Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Abelson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sasha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I graduated law school and moved to Southern California. I began working in the field of environmental policy. It was interesting to work but I was frustrated by the fact that I felt I was not making a big enough difference.
Long story short – I found a stray pit bull and through that was introduced to the world of rescue.
My wonderful rescue dog – Leo was also a rescue pitbull (from NJ). I had no idea about the serious pet overpopulation crisis that plagues this region (and in fact – most of the country – and the world). I started volunteering once a week for another rescue group and soon felt the need to do more. That is when Love Leo
I started Love Leo Rescue in honor of my late pitbull, Leo. He taught me almost everything I needed to know about dogs – and more specifically rescue dog.
I have always a soft spot for the sick, injured, abused and neglected dogs. I know these dogs need a little (or a lot) of extra help to make it out of the shelter alive. It is not often that a member of the public will walk into a shelter and choose to adopt the sickest, most broken animal. That is where Love Leo Rescue comes in. Over the years – we have rescued dogs used as “bait dogs” in fighting rings, a dog that had been dragged behind a car, dogs with broken legs, dogs with missing eyes, dogs that have been starved nearly to death, dogs rejected by breeders due to birth defects, sickly puppies… the list goes on.
After all these years of working in rescue – I realized, there was something else that needed to be done. The urgent need for preventative programs became very obvious. That is why Love Leo launched our spay and neuter program. The city and county of LA have very few spay and neuter programs. The ones they do offer are usually hard to connect with and are almost always booked. Love Leo chose to target the low income and underserved area of South El Monte. South El Monte is well known for the number of stray animals roaming the streets. With the help of her project coordinator, Evelia Ramos and the spay4LA spay and neuter trucks – we spayed and neutered over 500 dogs and cats (to date: April 2018). That is 500 animals that will not be having “unwanted” litters which may eventually find their way to our overcrowded shelters.
This month, we hosted our first clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. It was a great success and we spayed and neutered 117 animals in ONE day.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are struggles every day. Early on – I realized, I would have to be able to deal with the heartbreak and tears that go along with rescue. The first dog I rescued on my own was a beautiful, 1-year-old German shepherd who had been dragged behind a car and found on the side of the road. The shelter had him for 10 days and could no longer provide him the care he needed. They reached out to me for help (this is long before Love Leo was founded). NO other rescue could take him. I did not know what to do but knew he could not have his life end at the shelter. His foot pads and nails were torn off, he had huge open wounds on his knees. But he was so brave. And so sweet.
I raised the money for his medical care and found him a great home. They visited him in the hospital and after 3 weeks of recovering – he went to his forever home. Two weeks later – something was not right. They rushed him back to the vet and it turns out the had the deadly distemper virus. He did not make and the entire staff cried the day he lost his battle.
Some dogs don’t make it – no matter how hard you fight for them. I learned that early on. Either I could deal with that fact and keep going – or rescue was not the right place for me. As hard as it was to lose him – I knew I wanted to continue to give these dogs the second chance they so deserve.
And there is always the more practical challenge of raising enough funds to keep the program going. Don’t get me started on keeping up with paperwork.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Love Leo Rescue – what should we know?
Love Leo is a small foster based rescue. We don’t have a fancy facility – we don’t have galas – we don’t have a big staff. BUT we do make a big impact.
The thing I am most proud of is our spay and neuter program. In addition, to help individuals dogs – we want to make sure we provide a preventative solution. I always say there is no way we are going to be able to rescue our way out of this problem. We need to offer low cost or free spay and neuter services to those pet owners that want to do the right thing but cannot afford it. LA city and county have limited spay and neuter programs and many of them are booked up months in advance OR require ID or proof of income. We don’t! Just show up with your dog or your cat and we are happy to help.
We have also adopted dogs out to several kind-hearted celebrities – beautiful inside and out – including Hilary Duff, Olivia Munn, Ellen Pompeo, Desi Perkins and Katy Avelar.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The celebrity adopters we have had, have been incredible supporters of our cause, helping us raise awareness for what we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: loveleorescue.org
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveleorescue/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Love-Leo-Rescue-473566122754310/
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