Today, 38 dogs and puppies are being transferred to our incredible west side transfer partners especially Wet Noses Foster Paws who continues to step up again and again to help dogs coming out of Okanogan County get real chances through rescue placement.
This transport includes three mama dogs and five litters.

That brings us to 137 dogs transported in just 7 weeks (49 days).
Let that sink in.

This kind of work does not happen without an incredible amount of effort and volunteer commitment. Today, Tiffany is driving all 38 dogs to Tacoma and back an early morning a very long day crossing the mountains twice and getting home late. Transport days like this are a lot of work that most people never see and we are so deeply grateful to her for always showing up.

We also want to thank the owners who entrusted us during incredibly difficult situations whether surrendering dogs they could no longer care for or reaching out in emergencies. That trust matters and we take it seriously.

A huge thank you to Gaby, who is always willing to jump in at a moment’s notice taking last minute emergency litters on a whim running dogs to and from spay and neuter appointments and helping pick up dogs that need to get safely into foster homes. So much of this work happens in a whirlwind and you are always ready to go when help is needed. We could not do this without you. ❤️

This transport is the result of last minute miracles and wonderful fosters who opened their homes sometimes for just a week or two so dogs could be safely held spayed or neutered vaccinated and lovingly prepared for their next chapter, whether that meant a new foster home or a forever family.

Thank you to Charlotte, who always finds a way to make room for one more dog getting dogs to vet appointments picking up puppies for transport on transfer days and helping keep everything moving when it matters most. Thank you as well to Mykel and his girlfriend for stepping in to help with a vet appointment last week. Getting even one pup to an appointment saved time and made a real difference.

Thank you to Rita for taking in a stray and holding it safely until transfer day. Thank you also to Jessica and her mom for caring for Mama Lulu and her seven puppies for the last five weeks so they could safely make it to transport. We are also grateful to Team Okanogan Animal Rescue for helping a mama dog with medical needs prior to birth and making sure she was properly checked out.

Around this same timeframe we were able to step in and help a litter that was about to be given away for free. Thank you Cheryl for tagging us without that tag we would not have been able to help coordinate support so these dogs could get the vaccines they need and be placed into properly vetted homes. This is a big part of our focus stepping in early to support responsible outcomes. We also help cover the costs of a mama’s last litter so families who want to keep their dog can end the cycle and get the mama spayed.

Then less than 48 hours prior to this morning’s transport we were contacted about an emergency situation involving Mama Ruby and her six puppies. Thank you to Kathy for reaching out at the very last minute and helping communicate so we could make it happen and thank you to Libby for tagging me without that tag we would not have been able to help. Mama Ruby had been living outside for nearly two years fed only once a week left behind by a previous owner and doing her best to survive while caring for her puppies.

And just eight hours before this morning’s transport we received another emergency call about eight puppies who needed immediate help. Through a true last minute miracle Wet Nose Foster Paws was able to make space for one more litter. A local woman stepped up late at night to bring them into her home so they could be warm safe vaccinated and ready for the 6:30 AM transport, allowing them to move forward to a rescue that will handle their ongoing veterinary care including vaccines and spay neuter.

The reality is this
Puppies are incredibly hard to place right now in Okanogan County. There simply are not enough local homes to keep up with the number of puppies being born. Transferring them to more populated areas is how we help create responsible outcomes connecting dogs with rescues that have the resources to support them long term.

This was a massive amount of coordination communication driving fostering and teamwork all to help 38 dogs and puppies move forward today.

Thank you to TOAR for the dog food you have helped provide so we can support fosters in need leading up to transport days. That support makes a real difference.

Small pieces of help like this add up fast. If anyone would like to help in any way even in small ways please reach out. I can always find something that fits and it truly makes a difference.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible. 🐾❤️ El Camino Dog Rescue

01/01/2026

Reminder 👏👏👏

🎄 Holiday Pet Safety Reminder 🐾

With guests coming and going, please double-check that gates are latched and doors stay shut. Many pets slip out during busy arrivals and goodbyes without anyone noticing.

If you’re hosting, consider keeping pets crated, gated, or safely secured so an open front door doesn’t turn into a missing pet.

It would be a wonderful holiday gift for everyone if we didn’t have to worry about lost dogs this season.

Stay safe & enjoy the holidays,
El Camino Dog Rescue 🐾

12/25/2025

❤️💚❤️

12/24/2025

🎄 Holiday Pet Safety Reminder 🐾

With guests coming and going, please double-check that gates are latched and doors stay shut. Many pets slip out during busy arrivals and goodbyes without anyone noticing.

If you’re hosting, consider keeping pets crated, gated, or safely secured so an open front door doesn’t turn into a missing pet.

It would be a wonderful holiday gift for everyone if we didn’t have to worry about lost dogs this season.

Stay safe & enjoy the holidays,
El Camino Dog Rescue 🐾

12/22/2025

🐾 TODAY’S 25 LUCKY DOGS 🐾

Today’s El Camino Dog Rescue transport was made up entirely of owner and pound surrenders — dogs whose people were looking for a second chance, a safer path forward, or help getting a mama dog spayed through the free Mama’s Last Litter program!
Some of these mamas were still nursing one-week-old puppies when they came to us.

We are incredibly grateful that our community trusts us with these dogs — trusting us to help them find new families, better futures, and safe, vaccinated, spay/neuter-ready paths forward.

Today’s dogs included:
• Gala
• Tiny (not so Tiny)
• Wishbone
• Ollie and Willow
• 8 puppies
• Momma Ellie and her 10 puppies
• Lady

Every single one of these dogs represents someone asking for help — and a dog deserving of a fresh start.

We are beyond thankful to our wet-side rescue partner Wet Noses Foster Paws for always pulling through, even with last-minute hardships. Making space. Finding foster homes. Rallying their community. Saving lives. Some of these dogs already have foster homes — and even forever homes — lined up because of their incredible team and supporters.

Huge thank-yous as well to:
• Barbra, for giving Wishbone a wonderful foster so he could be neutered before transport
• Gaby, always stepping up with last-minute fosters to get dogs safely out of the pound — including older pups who needed to be spayed before travel — and for helping a mama dog who needed extra time to socialize, learn leash skills, and heal after her spay while her puppies headed west weeks ago
• Annette a Grant County rescuer, who answered a last-minute roadside mama dog call and was in her driveway ready to help within 15 minutes — absolute lifesaver energy

And then there’s Todd.

Todd was able — on a whim — to make the entire Omak → Tacoma → back run today. With multiple time-sensitive dogs, no extra fosters available, and no room for delays, this transport had to happen today. He didn’t flinch, didn’t complain, didn’t hesitate — just rolled with the punches like he always does. Todd, Gaby, and Barbra put in the work early this morning to make sure these dogs had the smoothest, safest transition possible into the vehicle.

And a huge thank-you to Ana, who was originally set to drive halfway — and instead met us in Tacoma to help unload and take the rest of the puppies all the way to their foster homes in Bremerton. We are so grateful for how often Ana has been stepping in lately with each load, helping finish that final leg or jumping in with the Tacoma crew when we need it most. Her dedication and reliability are truly unmatched.

Without that team effort, today simply would not have happened.

I’ve basically been living on my phone for weeks now — long days, long nights, juggling messages, logistics, vet needs, fosters, drivers, and deadlines — sometimes 18 hours a day. When people communicate clearly and work with me, it makes all the difference. That’s how lives get saved.

Thank you to Team Okanogan Animal Rescue for the dog food support we rely on to keep dogs fed, moving, and headed toward new beginnings.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, stepped up, trusted the process, and helped make today possible.
Onward to new beginnings. 🐶✨

12/19/2025

🎄 Before You Get a Puppy for Christmas… Please Consider Bonnie 🎄

Bonnie is still waiting for her forever home — and she deserves one just as much as any puppy under the tree.

She loves people, adores attention, and is happiest when she’s close to her humans. Bonnie is a big girl with a big heart.

She does get overly excited when meeting other dogs, which can feel intimidating to them, so she would do best as the only dog in the home. That said, the right match could still come along — and we’re hopeful.

Bonnie has only known an outdoor, tethered life. She’s spent her whole life tied up, never truly having a home of her own. We would love to see her finally experience:
• a secure, fully fenced yard
• space to call her own
• a family to love her

She has a strong prey drive (squirrels and cats are very tempting!), so a safe, enclosed space is important for her success.

📍 Location: Malott area
📍 Meet & Greets Available: Okanogan County and Chelan-Douglas County

If you’re looking to make someone a very happy Christmas dog parent, Bonnie is ready.
Please reach out to schedule a meet and greet — her forever family might be you. ❤️🐾

El Camino Dog Rescue

12/19/2025

🎄 ANNUAL HOLIDAY REMINDER 🎄

✨ Puppies don’t stay puppies.
They grow.
They shed.
They take up the couch.

📦 Dogs are not gift-sized.
They don’t stay in the box.
They burst out of it.

🐕 A dog is a 10–15 year commitment,
long after the wrapping paper is gone
and the tree is back in the attic.

This season, give gifts that don’t end up rehomed in January 2027.
If you’re not ready for the whole dog…
please don’t start with the puppy.

❤️ Adopt responsibly.
❤️ Commit for life.

12/16/2025

When a dog destroys your home, it’s not “bad behavior.”
It’s communication.

Dogs who chew doors, rip up couches, shred shoes, or damage walls while their people are gone are not being spiteful or “getting revenge.”

They’re panicking.
They’re overstimulated.
They’re mentally underworked.

Destruction is a symptom — not the problem.

Most of the time, it points to separation stress, lack of structure, excess unused energy, or unclear boundaries that exist long before the owner ever walks out the door.

Many dogs start showing anxiety the moment keys are picked up.
Pacing. Whining. Following closely. Fixation.
Those early signs often get brushed off.

Then the door closes — and the dog doesn’t “act out.”
Their nervous system takes over.

Chewing and tearing aren’t acts of defiance. They’re self-soothing behaviors. It’s how dogs try to release stress and calm themselves — even if it costs you a couch.

Here’s the hard truth:

• Crating alone won’t fix this
• Toys alone won’t fix this
• Cameras alone won’t fix this

What does help is ownership.

Routine.
Calm, neutral departures and arrivals.
Structured physical exercise and mental work.
Clear expectations.
Teaching dogs that being alone is safe, predictable, and boring.

A calm dog doesn’t destroy.
A fulfilled dog doesn’t panic.
A balanced dog doesn’t need to cope by tearing a house apart.

At El Camino Dog Rescue, we see this every day — and we say this with compassion, not judgment:

Dogs don’t fail their people.
People sometimes fail to meet their dog’s needs.

When we fix the cause, the behavior fades.

We are the owners.
And with ownership comes responsibility.

12/11/2025

Scarlett Found Her Forever Home! 🐾❤️

This morning, Scarlett officially found her forever home!

Huge thank-you to for helping connect us with the perfect match with Annette & family. 🥰

Scarlett now has other dogs in the home who are a perfect fit for her. She absolutely adores them and is already so excited about her new life.

We are so grateful for our community connections, and for people who are willing to step up and give dogs a second chance through thoughtful rehoming.

I’m over the moon for Scarlett — she is already so loved and is definitely going to live a very spoiled, happy life. 💕🐶