Girls of Dog Rescue - Success Stories

May 22, 2025 — Bella the Black Shih Tzu

When Bella entered our rescue organization, we gave her a new name, as we often do with many of our rescue dogs, to help them leave their past behind and begin a fresh new chapter in life.

After arriving at the rescue, Bella went directly into a foster home. Thankfully, she did not have to stay in rescue very long. Her foster mom estimated that Bella was in our care for only about two and a half weeks before finding her forever family.

On June 7, 2025, we attended our adoption event at the Fountain Valley PetSmart, where Bella met her potential adopters for the very first time. We had informed them ahead of time that Bella would be attending the event, and they specifically came out to meet her.

Bella’s new family understood that she would need patience, love, and time to come out of her shell. They were fully committed to giving her the care and affection she deserved and were ready to spoil her with the love she had been missing in her previous situation.

Unfortunately, Bella had previously spent most of her days confined to a cage, only being allowed outside for short periods of time — sometimes just one to two hours or less each day. It was a heartbreaking situation, and she deserved so much better.

Shortly after the adoption event, we began the approval process for Bella’s adopters.

Then, on June 11, 2025, we met Bella’s new parents near the foster’s area in the evening to complete the handoff. Shortly afterward, her adoption was officially finalized.

Today, Bella is beginning a brand-new life filled with love, patience, and the happiness every rescue dog deserves.

On November 4, 2024, Oso entered our rescue organization in what was truly an urgent, last-minute situation. Unfortunately, as with all owner surrenders, the owners gave him up completely. However, this case came with a twist.

The owners had been backyard breeding, and Santa Ana Animal Control required them to surrender Oso because they were over the legal limit of dogs allowed on their property. We received the call that same day, and thankfully, we had emergency fosters available for situations exactly like this to ensure Oso’s safety.

For a short time, Oso stayed at our emergency foster home until we were able to place him with a regular foster family, which also helped reduce the financial burden of paid fostering.

As of November 12, 2024, Oso was transferred to a regular foster home. Unfortunately, he remained there for quite a while. We received several adoption inquiries, but none of them turned out to be the right fit. At one point, we had a very promising lead with potential adopters, but ultimately, it was not a good match.

On March 4, 2025, Oso unfortunately had to return to our paid foster home because he and the foster owner’s senior dog were not a good match. Oso was still a young puppy with a lot of energy, which became too much for the older dog.

Then, on March 13, 2025, we finally found another foster home that was able to keep him for a longer period of time. He stayed there for approximately three months. During this foster placement, we were finally able to get Oso neutered, since the foster only had Oso in the home and no other dogs.

On April 24, 2025, we finally found Oso’s forever home — yay! The meet-and-greet went very well, so we moved forward with approving the adopter so he could travel back to Orange County to pick up Oso.

On May 6, 2025, Oso’s new dad drove out from Los Angeles to bring him home. Oso was picked up and officially began his new life with his forever family.

Another happy ending and a wonderful rescue success story!

On May 23, 2025, Rudy’s owner surrendered him to our rescue after learning he would become homeless within 10 days. It was an incredibly sad situation, but his owner wanted what was best for Rudy while he worked to get back on his feet and figure out his future employment and housing situation.

Before Rudy even arrived at our rescue, we began spreading the word that he would soon be available for adoption. We posted him online to gauge interest, and within minutes of listing him on the RESCUEME website, we received an inquiry from someone in the San Diego area who was willing to drive down to meet and potentially adopt him.

The very day we received Rudy, we brought him straight to our veterinary office to have him neutered and complete his medical care as quickly as possible. Since he already had a serious potential adopter lined up, we wanted to make sure he would be fully ready to go to his new home.

We only had Rudy for about a week before, on May 28, 2025, we met his potential forever family at the park where we typically introduce our rescue dogs to adopters. Prior to the meeting, the couple had already been approved so they could take Rudy home that same day if everything went well.

The adopters were informed ahead of time that Rudy had a few quirky traits, but they were completely understanding and accepting of them, which was incredibly refreshing to see.

Now Rudy is living his best life with his new parents. His new dad is a retired dentist, so it’s safe to say Rudy will be very spoiled and well cared for in his forever home.

On September 15, 2025, Willow was surrendered to our rescue. We were told she was a Maltese/Shih Tzu mix, which is common when a Good Samaritan — rather than the original owner — brings a dog into our care.

In Willow’s case, we were informed that her guardians had originally taken her in from a relative who could no longer care for her. However, shortly afterward, the wife experienced an unexpected early labor and had to spend significant time going back and forth to the hospital while their baby remained under medical care for several months. The situation became overwhelming for the couple, as they were rarely home and could no longer provide Willow with the attention and stability she deserved. Because of this, they made the difficult decision to surrender her to our rescue.

Thankfully, we already had a foster on standby who was able to become Willow’s long-term foster until she found her forever home.

Willow quickly stole everyone’s heart. This adorable black-and-white Shih Tzu/Maltese mix weighed about 12–13 pounds and had the sweetest, most gentle personality. Despite all the changes happening in her life, Willow remained confident, playful, and full of joy. Her positive spirit was contagious.

At her foster home, Willow loved playing with her toys, exploring the outdoors, and going on walks around a nearby lake. She was affectionate, easygoing, and happiest when curled up beside someone as a loving lap dog and companion. Time flew by with Willow because she was truly such a wonderful dog to have around.

Then, on January 20, 2026, Willow met her forever family.

After three and a half months in foster care, the perfect family finally came along. They immediately saw all the special qualities that her foster mom had known and loved from the very beginning. From the moment they met Willow, there was an instant connection, and they couldn’t wait to bring her home and officially make her part of their family.

On January 22, 2026, Willow’s new mommy and daddy picked her up to begin her new life in her forever home.

Today, Willow is happy, loved, and thriving — a beautiful ending, or rather, a beautiful beginning for such a deserving little pup.

On May 22, 2025, Ozzie was surrendered to our rescue because his owner was working long hours and no longer had enough time to properly care for him and his sister, Bella.

Unfortunately, Ozzie spent far too much time crated each day, which was heartbreaking to learn. According to his previous owner, he was kept in a crate overnight and would typically be let out around 7:00 AM for about an hour. While the owner was at work, he would return to the crate and then be let out again around 3:00 or 4:00 PM. In the evenings, he was allowed out for a longer period, usually for a couple of hours.

Despite this routine, Ozzie remained an incredibly loving and playful dog. He enjoyed playing fetch, receiving belly rubs, and soaking up as much affection and attention as possible. He especially loved being petted and thrived on companionship. Ozzie is a playful pup who does best with consistency and routine.

On May 25, 2025, just a few days after entering our rescue, Ozzie was neutered and completed his medical care. Thankfully, Ozzie turned out to be one of the lucky ones — less than a week after we took him in, he found his forever family.

On May 29, 2025, around noon, Ozzie met his approved adopters. The family had already completed the approval process before coming to meet him, so if everything went well during their visit, they would be able to bring him home the same day.

The meeting went wonderfully, and Ozzie officially went home with his new family shortly afterward.

Today, Ozzie is living his best life with a loving family who gives him the care, attention, and stability he always deserved.