Downtown Dog Rescue

01/12/2026

At our January free wellness clinic with the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association , we provided services to 113 pets who live in the South East area of Los Angeles. Kittens and puppies receive vaccines and deworming plus flea treatment and microchips. Adult pets that are already spayed and neutered receive the free services and are welcome to come back anytime. Pets that need to be spayed or neutered get the opportunity to sign up for surgery at our high volume spay and neutered receive clinic in Maywood. Yes we want to keep pets healthy by increasing vaccination rates but our focus is on getting all pets spayed and neutered. .

01/09/2026

This is Baby Girl. Our social worker, Jackie, first met Baby Girl and her person at the South LA Shelter in October. Like many situations we encounter, support came with clear expectations—because real help means doing what’s best for the animal, even when it’s hard.
At first, Baby Girl’s person was hesitant to spay. But we were clear: our services—including ongoing support and free dog food—are tied to preventing future suffering. After thoughtful conversations, they agreed.
Baby Girl was spayed at our Maywood clinic in December.
That follow-through matters. It means Baby Girl and her unhoused person can remain in our support program for as long as they need help. It means no accidental litters, no added medical risk, and a better chance at stability for both of them.
Earlier this year, when Baby Girl became sick and tested positive for parvo, Downtown Dog Rescue covered her care in full. She survived. She healed. She went back to her person.
This is what long-term care looks like. Not one-time help. Not conditional compassion.But clear boundaries, consistency, and staying present.
payingS and neuter saves lives—especially when paired with ongoing support.

01/08/2026

This is Zyborg. Their person came to the South LA Shelter feeling overwhelmed and afraid they were about to lose the one constant in their life. They were navigating trauma, instability, and systems that often make survival harder instead of safer. What they needed most in that moment was not judgment or paperwork alone, but someone to listen.

After assessing the situation, our social worker, Jackie, was able to provide the support that kept them together. With appropriate documentation in place and timely advocacy, housing concerns were addressed before they turned into another loss. Today, Zyborg is still by their side. They are still housed.
And one more possible shelter surrender was prevented.

For people living with trauma, pets are not optional. They are grounding. They are protection. They are the reason someone gets up, keeps going, and believes tomorrow might be survivable. Keeping people and their animals together is not just animal welfare; it's human care.

This is what empathy looks like in action.

01/07/2026

This is Zelda. She is 10 years old. Until recently, she had always walked on her own. Then she stopped. For three days, she couldn’t get up. She cried from pain, confused and frightened, while her family watched, helpless and terrified.

Zelda’s "mom" came to the shelter in tears. She’s on a fixed income, working any side job she can find just to stay afloat. Zelda has been her constant companion for a decade — through instability, through hard years, and everything in between. Letting her suffer wasn’t an option, but neither was affording the care she desperately needed.

After listening to her story, our social worker Jackie was able to help. A veterinary voucher was issued, and today Zelda received X-rays and pain medication to take home.

Now, Zelda is back where she belongs, at home, resting, cared for, and surrounded by the people who love her.

This is what access to care looks like.
This is what prevention looks like.
This is how families stay together.

Zelda did not become another shelter surrender because of a lack of medical attention. Compassion, paired with action, changed her outcome.

01/06/2026

Free Pet Wellness Clinic this Sunday January 11 9 am. Vaccines, Microchips for puppies under 4 months. Adult dogs must already be spayed or neutered to qualify You need to live in one of the following cities to register: Maywood Huntington Park, Lynwood, Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Cudahy, Compton , South Gate and Florence-Firestone Watts area. We help anyone who identifies as homeless. .
TEXT your zip code to 213-448-9961. If you qualify you will receive a reservation confirmation. Please do not call.

01/03/2026

🥳 2026 is off to a great start for UKI who’s waited two years to be adopted! Congratulations to the new family! 💜

❤️

12/31/2025

The DDR adoptable dogs say THANK YOU for your support in 2025! 🙏🏼We cannot do the work we do without your help. If you have the means, please help us start 2026 strong with a final year-end donation. 💜 Link in bio or visit https://downtowndogrescue.org/donate

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year 🥳

12/30/2025

We need your help! Every day, Downtown Dog Rescue meets families who love their pets deeply but cannot afford the basic care they need — families living in unstable housing, working long hours for low wages, or simply trying to make it through the week. Their pets are often the only constant, the only comfort they have.

Everything we provide — every surgery, every crisis intervention, every dog given a second chance — is funded entirely by people who believe in our mission!

Please support our work if you can. Your gift means a family will not have to choose between poverty and the pet they love. We are grateful for your generosity which truly sustains us - and changes lives!
Donate Now: https://downtowndogrescue.org/donate

Every day, Downtown Dog Rescue meets families who love their pets deeply but cannot afford the basic care they need — families living in unstable housing, working long hours for low wages, or simply trying to make it through the week. Their pets are often the only constant, the only comfort they h...

12/22/2025

“Winter” didn’t smell like a puppy. Her coat smelled like meth-evidence of how deeply addiction saturates life on the street. She was running down the sidewalk when she was found. Four,maybe five months old. No leash. No plan. She ran straight into waiting arms. It was confirmed that her person did not want to take care of her, so the community was watching out for her. This community of trailers and RVs parked near the metro line had kept her safe, but it was likely a matter of when she would have been hit by a train or car.
M**h convinces people they’re managing. That they’re okay. That they can take care of others, even when they can’t care for themselves. Puppies don’t survive that illusion.
Winter is safe now at our kennel. Our manager Jenny gave her that name - a marker of time, a line between what was and what is.
This work happens quietly every week. It requires presence, resources, and a willingness to intervene when it matters. If you are able, please consider supporting our work.

12/19/2025

Meet Peaches.
Peaches is a 10-year-old senior cat who recently began experiencing heavy, labored breathing. His person is unhoused and, for years, did everything they could to keep Peaches fed—often relying on table scraps and whatever food they could find. Peaches has always been their constant, their comfort, and their emotional anchor.

Recently, Peaches and his person were finally able to move into a housing program with stable, affordable housing. But stability does not automatically mean access to veterinary care. Living on General Relief as their only income, there was no way to afford a vet visit—especially when something felt seriously wrong.

Feeling overwhelmed and hopeless, Peaches’ person reached out to our social worker, Jackie. Jackie took the time to truly listen—not just to the medical concern, but to how deeply Peaches matters to their emotional well-being.

Through one of our partner animal hospitals, Peaches received a comprehensive veterinary exam, blood work, X-rays, medication, and an injection. Thanks to our discounted rate, the total cost to Downtown Dog Rescue was $416.20. Peaches was diagnosed with asthma—a treatable condition—and his person felt enormous relief knowing what was wrong and that Peaches could breathe comfortably again.

This is what access to care looks like. This is why we do this work. Your donations make moments like this possible—when a beloved companion animal doesn’t suffer simply because their person is poor or unhoused.

If you’re able, please consider donating to help us continue providing lifesaving veterinary care to pets like Peaches and dignity and support to the people who love them.

Donate. Share. Help us keep families together.

12/17/2025

At Downtown Dog Rescue, our work doesn’t stop at vaccines or spay and neuter.
Through our monthly community wellness clinics with the volunteer veterinarians and vet techs of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association, we see the same pets again and again — dogs and cats living with chronic conditions that cause real, unnecessary suffering. Skin infections. Ear infections. Eye issues. Conditions that are painful, frustrating, and often entirely treatable.
What we hear most often from families is heartbreaking but familiar:
“I know what’s wrong. I just can’t afford the cure.” Many people can scrape together enough for an exam, but not the ongoing treatment plan that healing requires. Without follow-up care, these issues linger for months or years.

That’s where DDR steps in.
At our clinic in Maywood, Dr. Hoffman makes time every week to see patients like this sweet dog, who has been living with a chronic skin infection — highly treatable, but left untreated simply because of cost. We ask families to donate what they can afford, knowing that dignity matters and access should never depend on wealth.
Our clinic is not open to the general public. It exists for those who need it most: unhoused community members, families barely getting by, and people living one crisis away from losing everything — including their pets.

If you believe that pets shouldn’t suffer because their people are poor, please consider donating to Downtown Dog Rescue. Your support makes ongoing care possible — not just a one-time visit, but real relief, healing, and hope.
Donate if you can. Share if you can’t. Either way, thank you for standing with our community.

12/15/2025

In 2025, DDR and the served 1,791 pets with the support of volunteer veterinarians and veterinary technicians. 1,463 dogs and 328 cats were provided with vaccinations, microchips, deworming, flea and tick meds. This work continued despite our community increasingly feeling fear and instability due to ICE activity. We serve people who are unhoused, low income, immigrants, seniors, and families who deeply cherish their pets but cannot always afford veterinary care. We believe that access should not depend on circumstance.
These monthly clinic have operated for 12 years, including during COVID, and are free to the community. While veterinarians and veterinary technicians techs donate their time, the cost of supplies averages $30 per pet, adding up to approximately $40,000 per year for DDR to pay.
All pets receiving services are required to be spayed or neutered- or their families sign a sterilization agreement-because responsible, accessible care matters.
This is what community-based animal welfare looks like: consistent, compassionate, and rooted in trust.