Help Pets In Need

Tell us about your organization!

It is our goal that the foster home serves as a temporary placement until a proper forever home is found. We aim to provide education about pet care and an understanding that pets are a lifetime commitment. We promote population control by spaying and neutering our pets as well as requiring resident pets to be sterilized prior to adoption. Our current focus is dogs and cats and occasional small creatures.

What inspired you to start / what’s your organization’s origin story?

I first started A Little R&R Animal Sanctuary while attending medical school on a Caribbean island with poor animal welfare. I was an avid animal lover even prior to this experience, so on the journey back to Chicago, I rescued numerous dogs, cats, and even goats! I officially opened A Little R&R Animal Sanctuary in April 2014.

From there we built our small board full of people who love animals and share our passion to save as many as we can. We have become partners with several shelters throughout the states that often have to euthanize due to lack of space, enabling us to pull pets and transport teams to help us. We have a growing foster network and conducted almost 250 adoptions in 2021.

What’s something unique/cool about your organization?

We are a rescue. We do not simply house animals, but provide a nurturing home. We are “no-kill” which means that no healthy, treatable, rehabilitatable animals will be euthanized. Any pet that has issues outside our capability or experience will be transferred to another rescue with whom we have reached an agreeable understanding for the pet's care. We care about all animals. We rescue locally, nationally, and internationally, because all lives matter.

We are very serious about life-long commitments. Once an animal crosses our doorstep, our commitment is to assume responsibility for the entirety of its life. We fulfill this by requiring the pet to come back to us if re-homing is necessary and providing the adopters with any additional support or advice throughout the lifetime of the pet. We are strong advocates for pet sterilization.

Tell us about a success or achievement you’re particularly proud of.

As the owner; I could cry anytime I talk or think about how far this little rescue has come! I opened this solo while in medical school in 2014. I managed 14 adoptions that year! Now here in 2021 we are almost up to 250 IN ONE YEAR! After so many trials and errors, I am so proud of the core of people in this rescue. We have some strong, compassionate women at the helm! And there is no stopping us! My right hand girl is my best friend, and together we will make a meaningful impact in the rescue world.

What is your favorite part about working with your organization?

Despite all the negativity we see in the rescue world, our team is incredibly optimistic! We always see the bright side, and help as much as we can to make a positive improvement.