YOLO Spotlight - Dawn Borel of River’s Rescue!
Every summer KLJ Studios holds a monthlong pet portrait event. We will be doing so again this August so get your pets primped and ready! This year the pet event, Sit! Stay! Smile!, will be raising funds for River’s Rescue, a local pet rescue started and headed by Dawn Borel.
River’s Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports all dog breeds, with a focus on ranch type breeds. They fully vet and socialize pets to give them a fresh start and find them a forever home. They also occasionally have fully vetted cats/kittens available. The rescue received their 501(c)3 status three years ago.
This much needed organization was founded by Dawn Borel, whose path in life pretty much had to lead her to this time and place. Dawn believes her efforts are a labor of love and runs the rescue out of her home.
And who is River? The rescue’s namesake was Dawn’s much loved first border collie, whose image can be seen on their logo. Let’s learn more about the woman behind the rescue.
FUN FACT #1
Dawn grew up in the Los Angeles area and went to college at Sac State, majoring in Criminal Justice, a field she worked in or six or seven years. She then earned her masters and teaching credential in Special Education at Azusa Pacific University and began work in that field in Rosemead. Though she originally wanted to become a veterinarian, she has certainly found her own unique way to serve animals. She has also run a day care for over 25 years. It is a surprise that, with her wide variety of interests, Dawn describes herself as an average kid growing up who played with her dogs, rode bikes, and didn’t do much in the way of extracurricular activities. She does admit now that she wishes she had done other things in school.
FUN FACT #2
When asked about the difficulty of taking time off, Dawn admitted her most recent vacation was over three years ago when she had a ranch sitter come in and handle things. (Though she made sure the number of rescues were low at the time so it was manageable for the sitter. She even had the pups in mind while organizing a vacation.) Once in a while, she tries to grab a relaxing bubble bath or a margarita to wind down. And she appreciates the extensive help she gets from her daughter and boyfriend.
FUN FACT #3
Dawn’s day begins at 6 am when she lets the dogs out, (in rotation!), and has lots and lots of cleaning and scooping to do. Even the nightly feeding routine can take a few hours. With this kind of schedule, Dawn tries to find foster families to house the puppies that come in so more time can be spent with their socialization and early training. She couldn’t do this without the help she gets from her family and the community.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN RIVER’S RESCUE?
1. Dawn began her rescue efforts with feral cats, participating in TNR (trap, neuter, and release), which helps keep the feral population under control. She also volunteered at the local SPCA with the barn cat shelter program, where feral and semi-feral cats are provided to farms and businesses to help control rodent problems. One day, Dawn and her daughter found a littler of puppies on Craig’s List. Her daughter asked if they could take the litter, neuter them and find homes for them. And a vital rescue effort was born!
2. Dawn noticed there was a rush to adopt at the beginning of the pandemic as people found themselves at home more. There was actually a lack of dogs available for adoption at one point, though adoptions have slowed again. Sadly, many people are returning their COVID pets for various reasons, especially those who did not have the experience of owning pets before. The pandemic prevented people from attending training and obedience classes and dogs have not had the same opportunities to be socialized to other animals and people due to being locked down. It’s not a surprise so many of these pets now have behavior problems, yet it is sad the owners are giving up rather than taking the opportunities now to solve the issues.
3. Dawn prefers to remain local with potential adopters so they can visit the homes and hold out for the perfect match. When asked where she envisions herself in five years, Dawn said she sees continuing her rescue work as long as there is a need. Unfortunately, there will probably still be a need for organizations such as hers.
River’s Rescue is supported by money raised by “dump runs”. If you have things to get rid of that must go to the dump and you are unable for whatever reason to do it yourself, then give them a call at River’s Rescue to take care of that for you! It is important to make sure that when you pay someone to take things to the dump for you that the items actually get to the dump and are not left at the side of a road somewhere. River’s Rescue can take of it for you. Contact them at: riversrescueca@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.