A foundation built at kitchen tables
The Community
The people who showed up and never left.
Retired vet techs, college students between classes, small-town families with converted backyard sheds. This is what rescue looks like from the inside.
They come in scared. They leave having been loved completely. That's the whole job.
Dolores Vásquez
Retired vet tech · Hospice dog foster
I run traps between 11pm and 2am, then walk to my 8am lecture. The colonies don't keep office hours.
Marcus Webb
College junior · TNR circuit coordinator
We converted the garden shed in a weekend. My husband thought I was joking. Now he cleans cages every Saturday.
Priya Nair
Elementary school teacher · Rabbit sanctuary
New Foster Handbook
Everything your first foster dog or cat needs — from intake day through adoption.
By Dolores Vásquez
I drove patrol cars for 28 years. Now I drive rescue vans. Honestly — better passengers.
James Thibodeau
Retired sheriff · Farm animal transport
Rural counties have almost no access. We bring the clinic to them. The waiting lists are months long — that tells you everything.
Tomoko Hayashi
Veterinarian · Spay-neuter caravan lead
We text the midnight shift roster in a group chat. Someone always shows up. That's just how it works here.
Caleb & Ruth Fontaine
Farming family · Lamb bottle-feeding relay
Municipal TNR Ordinance Template
A fill-in-the-blank template used in 11 counties to pass TNR protection ordinances.
By Marcus Webb & Tomoko Hayashi
People don't need a speech. They need a ride to the clinic, a bag of kibble, and someone who picks up the phone.
Simone Okafor
Social worker · Community outreach lead
I got my license in June. By July I was doing transport runs. My mom co-signs the mileage log.
Owen Gallagher
High school student · Weekend transport driver
Hospice Foster Protocol
Palliative care guidance, comfort scoring sheets, and vet communication templates.
By Dolores Vásquez
Why we exist
Built at kitchen tables.
Held together by people who stayed.
Refuge started as a group text between three people sharing a bottle of wine and a litter of kittens. It's grown because every person who found it brought someone else. The toolkit exists because people kept asking for the thing they wish they'd had on day one.