Adopt

Wagging Dog Rescue - Orange County

Wagging Dog Rescue is a grassroots nonprofit that champions the rights of animals worldwide and works to create a better future for all lives. We rescue orphaned dogs and other critters from shelters and streets in Southern California and ’round the globe who have no other options and are at risk of euthanasia or worse, who may need medical care or rehabilitation, and who will one day be restored to their rightful place as a cherished family member. We advocate responsible pet parenting, stand against discrimination – in all forms – and dedicate ourselves to educating our communities in order to achieve our goal of a more compassionate future.

WDR came about in November 2011 after our Founder, Cassandra, spent some time volunteering at her local municipal animal shelter. Finding the volunteer program to be inefficient and seeing too many good family pets put down simply because of a lack of options when the shelter ran out of kennel space, she resolved to focus her energy on saving lives, one life at a time. Euthanasia is not an acceptable form of population control. Cassandra began to recruit like-minded people to her cause, and Wagging Dog Rescue was born.

Our rescue is an all volunteer 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that relies on charitable contributions and fundraising to supplement our adoption fees and provide for the care of our orphans. We are a registered charity with the CA Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts. We are all foster based and firmly believe in the value of a responsible, loving foster home to an orphaned dog. Our foster homes nurture these abandoned babes back to complete health while giving them the skills to be successful in a forever home and providing details that enable us to make successful matches between dog and forever family.

The Wagging Dog Team is comprised of passionate animal lovers, owners, advocates and rescuers who give freely of our time, oft times money, and all the time – heart, in order to work together to improve our future. We support responsible pet ownership, a leadership lifestyle, spay and neuter .. and most of all, ADOPTION.

Contact
Cassandra N
Donation
Cats Illustration

See every new pet that comes to this shelter!

Create an alert, and we'll notify you every time a new pet comes in who meets your criteria.

Rescue FAQs

Los Angeles County
Orange County
San Diego County
will consider other parts of Southern CA

  • 1. Submit Application
  • 2. Interview
  • 3. Home Check
  • 4. Sign Adoption Contract
  • 5. Pay Fee
  • 6. Take the Pet Home

Additional adoption info

If you have other pets in your home, we’ll manage doggie introductions to ensure that everyone begins things on the right paw. We know you’ll be excited to meet your potential new family member and promise to do our best to shorten the timeline. Please remember that our entire team is all volunteer and we rescue around our family and work schedules. We’re grateful for your understanding and patience and hope you’ll appreciate our thoroughness with the care and placement of our rescued family members.

Search for a dog or cat

  • Columbus, OH
  • Columbus, OH
  • Columbus Grove, OH
  • Columbus Grv, OH

Sorry, we can’t find that location! Please try again.

Animal Charities in Orange, CA

HeARTs Speak

HeARTs Speak develops resources that help shelter animals to be seen and find homes, ultimately transforming public perceptions of pet adoption, shelters, and animals in need. Each year our work helps nearly 1 million pets in your community and beyond.

Learn more

Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs

There is a tremendous need for new methods of sterilization that are faster, easier, more accessible, and less expensive than surgery. ACC&D works tirelessly to bring together key stakeholders to advance this field.

Learn more

Animal Legal Defense Fund

Every day, Animal Legal Defense Fund works to enact tougher animal cruelty laws, provide care and legal assistance for animal victims of cruelty, offer rewards to bring abusers to justice, and provide free legal assistance to prosecutors and law enforcement to put abusers behind bars.

Learn more