In our season finale of The Rescue State, I’m taking a moment to pause, reflect and speak from the heart.

As we close out 2025, I share my final thoughts on where we’ve been, where we are, and, most importantly, where we can go next. This episode is about choosing compassion over complacency, responsibility over convenience and community over division.  It’s about how small, intentional actions can create meaningful ripple effects, not only for ourselves, but for our neighborhoods, our state and the animals who depend on us to speak up when they cannot.

Together, we explore what it truly means to “do better” as humans, as advocates and as a collective community.  The importance of our mindset can help spark lasting change in California’s homeless animal crisis.

My hope is that this episode leaves you feeling grounded, inspired and empowered to move forward with purpose, thoughtfulness and, most importantly, with kindness.

In this week’s episode with The Rescue State, I have the honor of sitting down with Lauren McCarron, founder of Joyful Pets and Rehome With Love service, for one of the most important and heartfelt conversations we can have as responsible pet owners.

Together, we explore the incredibly difficult reality that sometimes, despite our best intentions, rehoming a beloved pet becomes the most responsible and loving choice. Lauren shares how her team leads with compassion, dignity and support for individuals and families navigating one of the hardest decisions they may ever face.

This episode is a powerful reminder that responsible pet ownership doesn’t end when things get hard, it’s about making thoughtful, humane choices at every stage of the journey. If you care deeply about animals, ethics and doing right by the pets we love, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss!

In this episode of The Rescue State, I respond to John Stossel’s video “Puppy Prohibition: Ban on Pet Store Sales Kills Pet Stores, But Hasn’t Stopped Puppy Mills.” I encourage listeners to watch the video and join me as I share what stood out and what was noticeably left out. 

We talk about the realities of puppy mills that often go unmentioned: large-scale breeding operations, puppy importation, loopholes that allow cruelty to continue and why banning these pipelines is critical to real change.

I also offer insight from inside the rescue world and share tips for navigating conversations like this with clarity, compassion and confidence. If you’ve seen this video or find yourself in conversations similar to this and felt conflicted, curious or frustrated, this episode helps cut through the noise and get to the truth that actually saves lives.

Listen now and join the conversation!

This week on The Rescue State, we’re leaning into the spirit of giving and exploring real ways you can make a difference for animals this holiday season.  From donating to your favorite local rescues, to supporting shelters with Amazon wishlists, to dropping off cozy blankets for pups in cold kennels, small acts of kindness open the door to big change.

We have an exciting sweet, new foster named Daphne who survived being hit by a car and is currently facing surgery on both of her back legs. Her strength and sweetness are the reminder we all need right now and the holidays are a perfect time to rally together for dogs who deserve a fighting chance.

If you would like to contribute to her recovery, you can support her through her GoFundMe here: Help Daphne Walk Again: Double Leg Surgery for a Puppy.

Plus, our Cozy Paws Winter Drive is officially underway!  We’re collecting blankets, towels and toys to help the animals at the Devore Animal Shelter and the Big Bear Animal Shelter stay safe and warm this winter.  Drop-off locations and details can be found at rescue-state.com.

Whether it’s a one-time donation, buying items from a wishlist, sponsoring a medical case like Daphne or delivering blankets to a shelter, there are so many ways to give love this season.  Tune in, get inspired and help make this a warmer, brighter holiday for dogs who need us most.

Join us for one of our most important conversations yet as The Rescue State sits down with Lauren and Anthony from the Animal Welfare Data Center.  Together, we explore a side of animal welfare that doesn’t get talked about enough: data.  The answers needed for change are hidden in numbers and trends that reveal why dogs are entering shelters, where resources are falling short and how we can finally break the systemic patterns that lead to overcrowding and euthanasia. 

What will it truly take for California to become a no-kill state?

This episode brings that answer to light.  If you want to understand not just what’s broken, but how we fix it, this is the episode you cannot miss.

Listen now and be part of the change!

In our first interview for The Rescue State podcast Season 2, I sit down with longtime animal advocate Tessa Behr to talk about everything fostering — the real, the emotional, the messy and the life-changing. Tessa shares her step-by-step fostering roadmap to help anyone know exactly what to expect when opening their home to a shelter dog: from the first car ride, decompression and training and the importance of bonding.  Whether you’re thinking about fostering for the first time or you’ve already fostered dozens of dogs, this episode is full of practical advice, heart-centered insight and the reminders we all need when rescue work gets heavy.

Tessa’s wisdom proves that fostering doesn’t just save dogs — it strengthens communities and transforms lives on both ends of the leash.  Tune in, learn and maybe find the nudge you needed to say yes to fostering. 🐾

In this emotional second part journey of our first foster Bergy, I open up about what it’s really like to love a dog you’re expected to let go.  The joy, the heartbreak and the exact moment Bergy made it clear that rescue work would become my purpose.

This episode isn’t just about her journey; it’s about love, loss and the calling some dogs are placed in our lives to reveal.  If you’ve ever wanted to understand why fostering matters and how one dog can completely change the path of a person, this episode tells that story.

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In this emotional Season 2 opener for The Rescue State, Kim shares how her first foster dog, Bergy, changed her life and opened her eyes to the realities of animal shelters, the fostering experience and California’s homeless pet crisis.

Join us for the first part of this powerful two-part story.  You won’t want to miss it!

In the season’s finale of The Rescue State podcast, I dive into one of the biggest loopholes backyard breeders use to sell puppies: Craigslist.  Even though Craigslist bans the sale of animals, many people try to get around the rules with misleading ads.  In this episode, I walk you through how to spot these posts and show you how to turn “flagging” them into a game. 

Together, we can push back against illegal puppy sales, protect dogs from backyard breeders and remind sellers that the public is watching.  Tune in to learn how to play the “flagging game” and join the movement to hold backyard breeders accountable—one flagged ad at a time.

In this episode of The Rescue State, we dive into one of the most powerful and often overlooked ways you can save a life...Fostering!  Rescues cannot do what they do without fosters opening their homes and hearts to dogs in need.  I share why fostering is so essential, bust a few common myths that might be holding people back and offer practical pointers for anyone on the fence.  Whether you’ve been considering fostering for a while or this is the first time you’ve thought about it, this episode will show you just how much of a difference you can make.