(TMH) began as a result of my own personal experience. In August of 1999, I visited several Los Angeles shelters looking to rescue a pet. I was shocked to see so many beautiful animals looking at me with loving eyes saying, "Take Me Home." I wished that I could rescue all of these deserving animals. My eyes connected with a frail, sad looking emaciated female Boxer, and for some reason I knew that she was the one for me. I was not able to take her home at that time, because she first needed to be spayed. I couldn't sleep all night, as I was so excited to bring her into my family.

The following morning I arrived at the animal birth control clinic. I watched as various dogs came out of the surgery room wagging their tails and so excited to see their families. Then a skinny lost and disoriented soul came through the door with her tail between her legs. I felt so good inside as I bent down to introduce myself, and I promised her that she would never be alone again. It was at that moment that I knew I had to do something about the rest of the animals that were still in shelters. I also want them to find wonderful homes too.

In just the state of California, approximately 1,000,000 dogs and cats are euthanized each year just because no one was there to take them home. Tonight, as we sleep warm and safe in our beds there are more than 26,000 stray dogs and cats wandering the streets of Los Angeles.

My dog, Lyric, now has a cousin, Luke, whom my brother also rescued from an animal shelter. When he brought Luke home, Luke had mange (a minor skin condition). Sadly, many perfectly healthy animals with mange end up being euthanized when they could have easily been cured. After a few weeks of being on a good diet, Luke's coat healed right up. Ironically, many people now ask my brother if Luke is a show dog, to which we respond, "Yes, for the shelters."

This is how Luke and Lyric look today -- coats shiny and tails wagging. They brought tremendous joy and fulfillment into our lives and gave me a burning desire to help other animals find the homes they deserve.

I started TMH to help other people discover these special animals and to learn how to rescue them. What amazes us is that the public is unaware that these wonderful dogs and cats are in shelters and in need of being rescued. Many people are under the assumption that in order to get a quality pet or a specific breed, they need to go to a breeder or pet store. Other people mistakenly believe that there is something wrong with the shelter animals. This is not true.

TMH is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that has been saving the lives of homeless animals since 1999. We work in conjunction with shelters and rescues throughout California and beyond to help save animals on death row, on the streets or in unsafe living conditions. Our team is driven by love, compassion and doing right by innocent animals who have no voice.

All of our animals are spayed or neutered, brought up-to-date on all shots and are micro-chipped. If we pull an animal from a shelter, we do our best to ensure they are healthy before they go home. We also have an amazing foster program available for our special needs and older animals and hope to expand this program as quickly as possible.To find out what, why and how to rescue your next furry family member, please visit the "Adopt Me" section.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website. If you know anyone that would like to bring a new pet home, we hope you will help us spread the word and encourage people to rescue. Hopefully we will empty the shelters together.

Please stay in touch!

Haze
haze@takemehome.tv