School was out for the summer, so we had some of our volunteers’ kids spending more time with us at the sanctuary. And they don’t just come to visit the dogs. They really help us.

Romina is five years old, and she has already been working at the dog shelter for about a year. Before that, she had family working with us, so she’s really been around the dogs since she was about three.

And oh my gosh, she does so much.

She likes washing all the dog bowls. She brushes the dogs. She helps bathe them. She socializes them and cares for them. She carries them around. She throws toys for them. She really knows these dogs.

One of the most impressive things I’ve seen her do happened when Dr. Alex came to take Pixie’s stitches out after she was spayed.

I was holding Pixie, Dr. Alex had his tools out, and Pixie was fussing.

Romina looks at us and says, “Oh, wait a minute.”

Then she goes off to get peanut butter and a spoon.

Dr. Alex and I looked at each other, kind of puzzled. Neither one of us knew what she was doing.

She comes back, puts the spoon in the peanut butter, and gives it to Pixie. Pixie starts licking the spoon while I’m holding her, and Dr. Alex is able to take her stitches out.

Dr. Alex looked at me and said, “I wouldn’t have thought about that.”

And I said, “I wouldn’t have thought about that either!”

But Romina did. At five years old.

Then we have Naomi, who is 12. Naomi comes on the weekends and whenever she’s out of school.

Naomi is like the dog whisperer.

Whenever we have a dog who is timid or doesn’t trust people yet, there’s just something about Naomi. They trust her.

Cozie was like that. Cozie cozied up to Naomi and trusted Naomi before anybody else.

And then there’s Martin. Martin is still very timid, and Naomi can touch him when the rest of us still can’t.

The dogs who are timid and untrusting just love Naomi. She has this energy of a dog whisperer.

Having the kids here is also really good for the dogs because they’re helping socialize them with children. Our dogs are learning how to be around kids and trust them, which is so important when we’re getting them ready to eventually go into families.

We’re really thankful for our volunteers’ kids who chose to spend so much of their summer with us. They’re a real part of what happens here.

Also, George Is Back for Summer Camp

George is back with us for summer camp!

He’s getting some veterinary care and having his blood work done, and his counts are improving. That means we’ve now been able to start tapering him off the prednisone, which is really good news.

He does waddle a little bit right now.

He was out of my care for six weeks and he came back fat! And, of course, prednisone doesn’t exactly help with that either.

So George is a little round at the moment, but his numbers are getting better, we’re tapering the prednisone, and we’re happy to have him back with us.

AND…We’re on Petfinder!

We recently got approved for Petfinder!

I’ve started working on getting everybody listed. It’s amazing that we’re approved; it’s been a goal of mine for a long time.

Once they are all listed I’ll share links in future newsletters, please keep an eye out for the listings and share them. The more people who see these dogs, the better chance we have of getting them into their florever homes.

Lend a Paw - Donation Requests

Needed Donations

Thank you to everyone who has donated and supported us over the past year. Your generosity helped cover the startup costs of establishing our stateside 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and thanks to you, our Oakland branch has officially completed its first year of growth and success. We truly couldn't have done it without you. Donations are 100% tax-deductible, and every contribution—big or small—goes directly toward caring for the dogs.

For those who would like to provide ongoing support, we welcome recurring sponsorships of $25–$30 per week, or $100 per month. Consistent support helps us provide food, medical care, enrichment, transportation, and all of the daily necessities that keep the sanctuary running.

This month, we have a few extra expenses coming up.

As I mentioned last month, One of our biggest immediate needs is for Jackie's medical care.

Jackie is still at the vet. We were supposed to pick her up last week, but it keeps getting postponed because she has needed more care than we originally expected. She’s been there for multiple weeks now and has had a second surgery. Between the hernia, the surgery, and the extended stay and care at the vet, the costs have continued to add up.

Right now, we’re trying to raise $1,000 for Jackie’s treatment.

We really need some help with this one.

If you can donate toward Jackie’s care, even a smaller donation helps us get there. And if you can’t donate, please share her story. We want to get this girl through her treatment and finally get her back with us. As I mentioned above, we're still figuring out exactly what needs to be done and what the final cost will be, but she needs surgery and we're going to get it done.

And then there are all the regular things we seem to run out of.

We're looking for dog food, cat litter, hand sanitizer, disposable rubber gloves (Small and Medium), flea treatments, and flea collars. These are supplies we go through every single day caring for the dogs.

We're also hoping to find large outdoor umbrellas, umbrella stands, shade cloths, or other materials that can help create more shaded areas around the sanctuary. Any extra protection from the sun makes life more comfortable for the dogs while they're waiting for their forever homes.

One thing that's especially helpful is flea prevention. The donated flea treatments don't just go to the sanctuary dogs—I also use them on dogs living on the streets and other rescue dogs who don't have anyone to provide that care.

And some good news: we're setting up an Amazon Wish List! That should make it much easier for people who want to send supplies directly to us. We're getting everything organized now, and we'll send out the link with next month's newsletter.

In the meantime, if you have any of these items to donate, know of a good local source, or would like to help us purchase them, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me at tamara@traviesodogsanctuary.com.

Every donation—whether it's helping with Jackie's surgery, a bag of food, a pair of gloves, or a flea collar—helps us care for another dog in need.

❤️🐾 We always welcome donations, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters of all kinds. If you'd like to lend a paw, please visit our donation page below: