Lulus: How did MaeDay Rescue start?
MaeDay Rescue: MaeDay Rescue started after our founder, Natalie Garcia was in a car accident where a young man lost control of his vehicle, hitting Natalie head-on while driving on the freeway. She was traveling with her dog and first-ever foster that she only had for two weeks, who she just saved from Mexico. The car rolled and both dogs vanished, and after a week of searching she and many volunteers found her beloved dog, Maggie Mae dead and the foster scared, but unhurt.
Natalie couldn’t work due to injuries from the accident and used the time to learn about rescue and jumped into fostering. She quickly learned about the importance of rescue and the animal overpopulation problem in Los Angeles, which a few years later turned into MaeDay Rescue. The 10 year anniversary is this November 2020! (You can watch a video on our About page!)
Lulus: Congrats! So what makes the MaeDay unique as an organization?
MDR: Maeday Rescue takes in different dog breeds and sometimes kittens & cats! We don’t have a type of animal, which allows us to make a bigger difference. We offer one-week trial periods to potential adopters. After someone has filled out an application, we meet them and if we decide it’s a good match, the adopter gets to have the animal for up to a week, to give everyone time to adjust to their new life. If it’s not a forever match, the animal goes back to its original foster. If it is a match, we make the adoption official at that time with the adoption agreement, a family photo, etc.
Lulus: How has the pandemic affected your organization and the dogs?
MDR: The pandemic has made adopting a dog very competitive. When it first happened, everyone wanted to foster, so the shelters were empty and we couldn’t get dogs ourselves. We had hundreds of foster applications, but not enough dogs to welcome new foster parents! Now, when we get a dog from the shelter or surrendered by an owner, we’re getting anywhere from 10-50 applications per dog. It used to be 1-5 applications per dog. We have a lot more work on our hands now and it takes us time to go through all the applications. We are mainly volunteer-based but we are lucky to have a great team!
Lulus: Sounds like a good problem to have! And what is the MaeDay Outpost?
MDR: MaeDay Outpost is a sustainably-sourced pet supply and food store that the founder of our rescue started in August 2019. Natalie has been in the rescue world for 10 years now and has realized how much waste and pet food processing hurts the environment. Everything that is sold at the Outpost is high quality, the meat in the foods comes from small farm-raised, antibiotic-free, and free-range animals, and some of the companies have recyclable bags! The outpost also has a lot of cute toys that are also naturally made by sustainable companies! We carry many items from women-owned and small companies.
The rescue animals aren’t housed there since they are in foster care, but the Outpost gives us a regular meeting place with potential adopters. Pre-COVID we were holding adoption events there, complete with dog sketch artists, sponsored alcoholic beverages, and food trucks. A percentage of sales from the Outpost supports the rescue, but there are a few items that go 100% to MaeDay Rescue, which is all of the original MaeDay Rescue merchandise like shirts, pins, etc.. The Outpost has been open through the pandemic and is currently open 7 days a week 12-6pm.
Lulus: What a great idea! Speaking of ideas, do you have any helpful pet safety tips for summer, when fireworks are common?
MDR: CBD, CBD, CBD! The key with CBD is giving it to them now, so it can build up in their system. People give them one dose and say it didn’t work, but it works over time. It’s great for anxiety, pain, and overall health. We recommend CBD treats from Holistapet and Bocce, and CBD drops from Marro and Green Coast Pets, all of which we sell at the Outpost!
Lulus: Pet foster parents are a big component of your organization–what should people know about fostering?
MDR: Fostering is important because the more fosters we have, the more animals we can save. Fosters house the animals for as long as it takes for them to get adopted. They’re in charge of keeping the animal loved and protected, taking them to the vet, and bringing them to meet and greets. We supply everything needed: food, beds, toys, etc., and we pay for all of the bills. The best fosters are the ones who can deal with anything! Sometimes there are fleas or ticks, sometimes the animal is not potty trained, or is very anxious or has never been on a leash, etc. The key to fostering is patience and being able to go with the flow.
Lulus: How can people help support your efforts?
MaeDay Rescue is all donation-based. Becoming a monthly donor helps ensure that we have funds coming in to help pay for vet bills, shots, food, and more. You can become a monthly donor on our site through the donate button! If you can’t donate we appreciate tagging people in our posts and sharing MaeDay Rescue’s Instagram and Facebook posts. The more people that follow the better chance the animals have to get adopted!
Do you have any questions about pet safety tips for summer or adoption? Ask in the comments!
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