The Happy Dog Project
A non-profit, volunteer group advocating for the many homeless, abused & neglected dogs of LOS ANGELES and the surrounding areas
Dog saved since 2017
3,721 lives saved since 2017
The Happy Dog Project is dedicated to rescuing stray, abused, and needy dogs in LOS ANGELES and the surrounding areas. Our mission is to educate the community on the importance of spaying/neutering and regular veterinary care. We rely on a network of loving foster homes to care for the dogs while they receive medical treatment, proper nutrition, and plenty of TLC. Once they are healthy and ready, we work to place them in carefully vetted forever homes where they can thrive.
3,721+
lives saved since 2017
Success In Numbers
7
years of saving dogs
Gumdrop’s Story
Gumdrop was found abandoned and wandering alone behind a grocery store in Los Angeles. The Happy Dog Project was notified, and a volunteer quickly went and picked her up. She was just a tiny puppy, weighing less than 5 pounds, and she was covered in fleas. Her foster mom bathed her and treated her for fleas and other common parasites.
On the day of her vet appointment, her foster mom reported that Gumdrop was not thriving. The vet examined her, ran tests, and determined she was anemic and would have to receive blood transfusions while hospitalized.
Gumdrop started to improve, so she was able to return to her foster home. Unfortunately, she wasn’t well for long—she started throwing up, had watery stool, and was acting lethargic. Another trip to the vet confirmed she had the much-dreaded PARVO. Parvo is a highly contagious viral disease that commonly causes acute gastrointestinal illness in puppies and is often deadly. Gumdrop was given fluids to help hydrate her and had to be readmitted for around-the-clock care. Upon discharge, she was still severely underweight and lethargic. Her first day back with her foster was a tough one.
She had to be syringe-fed water and closely monitored. Thankfully, she was a hungry and feisty little warrior! Her foster mom got excited as the time drew near for Gumdrop to go on transport to a rescue where she would be adopted into her forever home. However, the night before she was to go on transport, she came down with kennel cough. By then, she was such a little fighter that she breezed through her sickness and was quite happy to stay a little longer in her loving foster home. Gumdrop then embarked on her next journey—transport to a northern rescue where she was adopted into a loving home of her own. Gumdrop is a fighter.
Gumdrop’s story is what The Happy Dog Project does every day—we FIGHT to save the countless lives of the homeless, abused, and abandoned animals of Los Angeles. We will continue to fight until spay/neuter and routine vetting, including heartworm prevention, is accepted as “the norm” in the community and until the suffering of the countless animals needing our help ends.
