In tough economic times, the number of dogs without homes increases.
Second Chance works to keep these pets where they belong, 
at home, loving and being loved.
 DONATIONS MAKE THIS HAPPEN

Second Chance - Inception

     Second Chance began in 2003 as Second Chance Rescue for Small Dogs.  At that time, there were very few small dogs available for adoption on the Mendocino Coast.  And there were more and more older people retiring here, people who would love the company of a small dog.  In the San Francisco Bay Area, there were many small dogs looking for good homes but stuck in overcrowded animal shelters.  We started bringing the supply to meet the demand--we brought mature, small dogs and found homes for them on the coast with folks who wanted a mature little dog.  In four years we found homes for over 100 dogs.
     Even before doing the rescue, we started in the 1990s bringing up hundreds and thousands of pounds of dry dog food to the Fort Bragg Food Bank to distribute to its dog-owning clients.  We are continuing this program.  Especially in these tough economic times, many folks can barely afford to feed themselves.  Yet their dog is their family, so it has to eat too.  The Food Bank does a great job of distributing the food we continue to bring them, at least 250 pounds every week.  In 2010, we started also supplying food to Fort Bragg’s Lighthouse Church and Willits’ St. Anthony’s Church to give to dog owners at their free kitchens.
     In 2007, working with the Mendocino County spay/neuter clinics, we started providing free canine spay/neuter for coast dog owners trying to make it on a limited income.  In 2009, we added the Mendocino Animal Hospital in Ukiah to this program.  Preventing the birth of puppies for whom there are no homes is crucial to reducing animal suffering.
     In 2008 we began helping low-income coast pet owners with vet bills for their pets.  We can’t always afford to pay the whole bill, but we can provide enough (maximum of $150) for folks to get their sick or injured pets seen by a veterinarian and to get treatment started.
     In November 2008, just in time for Thanksgiving, we started providing free Frontline flea/tick treatments for the dogs of clients of the Food Bank.  We continue to do this, and are up to 140 dogs monthly.  We now provide free collars, leashes, and sweaters, treats and toys, too, for those dogs.  October 2010 was our first annual free shots and microchips clinic at the Food Bank.
     Second Chance is a project of Hayward Friends of Animals Humane Society.  HFoA was founded by Jeanne Gocker and Steve Sapontzis (author of Morals, Reason, and Animals) in 1985 and has worked throughout northern California to help animals.  We are a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, public-benefit, 501(c)3 charity.  
     We are an entirely volunteer organization, with office space and most administrative expenses donated, all the funds we receive can be devoted to helping animals.  All donations to Second Chance qualify as itemized deductions on both your federal and state individual income taxes.  And all funds donated to Second Chance are spent to help animals on the Mendocino Coast. 
                        We welcome your help and support.
SERVICES PROVIDED BY SECOND CHANCE 
 FOR DOGS OF LOW-INCOME COAST RESIDENTS
Second Chance, Helping the Pets of People in Need, provides the following services:
-- Free dog food.  The food is distributed by the Fort Bragg Food Bank, Ft. Bragg’s Lighthouse Church, and Our Daily Bread (at St. Anthony’s Church) in Willits.  Ask for the food at those locations. 
-- Free monthly flea/tick treatment.  The dogs are treated the first Friday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ft. Bragg Food Bank.  Free collars, leashes, harnesses, sweaters, blankets, toys, and treats are also available at those times.
-- Free canine spay or neuter.  The operations are performed at the Mendocino County spay/neuter clinic in Ukiah.  Call 964-7770 to sign up.
-- Free microchip dog identifications, rabies shots, and annual vaccinations.  These are provided at the Ft. Bragg Food Bank from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. the first Friday of every October. 
-- Free puppy shots (series of three).  Call 964-7770 to sign up.
-- Financial assistance to get sick or injured dogs seen by a Coast veterinarian.  The assistance is limited to $100 per dog per year.  Call 964-7770 to sign up.
All Second Chance services are to help pet owners whose annual family income is less than $25,000 feed and care for their dogs.  SC’s service area is limited to the coastal part of Mendocino County.

Nimble Fingers Needed to Help Shivering Pooches

Second Chance has been helping the dogs of low-income pet owners on the coast for several years now.  Along with free dog spay/neuter and food and help with veterinary bills, they give free flea/tick treatments the first Friday of every month to dogs belonging to clients of the Fort Bragg Food Bank. At that time, they also provide free collars, leashes, toys and treats for the dogs. Starting last fall, they added free dog sweaters to what they provide at these monthly events.  They call the program “Callie Coats,” naming it after the beloved, recently departed Chihuahua of one of the volunteers.
Last fall, Second Chance put out a call to the community asking for donations of yarn, knitting implements, and nimble fingers to make sweaters for our needy dogs. The response was great, and over the course of the fall and winter months they were able to fit over 100 dogs who would otherwise be shivering in the cold with warm, attractive sweaters and jackets. That was almost every doggie sweater or jacket they had.
Second Chance wants to get a jump on the coming cold weather and is again putting out a call to the community for donations of yarn and knitting needles and donations of time and skill to fashion that yarn into dog sweaters which will be given away, absolutely free, to pooches in need this coming winter season.  Donations of clean dog sweaters or jackets that are no longer needed by you will also be gratefully recycled to someone whose dog does need it.  Please call Jeanne at 964-7770 to find out where to drop off your donation or how you can help.
       Again, thanks for all you do to help 
the pets of people in need in our community.
Steve & Jeanne

San Francisco Chronicle
"Grants help ailing pets as families struggle"
Stacy Finz July 3, 2012

When Riot, a 5-year-old Chihuahua, needed emergency surgery last year for a bladder stone, his guardian, Peter McGurty, started looking around his Brisbane home for something to sell. 
Read more of the article
Video produced by Laurie York & Carmen Goodyear of Mendocino Coast Films.
www.MendocinoCoastFilms.com

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P.O. Box 2622, Fort Bragg, CA 95437      707/964-7770
Pictures above are thanks to photographer Gerri Sorkin 

Cute pictures of our doggie clients taken by
Linda Jo Stern.  She and her husband, Shannon,
are volunteers in charge of the "tent,"
​distributing collars, leashes, sweaters, etc.

April 2019   
 
Friday, April 5th, continued our string of foul weather Fridays, even more so with not just rain or wind but both together.  This made it not only that much more miserable for our dedicated volunteers, who come to help rain or shine, but discouraged dog owners from bringing out their pooches for the monthly flea/tick treatment.  At 71 dogs, this was one of the lowest turnouts we’ve had in the ten years plus that Second Chance has been visiting the Food Bank.
      Now we’re hoping that those vaunted May flowers will be a reality for the first Friday of that month, May 3rd.  That is also the date for our re-scheduled free canine shot clinic. We will again be doing rabies shots, microchip identifications, annual boosters for distemper, parvo, leptospirosis, hepatitis, and kennel cough.  Hours will again be from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.  All those in line by 2:00 p.m. will be accommodated, but those arriving later may not be so lucky.  Shorter lines are usually between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
      I continue to hear from dog owners that the flea/tick treatment we use, Frontline+, is no longer effective.  When we pursue the conversation it usually becomes clear that what these owners want is to switch to one of the flea treatment pills.  While they are, of course, free to do that, it is not financially possible for Second Chance to provide those pills, which require veterinary supervision.  Also, some of them are strictly for fleas, not ticks, and ticks are a big problem on the north coast.  Frontline+ is especially effective for ticks, which is another reason we use it.
      Some dog owners, perhaps discouraged by the fact that Frontline+ does not immediately and completely kill their dog’s fleas for months on end, postpone, even skip, monthly treatments. That is a contributing cause, not a solution, to the problem.  It is important to maintain the flea/tick barrier created by the Frontline+ even when those bugs are not biting, so that the barrier will be intact when they next attack.  The barrier is not created instantly upon treatment, and it wears off when treatments are not given every thirty days.  So, it’s best for canine companions to bring her or him to the clinic for a monthly treatment.  And pick up a free cup of shampoo to reinforce that barrier the last week or two before Second Chance is next at the Food Bank.
     It is also important, as far as possible, to keep the dog’s interior environment free of fleas.  Thorough cleaning, powders that can be rubbed into the bedding and carpets, and flea bombs are inexpensive ways to minimize flea migrations and infestations from the otherwise great out-of-doors.  Again, these are not once-and-forever preventives; to not be a waste of time, effort and money, they require repetition.

Thank you for helping -- Steve & Jeanne

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PLEASE HELP 
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14 Testimonials - Pictures & Comments (link)
Clients can get free dog food every week. We come to the Food Bank once a month to additionally provide free Frontline Plus flea/tick treatments for the dogs, as well as leashes, collars, harnesses, ID tags, and sweaters
Picture
https://www.vippetcare.com/ click on image for their site
PictureTHANKS TO VIP PETCARE of WINDSOR, CA
In August and October, 2014, the injections were done by VIP Pet Care of Windsor.  County Animal Care Services now uses them to do their rabies clinics and recommended we contact them about our clinic.  They were great! They came to Ft. Bragg the night before and stayed late to accommodate everyone in line by 2:00 p.m.  141 dogs received injections from them:  114 rabies shots, 111 annual boosters, 77 kennel cough shots, and 42 microchip identifications. That’s a total of 344 injections, again shattering last year’s record of 301. Remarkably, all these 344 injections were done by one wonderful veterinarian. The folks from VIP seemed very satisfied with their hectic day’s work.
Cindy Bartalini-Humphrey grew up in Fort Bragg, CA and years later, after moving to Sonoma County. She read about Second Chance Rescue Fort Bragg and wanted to help in some way.  What Cindy did over the course of a full year earned her the title of "Second Chance Christmas Angel."  Thank you Cindy, Petco Santa Rosa, CA, Debbie's Pet Boutique - Windsor, CA, and all who donated to help the dogs in need who come to Second Chance Fort Bragg's monthly clinics.  We are deeply grateful for your kindness and generosity.   This video is dedicated to you!
Video produced by Laurie York & Carmen Goodyear of 
Mendocino Coast Films.
www.MendocinoCoastFilms.com