A rescued senior dog looking up, golden eyes against soft green background
Sierra foothills · 501(c)(3) · since 2010

A home for the ones who waited longest.

We're a small sanctuary on 40 acres in the Sierra foothills, caring for 200+ dogs, cats, horses and farm animals. Many of them seniors, special-needs, or last-chance cases other shelters couldn't keep.

Meet adoptable animals Give monthly
EIN 27-1648392 Audited annually 92¢ of every $1 to animals
Hero photo: Helena Lopes on Unsplash
5,400+ Animals adopted since 2010
200+ In our care right now
80 Active volunteers
40 Foster families on call
Adoptable this week

Six friends looking for their next chapter.

Every animal here is spayed/neutered, fully vetted, microchipped, and behaviorally assessed. We don't rush placements. We match for life.

Bandit, a happy white Lab mix running through a clover field at sunset Dog · Available

Bandit

Lab mix · 4 yr · 62 lb · neutered

A bottomless engine of joy. Loves long hikes, swims, and people who like to be tackled with affection. Knows sit, down, and "leave the chicken alone."

Meet Bandit
Penny, a brown tabby cat with green eyes resting on pine straw Senior · Urgent

Penny

Tabby · 12 yr · 9 lb · spayed

A lap cat in training. Penny lost her person last fall and is ready to be the queen of one quiet household. Healthy, gentle, prefers a home without dogs.

Meet Penny
Rosie, a brown shepherd mix with soulful brown eyes Dog · Available

Rosie

Shepherd mix · 2 yr · 48 lb · spayed

Watchful, smart, slow to trust. And worth every minute of the work. Rosie is best as the only dog and would love a calm adult household.

Meet Rosie
Theo, a smiling black and white mixed breed in a red bandana Dog · Available

Theo

Aussie mix · 5 yr · 44 lb · neutered

The crowd favorite. Theo greets everyone like an old friend, is housetrained, crate-trained, and great with kids 6+. Will work for tennis balls.

Meet Theo
Maple, a shy cream-colored short-coat dog Dog · Available

Maple

Mixed breed · 6 yr · 38 lb · spayed

Quiet, soft, and finding her voice. Maple does best in a slow-paced home with another confident dog to learn from. House-trained.

Meet Maple
Gus, a scruffy terrier mix with thoughtful eyes Senior · Long-stay

Gus

Terrier · 11 yr · 22 lb · neutered

Gus has been with us 19 months. He's healthy, mellow, mostly deaf. And ready to spend his retirement on someone's couch eating snacks. We'll cover his vet care for life.

Meet Gus
See all 47 animals available
Three ways in

Whatever you have to give. we have a place for it.

Forever home, a few months of foster care, or a few hours on Saturday. Every door leads to an animal whose week just got better.

A man hugging his newly adopted golden mix dog on a mountain trail

Adopt

Bring one home for good. Our matchmaking team takes the guesswork out. Every adoption is a 3-step process designed to last a lifetime, not a weekend.

  • Apply online (10 min)
  • Meet-and-greet at the sanctuary
  • Take-home + 30-day check-in
Browse adoptable animals
A woman hugging a brown rescue dog in a sunny field

Foster

Open your home for a few weeks. We cover food, vet care, and all the support you need. Fostering is the fastest way to save the most lives.

  • 2-week to 3-month commitments
  • All supplies + vet care covered by us
  • 24/7 foster hotline + mentor support
Become a foster home
A man carefully carrying a rescue hound puppy across a bridge

Volunteer

Walk dogs. Brush horses. Photograph kittens for the website. We need help every day of the week. Including remote and skill-based roles.

  • 2-hour shifts, any day of the week
  • Saturday team day + lunch on us
  • Remote roles for writers, photographers, lawyers
See open volunteer roles
A small terrier mix running joyfully through tall green grass Pip, three months after her rescue from a hoarding case in Madera County.
A donor story

When 47 animals came in on one truck, our monthly donors paid for every meal.

In March, Animal Control called at 6:14 a.m.. A hoarding case in Madera County, 47 dogs and cats, all sick, none socialized. We said yes before we knew where we'd put them.

"I give $25 a month because I can't take one home. This is the next best thing."
Marisol Chen · Monthly donor since 2018 · Fresno, CA

A converted barn became a temporary medical ward. Six weeks of vet care, behavioral work, and grooming later, 41 of those animals have been adopted. The other six are still healing. Every dollar of that emergency response came from monthly donors.

Become a monthly donor
Sanctuary tour

40 acres in the foothills. Open every Saturday.

Come walk the trails, brush the horses, and meet the residents. Tours start at 10 a.m. and are free for anyone who'd like to come.

A bay horse grazing in our pasture on a sunny morning
A tabby cat lounging in the catio garden
A small white rescue dog running through wildflowers
Two rescue horses grazing in the spring meadow
A brown and white hound resting in the kennel sunshine
From our volunteers

The people who make the place.

"I started walking dogs to fill empty Saturdays. Three years later, this is my whole life. And my husband adopted three of them."
J
Jenna R. Volunteer · since 2022
"My grandson and I do Saturdays together. He's learning that gentleness isn't weakness. Best thing I've ever done as a grandma."
D
Dolores K. Volunteer · since 2019
"I foster the medical cases. It's hard, often heartbreaking, and the most meaningful work I've ever done. Sarah's team is family now."
M
Marcus T. Foster · since 2021

About this design template

Second Chance Sanctuary is an animal rescue nonprofit design template.

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When Albertson Designs builds your site, we use designs like this as a reference for color, structure, and category vocabulary. Every line of code, every photo, and every word is custom for your business. Most full builds ship in four to eight weeks depending on scope.

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