Conversations with Natalia Glady

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalia Glady.

Hi Natalia , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For the past decade, I’ve dedicated my time and heart to helping animals in need. Over the years, my husband Josh and I have fostered more than 200 kitties and over 50 pups through various organizations including our own.
In 2021, a longtime friend of mine, Sepi Abbasi, saw how much of my daily life was devoted to volunteer rescue work — particularly running a kitten program I had helped build at another nonprofit. She asked if I had ever considered starting my own organization and offered to become our silent partner, taking care of the legal and financial aspects so my husband and I could focus fully on the animals. Without her, none of this would have been possible.
Together, we all founded Tales of the Paw in 2022. Our legal office is based in Pacific Palisades, but I run all of our day-to-day operations out of our home in Burbank. Sepi serves as President of the organization and ensures that everything behind the scenes — from filings to finances — is handled properly, while I serve as Executive Director, managing all aspects of animal care and rescue operations.
I handle everything from intake and medical coordination to foster placements and adoptions. My husband Josh manages all of our marketing and social media, and thanks to his creativity and dedication, we’ve built a wonderful community of over 17,500 followers on Instagram. He also organizes our online fundraisers and helps ensure our medical cases receive the attention and support they need.
Our biggest inspiration is our dog Wilson. We began fostering him when he was only six weeks old — a tiny pup with a broken nose and a large abscess that made it hard for him to breathe. At three months old, we adopted him knowing he would be a lifelong medical dog. Wilson has endured many surgeries and challenges, but his spirit never faltered. He lives each day joyfully, and he’s taught me patience, compassion, and perseverance. When he was younger, he loved having foster kittens around — they brought him so much happiness that we always had a steady stream of little feline friends coming through our home.
He’s become somewhat of a legend among our adopters — we’ve had actual requests for kittens who were fostered by him! It’s been lovingly nicknamed “The Wilson Experience.”
Sepi’s own inspiration comes from her beloved rescue dog Baxie, and while my and my husband’s drive is focused on helping medical and special-needs dogs and kittens, Sepi’s passion lies in rescuing senior dogs. When we eventually open our ranch-style facility, our goal is to expand our rescue efforts so we can dedicate more space and resources to both of our shared missions — helping the animals who need us most, whether they’re fragile newborn kittens or golden-hearted senior dogs.
This year, Sepi faced her own unimaginable challenge when the devastating Palisades fires forced her and her family to permanently relocate. Even through that chaos and heartbreak, her instinct was to help animals— she remained deeply committed to Tales of the Paw. Her strength and compassion inspire me daily.
In addition to my work with Tales of the Paw, I also serve on the Board of Directors and volunteer at Animal Tracks, a wildlife sanctuary in Agua Dulce that cares for rescued wildlife and educates the public on why exotic animals do not make good pets. The team there has become like family — many of the amazing, dedicated people at Animal Tracks have fostered and helped me find adopters for dogs and kitties in need that we otherwise would not have been able to take in. Stacy Gunderson the Executive Director took in a pregnant mama dog last year that gave birth to 8 puppies. She fostered them until they were old enough to be adopted and together we found all 8 puppies homes.
Just this year, Animal Tracks President Nancy Bianconi reached out about saving a dog on the euthanasia list at the West Valley Shelter. Tales of the Paw and Animal Tracks came together and spent two days coming up with a plan, determined to save this dog. We were able to rescue him the day he was scheduled to be euthanized and find him an adoptive home within a week. It was an incredible reminder of the power of community — and the magic that happens when passionate people work together for a shared cause.
Since founding Tales of the Paw, we’ve continued to take in both dogs and cats, focusing on quality over quantity. Because we don’t yet have a physical facility, we remain intentionally small — usually caring for only about a dozen animals per year. Every animal we take in is guaranteed a loving foster home, proper medical care, and the best food, attention, and love we can provide. We also make sure that each foster is committed to their animal for the full journey — even if an adoption doesn’t work out, that animal will always have a safe place to return to.
We might be small, but we’ve got big hearts — and I believe that’s what truly defines us.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a tiny rescue that often takes on major medical cases can definitely be challenging. In our first and second years, we were funded almost entirely by Sepi — thanks to her unwavering belief in me and in the mission of rescue. Thankfully, her faith paid off. Over the past couple of years, our community has grown, and we’re now able to rely solely on our incredible donors to keep Tales of the Paw running. We’re also currently exploring grant opportunities to help us continue supporting our animals in the year ahead.
One of our biggest ongoing challenges, however, is finding dedicated fosters. It’s heartbreaking to have to turn animals away simply because we don’t have an available foster home. This isn’t just a Tales of the Paw issue — it’s something nearly every rescue faces — but for a small organization like ours, having a committed foster is absolutely essential. We can’t take in an animal unless we know they’ll have a safe, stable place to stay for as long as needed, even in the event of a return.
Because we live in a small home — and since our own dogs are now older and we’ve “foster failed” two cats — we try not to overwhelm our space or stress our resident animals. We still foster ourselves, but only when we know the animal will truly thrive in our home until adoption. It’s a careful balance between wanting to help as many as possible and making sure that every animal we do take in receives the absolute best care and attention.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Since all my work is nonprofit-based and entirely volunteer-driven, I wear many hats and do whatever is needed each day. I have a deep passion and drive for helping animals, which means my days can look very different. Some days, neighbors and friends bring me animals they’ve found — a lost pup, a stray kitty, or even recently, bottle baby squirrels that were on the verge of death. I provided subcutaneous fluids and syringe-fed them until they could be transferred to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Other days are spent behind the scenes — answering emails for Tales of the Paw or Animal Tracks, conducting orientations for new volunteers, posting animals in need of a new home or managing administrative tasks. I also volunteer every Saturday at Animal Tracks as an animal keeper, jumping in wherever help is needed. People often reach out about lost or injured animals or rehoming situations. Even when Tales of the Paw can’t take an animal directly, I do my best to provide resources, share their stories, and help them get the care they need. I also feel fortunate to work alongside people with enormous hearts, who dedicate themselves daily to helping animals. That community of selfless, hardworking individuals inspires me constantly.
For Tales of the Paw, I communicate directly with our veterinarians and fosters. While our fosters handle adoption counseling, I manage applications and contracts to ensure everything goes smoothly.
What truly sets Tales of the Paw apart is our willingness to take on challenging medical and special-needs cases — animals who might otherwise have nowhere to go. Our very first rescue through Tales of the Paw was two kittens with horrific eye infections that required double enucleation surgeries. Soon after, we rescued a kitten born with a congenital malformation of his hind legs — he has no back legs, only small paws dangling from his hips — and we found him a loving foster and eventual adoptive home. Currently, we have a major medical dog in our care whose condition has only been surgically corrected in two documented cases. After consulting with specialists, the consensus is that his quality of life is better living with the condition than undergoing the risky surgery. These cases are emotionally and logistically challenging, but they’re also deeply rewarding, and they highlight why our focus has always been on quality of care over quantity. We are so lucky to have Todd Calsyn VMD from Laurel Pet Hospital as our veterinarian. He has a true passion and love for animals along with being a wealth of knowledge. We couldn’t do what we do without him and his team.
I’m most proud of the animals who’ve had a second chance at life because of our work. It’s incredibly rewarding when adopters reach out to share updates, photos, or even ask for advice — it’s a reminder that our efforts truly make a difference. When our animals are adopted we set everyone up for success by sending the animal home with a weeks worth of food, probiotics, treats and we even include a 30 minute zoom session with either our cat behavioralist or our dog trainer.
What sets me apart, I think, is that I love to lift up both animals and people. I strive to give animals a second chance and a voice, while also empowering the people I work with to reach their highest potential. I genuinely enjoy fostering teamwork and celebrating the accomplishments of those around me. Approaching each day, every challenge, and every situation with a positive outlook has become my guiding principle, and it helps our small but passionate team accomplish so much together.

How do you think about luck?
I think we all experience both good and bad luck throughout our lives. What matters most to me is how we respond to it and how we use it to make a difference. I’ve found that learning and growing from past mistakes is incredibly important. Sometimes, a streak of bad luck actually teaches us lessons that prepare us for the next opportunity — the next run of good luck. Had I not encountered challenges or failures, I might not have learned the valuable lessons that allow me to truly thrive when the right opportunities come along. I’m someone who always seeks to learn, adapt, and grow, so whether life brings good or bad luck, I focus on making the most of it and using it to move forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.talesofthepaw.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tales.of.the.paw/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalesofthePaw

Image Credits
The two images of me with my husband and our dogs were taken by Tommy Ottley
The image of me at Animal Tracks with a hybrid wolf taken by Brunella Grimaldi