Famous Fido Rescue didn’t begin with kennels or emergency calls. It began with cookies. A small space where dogs and their people could sit together, side by side in booths sharing a snack, sharing time. We believed then, and we believe now, that animals are not property. They are companions. Family. Equals.
That mission, that heart, has never changed.
But the world around us has.
The animals who come to us now are often broken, in body, in spirit, in trust. They’ve been left behind, discarded, abused, or given up on. And we welcome them. Every one. Even when we’re full, even when it hurts, even when it’s more than we can carry.
What has changed is how people respond to this work.
When we opened our doors decades ago, we were seen as a safe haven. Now we’re seen as a service provider. There is less tenderness. Less understanding. More expectation. More entitlement.
If we can’t take in the 30th animal someone wants to surrender, they tell us we’re heartless. If we ask someone to wait, or to fill out an application, or to consider another option, we are told we’re “not a real rescue.” People threaten bad reviews, social media posts, or worse.
And that hurts more than we often let on.
Because we are trying. Every single day. With every ounce of energy we have. When people say we’re not doing enough, it cuts deep, because the truth is, we’re already giving everything.
We’ve stood beside animals as they took their final breaths because no one else would. We’ve rushed the suffering to emergency vets with no guarantee we could pay the bill. We’ve held traumatized dogs who flinched at every touch. We’ve worked through holidays, birthdays, and illness. We’ve missed sleep. Missed meals. Missed moments with our own families, all to be here.
Rescue work doesn’t end when the doors close. It lives in our bones. It settles in our hearts. And the longer we do it, the heavier it gets. Some days, the grief is a weight we can hardly speak of. Some days, it’s the judgment, not the animals, that breaks us.
And still, we show up.
Because we believe in the mission. We believe that animals deserve better. We believe that we can be better, as a society, as a community, as a movement of people who do not give up on the vulnerable.
We believe that what started in a little Doggie Deli, with humans and dogs all together sitting around a table, can ripple outward into something powerful. A world where animals are protected. Valued. Loved without condition.
But we cannot do it alone.
If you can adopt, please adopt. If you can’t adopt, volunteer. If you can’t volunteer, donate. And if you can’t donate, be kind. Share a story. Speak up for the voiceless. Offer a word of encouragement to those on the frontlines.
This work is hard. Sometimes it’s unbearable. But with you beside us, it’s also beautiful.
Help us continue. Help us grow. Help us give these animals the life they always deserved.
That’s who we are. That’s who we’ll always be. And we hope you’ll be part of it.
