- e-Vet ALERT: Possible Spring Pet Injuries
- We have lost two special animals this past month
- e-Vet ALERT: Valentine dangers to your pet – roses, lilies, raisins, chocolate and more.
- $5 provides a box of Valentine’s cookies for a dog, or a box of heart-shaped treats for a cat
- e-Vet ALERT: Beware Ibuprofen in Dogs
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue – Frequently Asked Questions
Dedication & Everlasting Love To Animals (D.E.L.T.A. Rescue); founded by Leo Grillo in 1979, is a non-profit wilderness animal rescue organization.
The DELTA Rescue staff provides food, medical care, as well as everlasting love and dedication to animals that have been abandoned in the wilderness. On a daily basis animals are abandoned in the forests and deserts without any food or water.
For over 30 years now Leo has personally rescued thousands of animals that would have otherwise faced certain death. Once Leo has rescued one of these precious animals they are then taken to the D.E.L.T.A. Rescue Supersanctuary: the largest, no-kill, and care-for-life sanctuary in the world. The Supersanctuary sits on a 115-acre mountaintop and is currently home to 1,500 cats and dogs.
Each of our dogs is either spayed or neutered, and then “married” to another rescued dog of the opposite sex. The married couple lives in a huge yard with their own stuccoed straw bale doghouse. Our over 500 cats live in three dozen air-conditioned indoor and outdoor catteries where they each enjoy three meals a day. The formerly feral cats now have a cozy place to sleep, and climbing trees to play on!
At D.E.L.T.A. Rescue we are passionate about the safety and well being of our animals, but our care and concern does not stop there. DELTA Rescue has formed its Humane Investigations Unit to assure the taxpayers that government run “shelters” and pounds are treating the public ‘s animals humanely.
It was great to finally meet you on last month’s tour of our Super shelter! I still can’t get over how large and beautiful Delta Rescue is, and how happy all the animals are. Do you receive any help from the government?
EM, West Covina, CA
Not a dime! Our entire mission and all that it takes to run it and care for over 1,500 dogs & cats, is supported ONLY through donations from people just like you. Without your regular support, our “Camelot” would disappear forever.
How much of my donation goes to help the animals and how much goes into fund raising?
MV, New York City
If you check off the box on the enclosed reply card on how you would like your gift spent, we spend it exactly that way. Built into each amount is our fund raising cost of about 11% — one of the lowest in all of charitable giving. Itís like buying something with “tax included” in the price. And when you don’t check off a box, or when you say “spend where needed most,” it STILL goes into services for the animals and NOT into overhead or fund raising.
Why do we have to take a tour and why are you not open to the public for all to see what a great job you are doing?
DP, Dearborn Heights, MI
Being the largest no-kill shelter in the world, and the most renowned, when people are desperate to “get rid” of their pet, they call us – dozens of times a week! Unlike most groups, we will NOT contribute to the “disposable pet” problem, by letting these people think it is alright to give up their children. I let them know it’s a terrible thing, and that they MUST find another way to solve their problem.
But even being so outspoken on this issue, people still try to get our address so they can abandon their pets on our doorsteps. So tours are scheduled for members-only. In a perfect world we would be happy to let everyone see what weíre doing, but itís far from a perfect world.
Can I send you treats for the animals?
PE, New Brunswick
Yes, our kids love treats!
Each of our dogs gets rawhide chewies every day, so anything else would be a treat! We also go through lots of blankets and towels, stainless steel dog dishes, 5-gallon plastic water buckets, etc. To send them, please use UPS ONLY.Send to our Package Acceptance Service, “for D.E.L.T.A. Rescue,” 6021 Shannon Valley Rd, Acton, CA 93510. They do not accept drop offs. If you want to personally deliver these gifts, please come on a members only tour of our SuperSanctuary – then I can thank you in person!
Is it true you have a retirement home for your elderly dogs? Would you consider taking in an elderly old lady too?
PS, Chicago Ridge, IL
Never lose your sense of humor! You must mean our “Dog town” It began in 1984, and in 1986 we built our first heated complex – for older, arthritic dogs at our shelter.
Do you participate in matching gifts programs from employers and can you automatically deduct donations from my checking account?
LC, Carmel, NY
Yes, we are in a few matching gift programs, but we could be in a lot more! It’s up to you though, to go to your personnel department and tell them about us. (This is also VERY GOOD FOR YOU because it singles you out as being civic-minded, and companies like that in their staff!)
But we do take credit cards! You can just drop me a note saying that you would like to talk about setting up an automatic monthly gift from your credit card. Then we will call you and work out the details.
How can I get some of your video tapes?
GJ, Los Angeles
Call us at 1-661-269-4010 and we will send you a free copy of Rescuer 1 or Rescuer 2. And if you want to build the best dog house for the least amount of money, you can ask for a copy of STRAW BALE DOGHOUSE.
The videos are free to anyone, member or not. We do ask for a $10 donation to cover duplicating costs and first class mail postage for each video.
I would like to volunteer to work at your facility. I couldn’t see anything on your website asking for volunteers?? I found that unusual, and to be honest, it gave me pause. Do you not use volunteers?
Thank you for taking the time to write to us. We wanted you know that we have about 70 staff members (no volunteers), mostly at our Sanctuary and hospital.
It is very difficult to find committed employees for pay, it would be impossible to do this with volunteers. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue must comply with the Labor Board’s orders not to use volunteers for paid positions. With State and Federal Labor and Insurance regulations, we must use paid employees for this work. Violations of this could result in very large fines to D.E.L.T.A. Rescue and could endanger the animals – we don’t want to risk this. We look for the best people for each department, so our animals have the highest standard of care, is our number one concern, always.
Thank you for your commitment to abandoned animals. BE PROUD of what our D.E.L.T.A. RESCUE means TO THE ANIMALS. No matter what, we stand for Dedication and Everlasting Love To Animals.
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue encourages people to make a difference . . . to rescue animals from the pound and find them loving and caring homes. These animals are readily available to the public and desperately need help. Many shelters or pounds cannot handle the vast numbers of animals and routinely dispose of them within a short period of time.
One man alone cannot rescue all the animals in the world. There is a strong need for people to get involved and take responsibility for the lives of these loving creatures who so desperately need our help. The only way to change things is if everyone gets involved. Knowing this, we try our best to inspire others to do the same.
Great job, this is the best thing that I have seen in a long-long time.
Thank you for doing this if I could ever help you just let me know.
Your friend,
Bob
Hello Leo,
I just heard an NPR Radio program about you and your valiant efforts to save and give lives of love to animals. It is the second time I heard this show and immediately woke up to write your name down and locate your website.
Thank you for being the wonderful man and humanitarian that you are! I am a NYC based artist. I have had several dogs in the past twenty years and love cats and dogs very much too. What a blessing from God you are, Leo.
I am not sure how I can help you and your organization at this time but, I am going to figure out something. I just wanted to touch bases with you and to thank you for all that you do. I write again soon and look forward to seeing your entire site and learning more about you and your organization.
Thank you! Warm regards, Joyce
Do you adopt out any of your animals?
Leo Grillo feels the animals have gone through enough pain and suffering for a lifetime, and wants to ensure that they spend the rest of their days in a happy, stable, loving environment. All of D.E.L.T.A. Rescue’s animals receive tender care and love and are allowed to live out the rest of their lives in the sanctuary.
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue keeps them for life, and we do not adopt them out, which would take homes away from animals at the pound. At the Sanctuary, which is care-for-life, puppies are born and spend their entire life in this safety net; and older dogs are rescued and spend the rest of their lives in the same net. It doesn’t matter what age they are, or what their physical problem is.
No animal is adopted for these reasons: #1, this is their permanent home; #2, the national statistics are that people only keep their pets on average 2 ½ years, and that was before the economy turned sour. It is less than that now. #3, If we adopted our rescued animals we would take homes away from those who are in pounds and humane societies, and they would be euthanized.
So we do not adopt for all of these reasons, and these rescued animals have a permanent, safe, and loving home for the rest of their lives.
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue encourages people to make a difference . . . to rescue animals from the pound and find them loving and caring homes. These animals are readily available to the public and desperately need help. Many shelters or pounds cannot handle the vast numbers of animals and routinely dispose of them within a short period of time.
Leo suggests that you go to your local pound and adopt an animal from there, before he or she is killed.
You may get lucky and find the particular breed you would like right away. Or you may even find a shelter that will allow you to make a request that you be contacted in the case that they receive the breed of dog in which you are interested.
Your living my dream. I so appreciate what you are doing.
Is D.E.L.T.A Rescue considered to be a nonprofit organization?
D.E.L.T.A Rescue (Dedication and Everlasting Love To Animals) is a tax -exempt 501 [c] 3 organization dedicated to rescuing animals abandoned in the wilderness and stopping the cruel practice of animal abandonment.
Thank you so much for what D.E.L.T.A is doing for animals. My mom and i are finishing a roadtrip. We just saw your billboard outside of Vegas. We, sadly, found 3 abandoned dogs within 2 days during our travels through Arkansas and New mexico. It’s heartbteaking that people abandon their pets on the side of highways. We are trying to think of more ways to get information out about this issue.
Oh, just read one of your posts and see that you do not adopt out animals. Thank you for what you are doing.