The Best San Diego, CA Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2025

Bunny's Buddies

Bunny's Buddies works tirelessly to save dogs from slaughterhouses, the streets and kill shelters in Asia and the USA.

The Animal Pad

The Animal Pad is a non-profit, all breed dog rescue that focuses on saving dogs from high kill shelters and the streets of Mexico. We get them vet care, place them in foster homes and then find them loving forever families. A few years ago, we turned our attention to the street dogs of Mexico as there is very little help for them. Since then, we have developed a large rescue network in Baja California and we have a sister shelter in Ensenada that we focus on taking dogs from whenever funds allow.

A Way Home For Dogs

We are a free Pet Recovery Service assisting owners on a global scale. We also secure evasive street strays primarily in the San Diego are (occasionally Riverside). If the strays are not claimed at the local shelter systems and are in danger of being euthanized, we become their safety net pending kennel space. We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome when the dogs are ready and safe to do so.

Amazing Strays Rescue

From day one, our goal has been to help all dogs who need it. Big, small, medical cases, senior or puppy; ASR stands by our commitment- Lisa, Our Founder

The Liberty Dog Network

The Liberty Dog Network was established in 2022 and is a small, Southern California based dog rescue. We rely on fosters/people to open their home to care for the dogs we rescue. We provide all medical care and supplies to our fosters, they provide the home and supply the love.

The Barking Lot

Located on 10 acres in San Diego County, we adopt to anywhere in the US and Canada. It's our goal to find an excellent match suited to both you and each of our Temporary Barkers. Having rescued over 9,000 dogs since our inception in 2006, we are primarily volunteer run with a soft spot for the underdogs. Our Temporary Barkers come from all over the world as we have partnerships with Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand, Four Paws in Cambodia/Vietnam and Ark119 in Korea from which we've taken in over 1000 dog meat trade survivors. We also rescue heavily from Mexico where the abandoned dog population is extensive, the neglect is vast and the stories are heart wrenching.

It's The Pits

It's The Pits is a 501c3 canine rescue that coordinates the fostering and adoption of dogs that haven't yet found their permanent home. We specialize in American Staffordshire Terriers (Am Staffs), Staffordshire Bull Terriers ("Staffy's"), and American Pit Bull Terriers, but will do our best to help all breeds, often by referral to other local rescues that specialize in that type of dog. You can find many of these on our links page. We are located in San Diego county, as are all of our foster homes. We work alongside our fosters to give the dogs a temporary and loving home before they are placed into permanent homes. We rescue dogs from various shelters, evaluate them, ensure they are healthy, and then match them with the appropriate family. We take pride in matching the best dog for the individual family that contacts us. We do this by matching the activity level of the dog to the family's needs, as well as making sure that the other pets in the home work well with the new addition to the pack.

Mad Mutts

Our goal is to assist in the rescue and rehabilitation of at-risk dogs from shelters that need a little more time, a more home-like environment, more individualized support, and/or have minor medical issues. So many AMAZING dogs just simply do not thrive or show well in a kennel environment. We aim to help rehabilitate and rehome these dogs with the goal of quality homes over quantity of placements. Our small rescue works with local shelters and rescues in Southern California to network, transport, foster, and adopt.

Tragic to Magic

We are in the Baja California region and see first hand the homeless, hungry, scared and sometimes sick dogs on the streets. We take the animals in and keep the animals in our homes until they are fully vetted and ready to find a new home. We are just 3 people doing the actual rescue so we attempt to operate on a one-in one-put bases. Therefore, we work very hard doing adoption events, networking with other rescues and using social media to find them homes. We have saved over 120 animals in 2017.

Frosted Faces Foundation

FROSTED FACES FOUNDATION IS A 501(C)(3) NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT DELIVERS THE PROMISE OF FAMILY AND QUALITY VETERINARY CARE FOR SENIOR ANIMALS WHOSE LOVE AND LIVES ARE IN JEOPARDY.

Heart of Gold's Shelter

Heart of Gold Legacy was established in December 2005 with the purpose of providing assistance to various organizations that promote the general welfare of animals. Gertrude Sissy, McGill, the benefactress of Heart of Gold Legacy, has given financial contributions to organizations that provide shelter and care to animals before the inception of the foundation. Sissy has been an active supporter of animal welfare all her life. With the help of Teresita Bacani, a long-time friend and business partner, Sissy's vision of helping the animals through the foundation came to fruition. A legacy has been finally fulfilled. To this date, many animal welfare organizations in the United States have benefited from the goodness of the heart of the foundation.

Mutt Scouts

Mutt Scouts is not a breed specific rescue. We're dedicated to saving every dog we can, regardless of age, breed, medical or behavioral needs. We are transparent about our Mutt's needs with fosters and potential adopters to ensure that once a dog becomes a part of our organization, they will know nothing but love and safety for the rest of their lives.

San Diego Humane Society

San Diego Humane Society, an open-admission shelter, is creating a more humane world by inspiring compassion and advancing the welfare of animals and people. Our lifesaving safety net has helped San Diego become the largest city in the U.S. to keep healthy and treatable shelter animals from being euthanized. We are a private, independent, nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with any other humane society or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. With campuses in El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside, Ramona and San Diego, we provide animal services for 13 cities within San Diego County. We not only care for more than 40,000 animals in our communities annually, but also share the expertise we have gained through our innovative programs with shelters nationwide so they can save more lives in their communities. While our influence is expanding nationally, our top priority is meeting the needs of San Diego. We provide exceptional care for all animals through world-class veterinary medicine, shelter and most of all: love.

Mission Bay Puppy Rescue

Rescue orphaned puppies, pregnant and their litters. We partner with amazing rescue teams in Bakersfield CA, the San Diego Humane Society and Country Animal Shelters across California as well as others to save as many pups and mamas as possible.

Second Chance Dog Rescue

Second Chance Dog Rescue (SCDR INC, dba Second Chance Dog Rescue) is a non-profit 501c3 (#26-3642128) organizations dedicated to saving homeless dogs. We rescue, rehabilitate and re-home dogs, primarily from local shelters, as well as dogs surrendered by their owners for various reasons, and dogs from Baja California, Mexico. Once we receive a dog, we provide medical care, including spay and neuter, and any necessary rehabilitation.

Animal Advocates of the United States ("AAOFUS")

Animal Advocates of the United States ("AAOFUS") is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to help homeless dogs and cats in the poorest communities of the United States with food, shelter, medical care, adoption and humane treatment. AAOFUS also financially sponsors other organizations providing animal welfare services for homeless dogs and cats in Mexico. Founded in 2006 by Marlene Revelen and Donna Liebrich after the two visited a Mexican dog pound ("perrera") where hundreds of animals were waiting to be euthanized by electrocution. Unable to erase the images of the suffering animals from their minds, Marlene and Donna have dedicated their lives to working with the Mexican government, community partners and volunteers to improve the plight of homeless dogs and cats in the poorest communities of the U.S. and Mexico and in the Mexican perreras. As a result of their tireless efforts, thousands of homeless dogs and cats have been rescued, sheltered, rehabilitated and adopted in less than 10 years. AAOFUS financially sponsors other organizations providing free spay-neuter clinics, animal rescue, rehabilitation, medical care and humane treatement and care to homeless dogs and cats in Mexico. Our Vision To inspire, engage and work with the communities we serve to end the suffering of homeless dogs and cats and to develop humane care programs.

Passion for Pitties

It all began in 2011 with a beautiful American Pit Bull Terrier named Sage. She was a gorgeous white and fawn girl with the most majestic green eyes and the cutest pink spotted nose. Our founder, Elise, volunteered at the shelter five days a week for 5 hours a day to help the dogs see another day. Sage was a stray who had been living at the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility for over four months. In that time, no one came to adopt her - no one came to rescue her. Elise built a wonderful relationship with Sage and loved her immensely. One day, Elise went in to exercise Sage, but she was missing. Elise frantically searched every kennel, but couldn’t find her anywhere. Could she have finally been adopted? An employee finally told Elise the truth - that Sage’s time was up. The staff had evaluated her behavior and the poor sweetheart had lost some of the softness that she once had with other dogs. Life in a kennel had broken her spirit. Elise’s heart was shattered. The end of Sage’s story was the beginning of ours. Elise swore that her life would not be in vain. American Pit Bull Terriers are our passion and our cause. We advocate tirelessly for bully breeds through education, events, and fundraisers. Now, our main focus is pulling more dogs like Sage from the shelter before their spirits are broken. We believe that any dog can be rehabilitated with positive training, reinforcement, and gentle human touch and guidance. All dogs ask for in return is love and kindness. Pitties are loving, soft, gentle, smart, playful, loyal dogs who long for human companionship and deserve a family to love and be loved by. In honor of Sage, we vow to pull as many dogs into our rescue as possible and: Stop Animals Getting Euthanized Passion for Pitties is a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization. Please consider tax deductible donations to aide us in saving and advocating for bully breed dogs in Southern California and beyond.

Wee Companions

Wee Companions is San Diego's only small animal rescue, in business for over 25 years. We take care of guinea pigs, chinchillas, rats, mice, rabbits and hamsters. Our mission is to rescue and find permanent homes for small animals in need. We are dedicated to educating the public about proper care of small animals and supporting their journey from adoption to life long care

Angels of Rawley Foundation

My journey in dog rescue began in the latter part of 2013 when I was asked to transport a dog from a high kill shelter to a rescue. For the next 3 years I spent many hours transporting, fostering, and coordinating dog rescues. In October of 2016 I was told to return 3 potentially neurologically challenged dogs back to a high kill shelter. There was no way that I could do this. With the help of my amazing family and friends, I took in these 3 wonderful souls named Laverne, Lenny & Squiggy and started Angels of Rawley Foundation aka ARF. Laverne, Lenny and Squiggy have all been adopted into loving homes and they are thriving and living healthy lives. These three amazing little dogs, have been the “foundation” of why the team at ARF loves to do what we do and save lives, no matter what breed or their needs. I believe that "things happen for a reason” and "timing is everything." I know because of Rawley this is where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be doing to carry on her legacy.

Dog Rescue without Borders

Dog Rescue without Borders is a non-profit dog rescue that teamwork’s with other local groups in Tijuana, Mexico dedicated to saving homeless & abandoned dogs from the street or high-kill shelters in the Tijuana area and to find them permanent and loving homes in Mexico and the United States. Dog Rescue without Borders was founded in August 2011 by Michela Arredondo, Elsa Peralta and Cynthia Espana Palacio. We are a volunteer-based organization and 100% of your donation goes to the animals. We do not have a shelter to house these unwanted and neglected dogs up for adoption we are thankful for the dedicated individuals who work tirelessly each day to improve the lives of our rescues and to insure that their future is blessed with a loving, stable home. Dog Rescue without Borders is entirely funded by the generosity of individuals just like you. For as little as $1 a day or a recurring donation of $29 per month, you can help provide much needed medical care to our homeless animals. THAT’S less than the cost of a latte a week!

Treat Them R+ght Rescue

Treat Them R+ght Rescue is a family operated animal rescue and sanctuary that is dedicated to the betterment of animal welfare. Although a small operation with limited resources, the founders of TTR+ acknowledge that there will never not be animals in need, and have set out to help as many as they can in whatever way they can. Established in 2021, Treat Them R+ght has only newly begun development to be able to better accommodate abandoned, mistreated, or otherwise homeless animals. With the help of donors, volunteers, local business partnerships, and friends’ and familys’ time and efforts, we hope to make our little farm an option for any animal in need. This will take time and money, but in the meantime, we already have an array of adorable mouths to feed, and we wish to help in the aid of fostering, training, and placement of animals in need. If we are unable to physically accommodate an animal that is in need of a home, we will help facilitate adoption through public outreach and social media networking. Treat Them R+ght not only believes that all animals deserve a loving home, but that they are also to be treated with kindness, treated to proper medical care, and to have their natural physical and emotional needs be met. Animals have feelings to, you know. At TTR+, we utilize fear-free, force-free, reward based training and handling methods to ensure that each animal that comes to us has the absolute best experience with humans it possibly can. We use Positive Reinforcement to teach essential skills to help animals navigate the human world, as well as work to modify unwanted behavioral problems such as excessive fear or aggression in animals that have been faced with trauma in their pasts. It’s a hard-knock life out there, but here at TTR+, there are no tricks, only treats.

Camp Pendleton Animal Shelter

Baja Dog Rescue

Since the founding of Baja Dog Rescue, in 2010, we have rescued almost 12,000 dogs from some horrific conditions, in Mexico and California. We are a non-profit, 100% no-kill shelter. We operate on donations from the public and the time and money of our volunteers. We have raised funds to put rescued dogs through chemotherapy and to repair broken bones from car accidents or abuse. We aggressively treat puppies for Parvo, to our knowledge we have the highest survival rate of any rescue group in operation (85%). Many of our dogs are found starving or injured on the side of the road, often near death from being beaten and discarded by their owners. These dogs are typically days, if not hours, from death. We are the last resort for many of these dogs, other rescues will not take them due to the severity of their condition. The shelter is also used as a home for many dogs that are considered unadoptable. They continue to get the food, love, and medical attention needed to enjoy their lives. Baja Dog Rescue partners with where we are found every Saturday holding an adoption event. We are a rescue partner with the County of San Diego and are authorized to pull dogs from shelters. We rescue dogs that have been scheduled to be euthanized. We have a wide network that we use to rescue, treat, and rehome our dogs. We have a 50,000 sq ft shelter with almost 150 dogs inhabiting it at any given moment. We promote our available dogs, adoption events, and rescue operations through our Facebook site and our website. We go through almost 700lbs of dog food a week in addition to medical and cleaning supplies. All of our adoption fees and donations go right back into buying the food and medicine for the dogs at our shelter. We rely solely on the generosity of the public, our volunteers, and our own funds to keep the shelter repaired and to take care of the dogs. Our Challenges As a 501c non-profit, all volunteer organization we face many, many challenges, including feeding our dogs. We go through almost 600lbs. of dog food per week, and since our shelter is based in Baja California we receive no assistance from the Rescue Food Bank here in the U.S. All of our adoption fees and donations go right back into buying the food and medicine for the dogs at our shelter. No one in our organization takes a paycheck, and we rely solely on the generosity of the public and our own funds to pay for repairs to our shelter and major surgeries. We always welcome visitors and volunteers to our shelter. Volunteers can help walk the dogs, clean up pens, and help socialize or pups.

Glad To Be Saved Rescue

We are a no kill foster home base rescue with an amazing team of volunteers that are committed to helping animals. Seeing a nonprofit to support our community's animals, we formed our organization to provide sensible solutions. We've grown considerably since then, all thanks to the helping hands and foster homes of this amazing community!

PAWS4thought Animal Rescue

PAWS4Thought Animal Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all-breed animal rescue organization. Most of what we do is rescue dogs from shelters when they at risk of being euthanized, as well as abandoned, abused, and stray dogs in both the U.S. and Tijuana/Rosarito areas. PAWS4Thought is committed to reducing the number of dogs who are at risk of being euthanized or are left hurt and/or abandoned each and every day. Our primary goal is to rescue and rehabilitate these dogs in loving foster homes until they are adopted into their permanent “fur-ever” homes. We also focus on educating the public by providing information on rescue procedures, and we conduct low cost and free spay/neuter events to those who need these services. PAWS4Thought is a 100% non-profit volunteer organization that could not survive without the loving dedication and support of volunteers, foster families and sponsors who dedicate their time, homes and contributions to help save and support those without a voice.

The Dank Dog Rescue & Sanctuary

The Dank Dog Collective is both an artisan soapery and dog rescue ranch. The Dank Dog Ranch provides sanctuary and rehabilitation to working dog breeds & mutts so they can find themselves & their furever families. The Dank Dog Soap Co. handcrafts soaps and care goods for you & your dog. Proceeds suppawt the rescues.

K9 Connection Pet Adoption

We are a 24/7— 365 rescue even after the adoption. We care for all our babies and want them with the best families and in wonderful and loving homes. We work very hard to get them back on track for our adopters. We deliver solid, healthy dogs. We provide training support to keep your dogs on the straight path. We want success for everyone. We serve San Diego County and other surrounding counties based on an approved adoption contract. All dogs are fully vetted, microchipped and spayed/neutered. Our dogs come with a full adoption kit of supplies. We do a full application and home check at the time of adoption.

Rancho Coastal Humane Society

Rancho Coastal Humane Society is dedicated to saving lives of abandoned companion animals, promoting adoption into loving homes and offering education programs and support services that inspire and strengthen the human-animal bond.

Forgotten Paws Animal Rescue

Forgotten Paws Animal Rescue is a California 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. Pets by the thousands are being left homeless for a wide variety of reasons. We do not judge how these adorable and deserving souls get into our arms, just that we welcome them. Our Commitment is to find them loving and lasting forever homes using the most responsible and safe rescue means possible. Our Passion is to rescue red-listed animals from high-kill shelters. These animals enter the shelters as strays or are surrendered by their families after tragic family events. All of these animals are very scared. We also have owners relinquish their pets into our care. Our Goal is to rescue these animals and prepare them for their new lives in their loving forever homes. We have Fosters and Adopters from all walks of life. Our network of volunteers assist us by fostering animals, helping at our adoption events, photographing our dogs and getting the word out on social media. We have no paid employees and do not receive funding from any government agency. All funds obtained by the rescue come from tax deductible adoption fees, tax deductible donations and fundraisers.

Second Leash On Life