Every year we ask you to help us help dogs in need. And every year you have generously donated allowing us to rescue so many dogs. We love sharing their heartwarming stories, so you can see your contributions at work.

We also like to shine a spotlight on a few of our volunteer teams who work the closest with our rescues.

Please take a moment and read these inspiring tails from of a several our volunteers and what they remember best about 2025.

Our Adoption Team

Finding the right family for each dog takes experience and diligence. Our Adoption team works tirelessly to ensure every adoption is successful. Jasmine and Sweetie are two rescues that embody the resolve of our volunteers.

It’s hard not to get personally attached to our rescues. Our adoption team is no exception. Sweetie is one such dog. She arrived timid and fearful of going outside, but a real sweetie inside. She needed an exceptional new family to help her gain confidence. Although applications came in for her, none were the right fit until a young couple’s form arrived. After careful consideration and long conversations our adoption team knew Sweetie had found her home. In fact, Sweetie was the flower girl at their wedding.

Reactive to people, noises and other dogs, Jasmine was going to be a hard-to-place dog. Friendly, loving and loyal, she was simply a loud barker and needed to be the only pet in the home. One family was convinced that Jasmine was the perfect dog for them, but our adoption team had to say no because they had another dog. Months passed and Jasmine worked with a professional trainer to overcome her reactivity. When the same family contacted us again to say their first dog passed away, the adoption team reexamined their application. Her new family worked with our behavioralist to help Jasmine adjust to a new environment and people. It took time and patience and understanding, but today Jasmine is happily at home.

Our Fostering Team

We’ve shared with you what it’s like to be a foster parent, but how do our dogs get to those fosters? It’s trickier than you may think.

Matching the right fostering environment for each rescue can be difficult. When a dog is surrendered the owners tell us a little about their dog, but it’s not always truthful. That makes the fostering team’s job twice as hard. A recent example is Ivy, a 3-year-old female golden. None of Ivy’s fearfulness or lack of socialization was shared with us. Her first foster placement wasn’t ideal, so Ivy was moved. It was at the second foster home where we learned just how much behavioral help she needed. Thankfully that foster worked closely with one of our professional trainers and slowly Ivy’s personality blossomed. Today Ivy is a confident girl, living happily in her forever home.

Our Transportation Team

Moving our dogs from surrendering owners to vets to fosters is no small feat. It’s a coordinated choreography that is danced by a dedicated team.

Transporter Edon particularly remembers Sierra. At only 3½ years old she was going blind from glaucoma. Edon picked her up from her foster’s home and drove her to a canine eye specialist. Sierra was nervous, unsure of what was happening to her so Edon sat down on the floor, wrapping her arms around Sierra to comfort her. Sierra cuddled up into her lap waiting for the doctor. Edon’s extra step to make sure Sierra felt safe and loved is nothing new for her.

For Karen and David, it’s situations like this that reaffirm why they volunteer with GRRMF. Picking up a dog from a heartbroken owner is never easy. When they retrieved a much adored 5-year-old they spent quality time reassuring the owner her dog would find a home with a family who would love her as much as she did. After hugs and tears, they started driving to the vet’s office sending photos along the way to the surrendering owner to say goodbye.

Greg describes the emotions he feels as a transporter. “Over the years I’ve found that each human-canine bond made as a transporter may be brief, but it is powerful, meaningful, and valuable. This quotation often comes to mind when carrying a newly surrendered pup, ‘If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.’ In our transporting for GRRMF, those others are kind, sweet dogs whose lives depend on us to move them in a good direction along their journey, effectively believing in us with their lives.

I look into the dogs’ eyes and know that I am about to do something for them that will make life better and trust me that I will help them. The brief bond leaves a sense of friendship, camaraderie, and warmth. The surrendered pups often stop and look over their shoulders after I drop them off, as they’re being led on the next step in their trek. It is amazing how that mutual reassurance is repeated on each trip.

Transporting can be fun or a bit taxing, simple or a little complicated, quiet or occasionally noisy, but they always are rewarding. We are very lucky to have so many chances to meet, to be kind, and to help another to be happy.  At the completion of each transport, I’m reminded of the closing line of The Starfish Story, ‘Well, I made a difference for that one!’

Ken, his wife and granddaughter are our transport trio. Specializing in long trips, the three of them always say yes when called. Like all our transporters, they spend time comforting the surrendering owner and as well as the scared dog they are moving. Since each one holds a special place in his heart, Ken keeps a photo journal of every dog he’s driven.