Rescue is more than taking in dogs.
It’s getting them healthy. Helping them change. Finding them the right homes. Standing beside families when things get hard. And, increasingly, finding ways to prevent animals from ever needing rescue in the first place.
That’s what’s happening at RISE right now.
HENRY IS READY FOR HIS NEXT STEP
When Henry arrived at RISE, he was starving - too weak to stand for long, and all of his bones visible.
Today, he is at a healthy weight, stronger than ever, and finally ready for the surgery he desperately needs.
Henry’s hip is broken and needs to be replaced. He is one of several dogs currently in our care who need specialty surgery, and these procedures are a significant expense for our rescue.
But getting Henry healthy enough for surgery was the first step. Now we need to get him to the finish line.
Help us give Henry the chance to walk comfortably again.
DONATE TO HENRY’S MEDICAL CARE
SOMETHING BIG IS COMING
At RISE, we spend a lot of time responding to animals who are already in crisis.
But lately, we’ve been asking a different question:
What if we could reach them before the crisis?
What if affordable veterinary care and spay/neuter services were easier to access? What if we could bring that care directly into the communities that need it?
That’s why we’re working toward something we’ve wanted to see for a long time: a mobile veterinary unit serving our community.
We’re building a way to put prevention on the road—and we can’t wait to tell you more.
Stay tuned. Something big is coming.
OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS MORE THAN A SHELTER
Clallam County currently does not have a public animal shelter, and that gap has become an increasingly important part of the conversation about animal services in our community.
Recently, RISE joined several other local rescues in a collaborative statement, helping our community understand exactly what we're faced with.
Because here’s the reality.
Our community needs a shelter.
But here's the next piece of that discussion we need to start talking about.
We need a shelter. But a shelter isn't a system.
A truly comprehensive animal services system needs to include field response, enforcement, intake and reunification, veterinary care, behavioral support, foster capacity, adoption, placement, and prevention...in addition to sheltering.
The animals and people who need help don't all arrive with the same problem. A lost dog, an injured animal, a dangerous dog, an overwhelmed pet owner, an unplanned litter, and an animal suffering from neglect all need different responses.
We believe Clallam County deserves a system designed around those realities—not simply a building with kennels.
READ THE FULL COLLABORATIVE POST HERE
BIG ADOPTIONS. BIG NEW BEGINNINGS.
Recently, Ember, Loki, Juno, Winston, Hank, Sabrina, Maggie, and Rhonda all found their forever homes.
Eight dogs. Eight new beginnings. Eight families who opened their homes and said, yes, you're ours.
We are incredibly grateful to every adopter who chooses rescue and trusts RISE to help them find the right match. Watching these dogs go from waiting for their chance to finally walking out the door with their people never gets old.
Congratulations, guys. You did it.
ONCE A RISE DOG, ALWAYS A RISE DOG
When a RISE dog goes home, they don't stop being our dog.
Adoption isn't goodbye. It's the beginning of a lifelong relationship.
Recently, a RISE dog went missing. She was frightened and hiding in the woods. She wouldn't come to anyone—until she heard a familiar RISE voice. One of her RISE family members, woken from sleep, hopped in the car and joined the search. With a simple “Where are ya baby girl?”, she was able to track and retrieve a dog that had been hiding for hours.
That's not an isolated story.
We've searched for lost dogs, sent our entire team out when a newly adopted dog bolted through a front door, and even had friends from out of state join the search until the dog was safely recovered.
When adopters hit a training roadblock, they come back to us. When they travel, some of our former residents come back to sleep over. And when vet or grooming appointments are stressful, we help make those visits easier, at times taking the dogs to their appointments ourselves to ensure they have a positive experience, supported by trainers who understand how to set them up for success.
Once a RISE dog, always a RISE dog.
We stand behind our dogs—and their people—for life.
(Photo of Rise pup Anavi reunited with one of the Rise Trainers who helped raise her.)
JAX: A VERY DIFFERENT DOG
When Jax came to us from the shelter, he arrived with a long list of labels: not good with dogs, not good with cats, not good with kids, reactive with people, not housebroken, handling sensitivities.
Today, we're seeing a very different dog.
Jax is staying with our head trainer, and since decompressing in a supportive environment, he has become wonderful with the other dogs. He avoids conflict like the plague, is no longer handler-sensitive, and has been doing brilliantly with his housebreaking (which, if we are being honest was the most difficult part of his rehabilitation!).
A huge thank-you to everyone who sent Jax bully sticks and Toppls. Those decompression activities have given him appropriate outlets and helped support his training.
This is exactly why we believe in seeing the dog behind the behavior.
(Photo of Jax, the dark puppy, and his best friend Rabbit, one of the dogs who came to us with 31 one of her relatives, from a single property)
COME SEE US
We have several opportunities to connect with RISE this month:
Hand-Built Pet Bowl Workshop
September 12 | 10 AM–1 PM
Olympic Coast Creative | Port Angeles
Create a one-of-a-kind pet bowl from clay, while supporting RISE.
Pet Lover’s Day
September 12 | 11 AM–3 PM
Carrie Blake Park | Sequim
Come say hello at the RISE booth and enjoy an afternoon celebrating pets.
Jefferson County Farm Tour: The Dog Event
September 20 | 10 AM–4 PM
The Shorts Family Farm | Chimacum
RISE will be joining CZK9 for a full day of games, demonstrations, educational booths, local businesses, and more.
SEE ALL EVENT DETAILS
Thank you for being part of RISE.
Whether you adopt, donate, volunteer, foster, share our posts, send a dog a bully stick, or simply cheer us on from the sidelines, you are part of what makes this work possible.
And we have a lot more coming.
With so much gratitude,
Meagan Karnes, Director
(and the entire Team at RISE)
