Exclusive Interview with Allison Lange Co-Founder of A Dog's Life Rescue

Allison Lange has always loved animals. She grew up in a small town in Indiana where her family had dogs, cats, birds, horses and cows. Allison brought that love for animals along with her when she moved to Los Angeles. Within a month of her move, she had already adopted a shelter cat. "I got involved in helping homeless animals and decided that volunteering my time with a dog rescue would be a good fit for me. I started volunteering for a group of women that included Julia Pennington, who is now my rescue partner and co-founder in 'A Dog's Life Rescue'. That was seven years ago," said Allison.

Do not be fooled by her organization’s name. “A Dog’s Life Rescue” does not only help puppies and dogs. They sometimes get contacted about birds, opossums, rabbits and other animals. They have also aided doves, rats and chickens! Allison, Julia and the other volunteers work with a wildlife rehabilitation specialist for those special cases. They also manage a feral cat colony. No animal is ignored by “A Dog’s Life Rescue.” “We have a hard time turning our backs on any animal in need but it is difficult to find a home for a rooster in Los Angeles,” Allison said. She added that working with those kinds of animals is fascinating. She emphasized the importance of working together with nearby rescue groups.

“A Dog’s Life Rescue’s” focus is on stray and abandoned puppies and dogs. One of Allison and Julia’s strengths, Allison believes, is getting animals out of harm’s way. They often trap or leash stray dogs and have taken animals directly out of abusive situations. Allison said, “We definitely tend to take on the harder cases, such as sick, injured or scared animals. We are just drawn to them and feel those are the ones who need us.”

An example of one such dog is "Phoebe". She was living alone in a very dangerous warehouse district in downtown LA. A Good Samaritan who worked nearby was feeding her on weekdays. He would leave food on a Styrofoam plate and cover it with another plate weighted by a few stones to try and protect it from bugs. Phoebe quickly learned to move the top plate to get the food. When the Good Samaritan's job ended in that neighborhood, he was very worried about the dog. Not only was the area unsafe, but he also said the dog did not appear to be healthy.

The good people at “A Dog’s Life Rescue” were able to use a live trap to get “Phoebe” in to their care. As one might expect, “Phoebe” was terrified of people at first. But her emotional health was more intact than her physical health. “Soon after getting her to our vet we sadly discovered that in fact, her pelvis had been completely broken. We have no idea how this tiny girl had even survived so long and with so much pain,” said Allison.

"Even worse is that this was an old injury in which her pelvis fused in such a way that made it difficult for her to pass stool without excruciating pain. When the Good Samaritan heard her screaming, she was doing so because fecal matter had built up so much that there were two extremely solid masses of stool lodged in her colon"

The veterinarians immediately put “Phoebe” on stool softeners and sedated her. Even under sedation, the dog whimpered in pain. Over time, her health did improve and that is not the only good news. “’Phoebe’ is now out of the vet and feeling good. She is in a foster home and getting all the love and attention she wants. She is such a lap dog and is always wagging her tail!” said Allison.

Another special story is the story of “Mika,” who is featured on the front page of “A Dog’s Life’s” website with Jared Padalecki. “Mika” is a rescue dog that is paralyzed from her waist down. She is an extra special case for Allison, as she is “Mika’s” foster mom.

Allison said, “’Mika’ has been truly inspiring and a test for me personally. When we got her she was the size of my hand. I had to wake up every few hours to feed her and clean her.” Allison explained that being paralyzed also means that Mika is incontinent. She added, “On top of being a puppy (that are normally poop machines), it was messy!” Allison certainly knows how to handle a situation that most people would probably give up on. Allison explained that she was helpless and innocent and many thought “Mika” would not survive. “We could see all her spirit and her fight, so we were not going to give up on her."

Photos and videos of “Mika” as a puppy can also be found on “A Dog’s Life’s” website. Upon viewing “Mika” on video, it is hard to not be inspired by her will to live. Even as a puppy, she did her best to bounce around on her front legs, which worked perfectly fine. Allison contacted anyone she could find that had experience with disabled dogs. While researching she came upon another Good Samaritan. This one worked for a company called Handicapped Pets. After seeing “Mika’s” video, the company donated a “Walkin’ Wheels” cart for her. “Mika got in that cart and tore around the yard! She was the happiest girl in the world!” Allison beamed. She added, “Mika is going into surgery in a couple of days, but she should be back in her cart by next week!” I speak for many when I say that we here at Support Supernatural are praying for “Mika’s” continued health improvements.

This is where “Supernatural’s” Jared Padalecki comes into the picture. He recently formally endorsed “A Dog’s Life Rescue.” Jared got involved through a mutual friend of Allison. “Jared has two rescue dogs of his own, which I am sure you know about, and he wanted to help more with animals and charities,” Allison said. When Jared had some time off work in Vancouver, he came home to LA and he got to meet “Mika.” Allison said the two really hit it off! “Mika really took to Jared and he was so great with her.” (Why does this not surprise us?)

While in town, Jared was also able to go on a street rescue with Allison. He plans on going on more rescues with the group and will continue to work with the group on education and community awareness. Allison added, “He respects what ‘A Dog’s Life Rescue’ does and we are so happy to have him involved. It’s been a good match.” (We think so too!)

As one might guess, there is no typical day for the folks at “A Dog’s Life Rescue.” Allison explained, “If we are going to catch a dog on a certain day, we are usually up and out of the house early. Most homeless dogs scavenge for food around dawn before too many people are out.” Dogs often avoid the heat later in the day during summer months, so early mornings are often a part of Allison’s life.

If Allison is successful in catching a homeless dog, it is immediately taken in for veterinary care, and all the while she is frantically making calls to find a foster home for the dog. No matter what time the day starts, there is one constant - most days are hectic! Emergencies and other surprises can occur at any time. And if she does not have an early morning catching a stray, then she starts out by answering the approximately 100 e-mails her group receives every day.

Additionally, Allison’s co-founder Julia feeds the feral cat colony every evening. On top of that, there are adoption events EVERY Saturday! For information on these events, click here. Private appointments can also be arranged to meet specific animals and all of their adoptable animals are listed here.

Another important component of “A Dog’s Life Rescue” is community outreach and education. Allison and her volunteers help individuals as much as possible, which is especially valuable in the current recession. Job losses and foreclosures often equal more homeless pets. “Unfortunately, because there are so many dogs and cats that need help, we can’t take on all of them. Most of the time the person who calls us feels overwhelmed. So we try to educate and assist people in finding homes,” said Allison. And if that person ever comes into a similar situation, he or she is armed with information on what to do, thanks to “A Dog’s Life Rescue.”

Allison said this is the hardest part of the job. They cannot save every animal. She stresses that this is why education is so important.

Here are a few basic but important tips from “A Dog’s Life Rescue:”

- Spay or neuter your pet to alleviate pet overpopulation

- Consider adopting from a shelter or rescue group before going to a breeder - if you want a purebred, there are many homeless purebreds looking for loving ‘forever' homes.

- Do proper research before choosing a dog breed! For example, you may find that a cat or rabbit might better suit your lifestyle.

- Make sure you are ready for the life long commitment of having a pet!

With all of their initiatives, these amazing volunteers do not have much time to themselves. It is clear these volunteers have huge hearts. And it is very important to point out that “A Dog’s Life Rescue” is run solely by volunteers! The work they do for the rescue is in addition to their ‘day jobs’ too!

But there is more to volunteering with “A Dog’s Life Rescue” than just hard work and gut wrenching stories of animals with hardships. There are many satisfying parts of volunteering and many heartwarming stories. Allison loves seeing pictures of their rescues happy in their new homes. She also added, “The most rewarding parts of what we do are sometimes as little as the first time a dog gives you a kiss or a cat lets you pet him without flinching.”

A wonderful example of a “happy tail” concerns a dog they named “Hugo.” Julia and Allison caught him on the street after six hours of attempts and naturally he was terrified. “Hugo” had to be isolated before he could even go into a foster home. Allison visited and walked “Hugo” every day for two weeks straight. Allison explained that “Hugo” was extremely timid – walking with his tail between his legs, in a slouched position that she described as almost ‘crawling.’ She added that “Hugo” was so tense that he would not make eye contact. “Then one day, I picked him up to keep me company while I did laundry. On the ride, he leaned his head into the front of the car. It was right next to me. I froze for a second, not sure what he was doing. Then he leaned in and gave me this gentle little kiss on the cheek…so sweet!” Allison revealed. “Hugo” can be seen with his new Dad here. Be prepared when you watch – you might just choke up…or you might smile from ear to ear!

Another very special story Allison shared concerns an elderly woman name Deloris and her dog “Brownie.” Deloris contacted “A Dog’s Life Rescue” when she was panicked and distraught. She found out “Brownie” had cancer in his mouth. Surgery was expensive though, but without the surgery “Brownie” would die painfully within a couple months. Julia jumped into action – researched care, found a veterinary hospital that specialized in cancer and even picked up “Brownie” for her appointment because Deloris did not drive. The cancer specialist examined the dog and got an estimate of the surgery costs. “Then we worked tirelessly, Julia leading the way to raise the money for surgery,” Allison explained. The funds were raised and “Brownie” got his surgery. He lived with Deloris for 2 ½ more years before passing away peacefully with Deloris and Julia at his side.

“A Dog’s Life Rescue” is funded solely on donations. Allison said, “Donations are what allow us to continue to save lives. Since we are an all volunteer rescue organization, 100% of donations go to help the animals.” Allison and her group take on many of the harder cases, so their rescues usually require medical care and/or behavioral rehabilitation. In addition, every animal is spayed/neutered, micro-chipped, vaccinated, de-wormed and given a clean bill of health before they can be adopted. And because they do not have a facility besides medical and training, boarding is an enormous expense.

Additionally, “A Dog’s Life Rescue” looks for people to be involved in their sponsorship program. “Our sponsorship program is basically when somebody decides to sponsor a specific animal or sponsor the group’s efforts as a whole on a regular basis,” Allison explained. The average monthly cost of caring for one animal is $500 a month.

Support Supernatural has a goal of raising $10,000 for “A Dog’s Life Rescue.” Donations are being collected here. You can also contact heatherandlindsay@supportsupernatural.com if you would prefer to donate by check or PayPal.

There are many additional ways to help animals, in LA and across the country. Volunteers are always needed at animal shelters. Allison said that volunteers are the key to getting shelter animals adopted. Volunteers spend quality time with animals that are often scared, given them much-need attention. Socializing with them may help the animals become more adoptable. "Just spending time with the animals there helps so much," said Allison. Volunteers also send e-mails to the rescue community and friends, informing them about the animals available for adoption. These efforts are extremely important because animals in city and county shelters are in danger of being euthanized.

Allison stated that computer proficiency is a valuable skill that volunteers can share – whether it is building a website for a shelter or simply uploading photos and stories of adoptable animals to Pet Finder. “Many shelters – especially in smaller towns such as the one where I grew up – still do not have websites,” Allison said. She added, “A website is a very important way for the public to know what animals are in need of a home in your area."

For those who are really motivated, Allison recommends helping in your community with spay/neuter programs. Spaying/neutering animals can be expensive and not doing it often leads to accidental pregnancies and more shelter dogs and cats. “If programs are set in place that help pay for the surgery, many more people would be able to fix their pet and there would not be as many dogs and cats in need of a home,” she said.

We applaud all the efforts of “A Dog’s Life Rescue.” Every single dollar donated to our campaign will make a difference. Here are some examples of what your donation will do:

$20 will vaccinate one animal
$25 will micro-chip one animal (important in case an animal becomes lost)
$48 is the fee to bail one animal from a city or county shelter
$95 will pay/neuter one animal
$125 is the cost for a six-week obedience class
$450 provides one month of boarding for a rescue dog

We truly hope you donate to our fan campaign to help this wonderful charity. Individually, we can make small changes. But together as the Supernatural fandom, we can really make a powerful impact.