Our History

The Story of Smiley

The Rest of the Story

Smiley Dog Rescue began its incredible journey in May of 2000. Our goal then, as it is now, was to be one of the finest rescue organizations in the Bay Area, helping to end the plight of homeless animals killed in local shelters. We started as a small, dedicated group of about ten volunteers, but by the end of our first year we had grown to 25 volunteers. 110 dogs found new hope and new homes because of our rescue efforts. We were all so proud of our work, but we understood that our successes were relatively small to the number of animals that needed our help. Still, we had made a difference—and that felt good.

Our first major milestone as an organization came in June 2001 when we gained 501-(c) (3) non-profit status. By becoming a non-profit we could expand our outreach program to include many more shelters throughout California — and help more needy animals. Also as a non-profit, all donations became tax deductible for our donors, and that gave them even more incentive to donate. Now that was exciting!

By December of 2002, we applied for and received our very first foundation grant. It came from The Glide Foundation in Davis, Ca. The grant enabled us to buy our now “famous” Smiley Dog Rescue Van, which is used to transport dogs from shelters to foster homes, veterinary appointments, and mobile adoptions. Having this vehicle has made caring for our dogs so much easier and it has even helped attract new volunteers!

In early 2003 we applied for and received our second foundation grant, this time from the PETCO Foundation. That same year we recruited our first volunteer web master who donated countless hours of his time developing the first Smiley Dog website, www.smileydogrescue.org. We also held our 4th annual “Santa Paws” fundraiser that raised almost $3000.00 for our dogs. 2003 was a huge year for Smiley Dog Rescue and by year’s end we had saved almost 150 gentle and loving animals from needless euthanasia, and assisted 100 other needy dogs to find new homes as well. We celebrated our successes with the first Smiley Dog Rescue “Family Reunion”, a gathering of volunteers, adopters, and of course, Smiley Dogs.

2004 brought with it a new grant from the Glide Foundation and another from The PetsMart Foundation. These two grants gave us the resources to take on bigger projects and made certain that some deserving special needs dogs received the help they so desperately needed. With the PetsMart grant we expanded our life saving efforts to the Stockton Animal Shelter where the euthanasia rate was a shocking 61% for dogs. By year’s end, we had rescued a total of 75 dogs from the Stockton Shelter, all of whom are now living in their forever homes as someone’s canine companion.

By the end of 2004, Smiley Dog Rescue saved over 200 dogs from death row. And, for the third year in a row, we received another grant from the Glide Foundation. We are deeply grateful for their vote of confidence once again–and for their recognition of our commitment to the animals we serve.

In 2005 we were able to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home 250 dogs. We were only able to do this with the help of our volunteers and donors. We had often received phone calls from people unable to spay/neuter their dog for financial reasons, this year we started a program to help them accomplish this goal. We always had a good relationship with the Martinez shelter, but this year we worked closely with the volunteers to rescue a number of wonderful dogs.

In the future we hope to cultivate additional foster homes, as it is only through them that we are able to save the lives of the many dogs in need. We will continue to work with the Martinez shelter and other local shelters to rescue dogs that are about to be euthanized. We are still an all-volunteer based organization with the same vision that we had when we started, though we have grown in numbers.

We couldn’t have come this far without all of our devoted volunteers, adopters, donors and granting foundations. Your assistance is invaluable — and profoundly appreciated. With your continued support, we will have many more success stories to write about.