CARE - Compassionate Animal Rescue Efforts

🌟 CARE SPOTLIGHT 🌟

The CARE Rescue Story

Back in 2015, CARE Rescue wasn't really a rescue yet. It was just an idea.

Angel Woodstock had a dream of starting a rescue that could help dogs who needed a second chance. She created a page and started laying the groundwork for what would eventually become Compassionate Animal Rescue Efforts, better known as CARE Rescue.

Not long after that, Angela Hanson joined her on the journey. The two began building a team of people who shared the same passion for helping animals. Together they recruited volunteers, formed a Board of Directors, and worked through all the paperwork and requirements needed to make the dream a reality.

On May 19, 2016, CARE Rescue officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Nobody could have imagined then where that journey would lead.

The rescue started small, just a group of people trying to help as many dogs as possible. There were foster homes to find, vet bills to pay, adoption events to organize, and plenty of lessons to learn along the way.

In 2017, CARE started one of the programs that would become a huge part of its identity: the S.T.A.R. Program (Save, Train and Rehabilitate) at Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy, Oklahoma led by Andy Lueck, our CARE lead trainer.

The program pairs rescue dogs with inmate handlers who spend weeks training, socializing, and helping prepare them for adoption. Over the years, the program has transformed the lives of countless dogs while also providing purpose and growth for the handlers who work with them.

As CARE grew, so did the number of dogs, volunteers, adopters, supporters, and success stories.

Then, in 2020, another big change happened. Angel left CARE to start another rescue/shelter and Angela took the helm of the organization.

Like any group that's been around for ten years, there have been changes along the way. Board members have come and gone. Volunteers have come and gone. Some people stayed for a season, while others became part of the rescue's foundation.

Over the last ten years, CARE Rescue has helped thousands of dogs find safety, healing, and loving homes. We've made lifelong friends, built an incredible community of supporters, and watched countless families fall in love with dogs they never knew they needed.

There have been hard days.

There have been amazing days.

There have been days when we wondered how we'd make it work, and days when everything came together perfectly.

Through it all, one thing has remained the same:

The dogs come first.

What started as a page in 2015 has grown into a rescue that has touched thousands of lives, both human and canine.

And while we're incredibly proud of everything we've accomplished over the last ten years, the truth is that CARE Rescue has never really been about the organization itself.

It's about the dogs.

The scared ones.

The forgotten ones.

The unwanted ones.

The ones who just needed someone to believe they deserved a second chance.

Ten years later, we're still here doing exactly that.

And we wouldn't have it any other way

Please check out our CARE pup update video!!

CARE 10 Year Anniversary Slide Show Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.