Second Chance Sanctuary started in 2010 with one borrowed barn, twelve dogs, and a vet tech named Sarah who couldn't say no. Today we're 12 staff, 80 volunteers, and 200+ animals. But we're still saying yes.
Sarah spent fifteen years as a veterinary technician at a high-volume clinic in the Central Valley. She watched too many adoptable animals get turned away from full shelters. Too many seniors euthanized for treatable conditions. Too many "behavioral cases" that just needed a quiet room and a patient hand.
In 2010, she leased a barn from a family friend, mortgaged her house, and took in twelve dogs nobody else would. Word spread. Foster families showed up. Veterinarians offered discounted care. A neighbor donated 40 acres in 2014. The sanctuary you see today was built one "yes" at a time, by the people who refused to look away.
Sarah signs a one-year lease on a barn in Madera County. The first twelve residents arrive in a single weekend. Pulled from a closing shelter in Stockton.
Federal nonprofit designation lets us accept tax-deductible donations and grant funding. We hire our first part-time staff member, Maya Reyes, who's still with us.
Local rancher Tom Beddoe donates 40 acres of foothill land in his estate. We build kennels, a barn for horses, and a small clinic. And never look back.
A senior beagle named Henry, with us 11 months, becomes adoption #1,000. We throw a party. Henry sleeps through it on his new dad's lap.
COVID adoptions spike, then so do returns. We launch our Foster-to-Adopt and Behavioral Rehabilitation programs to keep more animals from bouncing back.
We commit publicly: any animal who comes to us and can't be safely placed will live out their days here, fully cared for, forever. We name it the Forever Promise.
We cross 5,400 adoptions. Sarah turns 58. The work continues. Quieter, steadier, with a team that finally lets her sleep through the night sometimes.
If an animal can't be safely placed, they stay with us. Fully cared for. For the rest of their lives. No expiration date, no transfer, no rehoming under pressure. We call it the Forever Promise.
We will never rush an adoption. Every match is reviewed by our matchmaking team, includes a meet-and-greet, and comes with a 30-day check-in. If it doesn't work, the animal comes back to us. No questions, no judgment.
Every dollar tracked. Every audit public. McKenzie & Co. audits us annually and we publish the full report. We commit publicly to a 90¢-of-every-dollar minimum to direct animal care.
Plus eighty volunteers, forty foster families, and one very opinionated barn cat named Hieronymus.
Former vet tech. Started the sanctuary in 2010. Still on the floor every morning at 5:30 a.m. feeding the seniors.
Our first hire in 2012. Runs the kennel, the clinic schedule, and somehow remembers every dog's name.
Eighteen years in shelter medicine. Joined us in 2017 after retiring from his Fresno practice. Specializes in geriatric and special-needs cases.
Behavioral specialist and the person you'll talk to on your home visit. Background in CBT. For humans. Found it transferred surprisingly well.
We're audited every year by McKenzie & Co. CPAs in Sacramento. The full audit is on our website. Not buried, not summarized, the actual PDF. We publish it because you deserve to see it.
92¢ of every dollar goes to direct animal care: food, vet bills, kennel staff, fencing, and lifetime care for our sanctuary residents. The remaining 8¢ covers admin and fundraising. The lowest ratio we can responsibly run on.
We're listed on IRS Publication 78, Candid Platinum, and Charity Navigator's verified nonprofit registry.
Free guided tours every Saturday at 10 a.m. Bring kids, bring grandparents, bring snacks. You'll leave with mud on your boots and a much clearer sense of who we are.
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