Barks of Love Animal Rescue is a Fullerton, California 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals in need — one foster home, one veterinary visit, and one forever family at a time.
Est. 2008 · 15+ years of rescue 8,500+ animals saved Serving Southern California
Our Story
Barks of Love Animal Rescue began with a single foster home and a stubborn belief: every animal deserves a chance at the life they were meant to live. What started as weekend trips to overcrowded shelters has grown into a fully volunteer-powered organization serving Southern California year-round.
Today, we operate without a brick-and-mortar facility. Instead, our animals live in loving foster homes where they receive individual attention, behavioral support, and a real preview of family life. This model lets us spend more on medical care and less on overhead — and it gives every rescue the dignity of a quiet, safe place to heal.
Over the years we have grown from a handful of neighbors trading foster shifts to a network of hundreds of volunteers, veterinary partners, transport drivers, event coordinators, and adoption counselors. That growth has not changed the way we work. Every animal is still known by name. Every foster still gets a phone call the day their pup goes home. Every adopter still gets a lifetime of support if they need it.
The work is not always easy. We have sat on the floor of intake rooms with dogs who had never known a kind hand, coaxed feral kittens out from behind engine blocks, and driven through the night to pull seniors from euthanasia lists. But we have also watched those same animals fall asleep on couches, chase tennis balls in backyards, and greet children at the door. That is the whole reason we exist.
Every rescue starts with a safe place to rest.
Mission
To rescue abandoned, neglected, and homeless animals and to ensure each one receives the medical care, foster support, and family matching needed to thrive in a permanent home.
Vision
A community where no animal is overlooked, where adoption is the first choice, and where responsible pet ownership is the standard, not the exception.
Our Impact by the Numbers
Impact is more than a headline — it is the sum of thousands of small decisions to say yes when a shelter calls, when a family reaches out for help, or when an animal needs one more day of care.
8,500+
Animals rescued since 2008
92%
Of donations go directly to animal care
400+
Active foster families
24/7
Emergency medical response
Core Values
Compassion First
Every decision we make begins with what is best for the animal.
Transparency
Open books, open hearts. We share where every dollar goes.
Community
Rescue is a team sport — adopters, fosters, donors, and volunteers.
Integrity
We do the right thing even when no one is watching.
Rescue Philosophy
We believe rescue is more than removing an animal from danger. It is committing to the entire arc of their care — medical, emotional, and behavioral — and supporting the family that ultimately welcomes them home. Our team carefully evaluates each animal's temperament and medical history, then matches them with adopters whose lifestyle and experience fit. We never rush an adoption. The goal is one home, for life.
We are proudly a no-kill organization. We do not turn away animals because they are old, shy, medically complex, or hard to place. In fact, those are often the animals we say yes to first, because they are the ones with the fewest options elsewhere. Our team of veterinarians, behaviorists, and experienced fosters gives each animal the runway they need — sometimes days, sometimes months — to become who they were meant to be.
The Journey of a Rescue
Every animal we take in follows the same careful path, tailored to their needs at each step.
1. Intake & Safety
We meet the animal where they are — a shelter kennel, a roadside, a surrender appointment — and get them to safety the same day.
2. Medical Evaluation
A partner veterinarian performs a full exam: vaccines, spay/neuter, dental, and any specialty care required.
3. Foster Placement
The animal moves into a matched foster home where they decompress, learn house manners, and reveal their real personality.
4. Adoption Matching
Our counselors review applications, host meet-and-greets, and match the animal with the family best suited to their needs.
5. Home Transition
We deliver a detailed care packet, starter supplies, and coaching for the first two weeks — the hardest part of the transition.
6. Lifetime Support
Adopters have direct access to our team for behavior questions, medical referrals, and community events for the life of their pet.
Fosters are the backbone of everything we do.
Milestones Along the Way
2008
Barks of Love is founded in a Fullerton living room with three fosters and a rented van.
2012
Reached 1,000 lifetime adoptions and formalized our veterinary partnership network.
2016
Launched the Senior Sanctuary program for dogs over the age of ten.
2019
Expanded medical response to include emergency parvo and mange treatment for shelter transfers.
2022
Opened community education workshops on responsible pet ownership across Orange County schools.
2025
Surpassed 8,500 lifetime rescues and welcomed our 400th active foster family.
The People Behind Barks of Love
We are teachers, nurses, retirees, engineers, students, and stay-at-home parents. What we share is time, empathy, and a willingness to open our homes and cars and calendars for animals who need us. Our leadership team blends decades of experience in veterinary medicine, nonprofit operations, behavioral training, and community outreach — but the real work happens across hundreds of volunteers who show up, week after week, because they believe rescue matters.
Because we are 100% volunteer-run, there are no executive salaries pulling from donations. Every dollar you contribute goes directly toward veterinary care, food, supplies, transport, and the modest operational costs of keeping the lights on for a rescue that never closes.
Community Partnerships
We partner with local municipal shelters, veterinary clinics, pet supply retailers, and corporate volunteers throughout Orange and Los Angeles Counties. These relationships let us pull animals at risk of euthanasia, access discounted medical care, and host community adoption events that reach hundreds of families each year.
Our partners include Orange County Animal Care, Long Beach Animal Care Services, and independent shelters across the region. We also collaborate with schools, faith groups, and neighborhood associations to bring humane education, low-cost vaccine clinics, and adoption events directly into the communities that need them most.
Community adoption events bring our animals directly to the families who love them.
Education & Outreach
Long-term change begins with education. Our outreach program brings free workshops to schools, senior centers, and community groups covering topics like responsible pet ownership, bite prevention, spay/neuter benefits, and how to be a first-time adopter. In the last year alone, our volunteers reached more than 3,000 students and families through in-person and virtual sessions.
School Programs
Age-appropriate humane education for K–12 classrooms.
Family Workshops
First-time adopter guidance, training tips, and Q&A.
Low-Cost Clinics
Vaccine and microchip events in underserved neighborhoods.
"We didn't just adopt a dog — we joined a community. Barks of Love has been there for every question, every vet appointment, every training milestone. They treat every animal like family, and it shows."
— The Rodriguez Family, Anaheim · adopted Murphy in 2023
Transparency
Barks of Love Animal Rescue is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 26-3647040. Our financials are publicly available and we publish an annual impact summary. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law, and you can verify our nonprofit status on Charity Navigator and the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
92¢ of every $1
Goes directly to medical care, food, and rescue operations.
6¢ of every $1
Supports outreach, education, and community events.
Official IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter — click to view full size.
Looking Ahead
Our next chapter focuses on scaling our medical response fund, expanding senior and hospice foster programs, and launching a mobile vaccine clinic that can reach communities where transportation is a barrier to basic pet care. We are also investing in adopter education, because we know a well-supported family is the strongest predictor of a permanent home.
None of it happens without you. Whether you adopt, foster, volunteer, or donate, you become part of a story that stretches back more than fifteen years and forward into every life we have not yet touched.
Join the people behind the rescue.
There is a place for everyone in this work — whether you have an hour, a spare room, or a few dollars.
