Friends of Upland Animal Shelter Inc

In May 2016, Friends began operating the Upland Animal Shelter in partnership with the City of Upland's Animal Control Division and is responsible for sheltering and adopting all animals available for adoption. With the transition from support organization to operating the shelter, we need your support now more than ever to save every adoptable animal. To learn more about Friends, please visit www.friendsofuplandanimalshelter.org.

You can be a life-saver!

Many of the animals that enter our shelter require some type of special care during their stay with us. Whether it’s a special diet due to allergies, medication for a respiratory infection or training for behavioral issues, we are prepared to offer the best course of action for the best possible outcome, adoption! However, our resources are limited as we do not receive any funding from the City of Upland. We rely on adoption revenue, revenue generated by our 2nd Chance Thrift Shop and private donations. We need your help this holiday season and in the spirit of #GivingTuesday, please donate as generously as you can, so that we can go above and beyond to find homes for all animals whether they need only a little TLC or an extra-large dose like Latte who is a very special dog that came to the Upland Animal Shelter with a very uncertain future. Thanks to our compassionate supporters and dedicated volunteers her holiday wish came true - a forever home of her own.

Saving Latte...

When Latte arrived at our shelter this past spring, she was withdrawn, scared and completely shut down. She hid in the corner of her kennel and snapped at anyone who tried to approach her. In many shelters this would automatically be a death sentence due to a lack of resources to rehabilitate such a fearful dog. Fortunately for Latte, she had a village of supporters ready to help her overcome her fears. Ron, one of our experienced volunteer animal trainers, took her on as his special project to begin the rehabilitation process. After countless hours of building her trust, Ron was able to put a leash on Latte and even brush her. This may not sound like much progress, but working with fearful dogs requires baby steps. Other volunteers began socializing with her to further her recovery and after months at the shelter Latte was adopted. Unfortunately, that adoption didn’t last as Latte resorted to her fearful behavior and reacted negatively towards her new family in their home. Latte found herself back in a kennel at the shelter with a huge strike against her as an adoption return.

Ron and Cecilia, another trainer who dedicated her time to Latte, were determined to help Latte gain confidence and learn to trust humans. We don’t know what Latte experienced in her short four years of life before she arrived at our shelter, but it clearly had not been a life of love that she so desperately deserved. Despite all of the TLC that was given to Latte, her fate was still uncertain. Could she overcome her reactive behavior making her adoptable again?

Fortunately, Friends formed a unique partnership with Cesar Milan’s Dog Psychology Center, and due to the care that Latte had received from our dedicated volunteers, she was the perfect candidate for their program. Latte reveled in the attention of their trainers and loved playing with other dogs in the play yard. In the two-weeks that Latte spent at the Center, she got to socialize with brand new people in a new environment and that was key to furthering her rehabilitation. Once back at the shelter, her socialization continued as she spent mornings in the office interacting with staff and going for daily walks in the park. Latte was finally ready for her forever home or so we thought.

During one of her daily walks, Latte collapsed and couldn’t make it back to the shelter, and it was immediately apparent that she was seriously ill. After being examined by Western University veterinary students and their supervising veterinarian, it was determined that Latte had developed pneumonia. The onset and severity of her condition took everyone by surprise and was a devastating development. One of our wonderful volunteers, Nancy, along with Cecilia and Ron took on the task of once again caring for Latte. After several days of treatment and giving her some extra special attention, which included sneaking her medication into chicken nuggets so she’d take it, her condition began to improve, but there was concern that the illness would cause her to regress to her fearful state again. However, that concern was put to rest and after two-weeks of treatment and recovery, Latte was back to playing fetch and going for walks in the park. Latte proved to be a fighter and overcame yet another obstacle thanks to the love and care she was given.

The day we’d all been waiting for finally arrived. On October 27, 2016, a lovely family, including their cocker spaniel, Ruby, made a three hour drive to meet Latte after Cecilia shared her story on social media. They were aware of her previously reactive behavior and failed adoption, but despite it all they were willing to give her the opportunity of a lifetime; a forever home of her own! It has only been a short time, but Latte (now Sugar) is thriving in her new home and Sandy and Bob couldn’t be happier with their decision to adopt her, "loving her is easy to do and she is definitely Bob's baby."

Friends is dedicated to finding every adoptable animal a loving home and Latte is the ultimate example of our mission to save them all. We could have simply deemed her unadoptable due to her behavior, and had her humanely euthanized, but we didn’t. We could have given up on her when she so suddenly became severely ill and fought taking her medication, but we persevered. Saving Latte took countless hours of rehabilitation by numerous volunteers and staff, trainers at the Dog Psychology Center, talented veterinarians, chicken nuggets and one loving family.

Donate today and help make holiday wishes come true for more animals like Latte! Everyone who donates will have a paw print hung in their honor at our shelter through the end of year. Receive a green paw for donations of $5-$24; a red paw for donations of $25-$49 or a gold paw for donations of $50+. Open your hearts and help us cover the shelter with paw prints! 

About Friends of Upland Animal Shelter:

Friends believes in the dignity of every life, and that every adoptable animal should receive the care and patience that is necessary to find a loving home. We offer a number of programs and initiatives to improve the lives of abandoned, sick and injured animals including: 

• Low-cost adoptions
• Quality medical care for shelter animals
• Training for new pet owners
• Educational programs
• Low cost spay/neuter programs
• Free micro-chipping for Upland residents

With your help, we can give homeless animals a second chance and expand the number of programs and services we offer to the community.  Please consider making a donation, becoming a member or volunteering your time. Thank you for being a life-saver!