GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Community Involvement
At The Canine Connection, we’re committed to helping pets and people in our community thrive. Through fostering, fundraising, and supporting local shelters and dog lovers, we strive to make a meaningful difference for animals and the people who love them.
Foster girl, Annie Bear, made a wish for a forever home. Her wish came true! Thank you, Karla and Tony, for being Annie’s angels.
FOSTERING SAVES LIVES
our Foster dogs
We’re committed to helping dogs that need a “paw up” while on their journeys to their permanent homes. Fostering provides dogs with a soft place to land, an opportunity to receive some training, an opportunity for us to know them and help them find their perfect home, and the chance to be part of more dogs lives!
As a team, we have fostered over 200 dogs for area shelters and rescues. This includes, many of litters of pups, seniors and special need adults , and some dogs who come to us through our network of clients and friends.
Read about our current foster dogs! If you’re interested in learning more about these wonderful souls, please email us HERE and tell us about your living situation and why a particular dog has caught your attention.
Please note… we are picky about placement of our foster dogs. We know our foster dogs very well and want to be assured that the fit is best for them - and you! - so we take our time and thoroughly assess adoption possibilities. We hope you appreciate this and understand.
Georgie
Georgie is our foster from Tehama County Animal Shelter. She was picked up as a stray with an unknown age and background but we estimate her to be about two years old. We haven’t done a DNA test but our guess is she’s a husky mixed with a Houdini hound because she can jump gates and fences with ease.
Georgie is in great health, up-to-date on vaccinations, spayed, and heart worm negative. She is very playful with other dogs and very friendly with people. If given a choice, she would probably prefer to hang out with people as she loves snuggling with her favorite humans. She has had some foundation training, walks well on a leash, and loves her park outings where she can wade and swim in the creeks.
Georgie does have some confinement and separation anxiety and this may be why she found herself at the shelter. She does find the presence of another friendly dog to be calming to her and so her forever home should include another sweet dog or two. Her new family should also be prepared to support her as she becomes familiar with them, their environment, and used to separation, one baby step at a time. It is IMPERATIVE that her new home is very solidly fenced. While there will be some effort involved with helping Georgie settle into her new environment, we are completely confident that the rewards will be worth it. Georgie truly is a diamond in the ruff.
Franny
Franny was adopted as a wee pup through Chico Animal Shelter. As she grew, her adolescent energy needs overcame the abilities of her senior guardians and we stepped in to help.
Franny is a 1-year old wonder dog! We think she may be part husky and part wild desert running dog. She is energetic, gets along great with other dogs (she is a regular participant in our “party group“at Pep Camp), has foundation training through our Essential Life Skills program, is house-trained, crate-trained, and affectionate. She is up-to-date on all vaccinations, spayed, and heartworm negative.
Because of her energy level, Franny needs an active home where she will enjoy hiking, play dates, and ongoing training. We’re not too sure of her ability to live with cats but can further explore this if desired.
Currently, Franny is living with one of our team members and enjoying being a regular part of Pep Camp, our enrichment daycare program.
energizing our mission
fundraising and contributions
With over $128,000 raised for Chico Animal Shelter and Butte Humane Society, your support helps us give back to the animals who need it most!
2014 to 2024 – $100,000+ raised for Chico Animal Shelter
Our annual fundraiser, Walk Woof Wag, and other fundraising efforts for Chico Animal Shelter causes have raised over $90,000 for Chico Animal Shelter! Read more about this annual event HERE!
2011 to 2013 – $28,000+ raised for Butte Humane Society
TEAM CANINE CONNECTION raised over $28,000 for Butte Humane Society through Bidwell Bark. In 2011, we were the top fundraising team, and placed second and third in other years. We’re mighty proud that our little business could do so much!
Supporting Animals & Communities in Times of Crisis
Community Emergency Response
Dr. Sarah founded “Camp Fire Foster Animal Connection” to help place animals affected by the Camp Fire into foster homes while their families worked to rebuild their lives. She and The Canine Connection team also served as long-term volunteers in Camp Fire emergency animal shelters, providing care and support to displaced pets.
Beyond disaster response, The Canine Connection has stepped up in times of crisis, offering housing and organizing adoptions for Northwest SPCA dogs displaced by the Oroville Dam Evacuation. They also coordinated and delivered daily donations to NVADG shelters during the Camp and Carr Fires.
In partnership with Friends of Chico Animal Shelter, The Canine Connection hosted a no-cost microchip clinic in May 2019, ensuring nearly 344 dogs and cats received permanent identification to help them stay safe and reunited with their families.
Dr. Sarah is also a dedicated volunteer with the North Valley Animal Disaster Group, continuing her commitment to protecting animals in times of need.
“Sarah is a total hero to the animals in our community.”
She cofounded “Walk Woof Wag” (helping Chico youth Bryce Velasco realize his dream of creating an event to help Chico Animal Shelter), a huge undertaking, to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the shelter’s medical fund.
When the Oroville dam crisis happened, and the Northwest SPCA animal shelter had to be evacuated… she took 16 of the more challenging dogs in at The Canine Connection, organized a troop of her paid staff and volunteers to walk and care for them, and found homes or fostered herself almost all the dogs so they did not have to return to the shelter.
She has created an army of helpers since the Camp Fire to care for and help foster and home the displaced animals. I could go on….”
- KYM CASPERSON
CHICO, CA