A recent Inland Empire Community Foundation grant will enhance the boots-on-the-ground efforts of a local intrepid dog rescue non-profit organization.
“The recent grant has helped us provide much needed veterinary care, from spay and neuter, vaccines and microchips, and food and emergency sheltering for high-risk dogs,” said Sandra Murray, CEO of Rovers Return Dog Rescue, a Murietta-based organization that provides food, veterinary care, and other resources, prioritizing direct action.
“Without funding, these dogs would face suffering, abandonment, and euthanasia,” she added.
Thus far this year, the nonprofit has spayed/neutered 18 dogs and placed 33 dogs.
“Since we began, we’ve caught a total of 121 adult dogs, 40 pups, two cats, and an opossum,” Murray said. “This does not include pets belonging to the general public that got lost. Most of these dogs, once caught, become very friendly and have little issues. We’ve never caught an aggressive dog, but we do get some shy/skittish ones who soon come around.”
When Rovers Return catches a dog, it abides by a certain protocol and never takes the dogs to a shelter.
“We try to avoid the shelter completely because, to be honest, they have their own problems,” Murray said. “If we sent the dogs to the shelter, I’m afraid they probably wouldn’t get very far.”
Murray’s journey into this field began while working for Hope Ranch Animal Sanctuary. She spent 10 years with the well-known organization, and discovered she was good at working with animals.
“Eventually, I built up our team, and that gave me the opportunity to start my own 501 (c) (3),” she said. “It was born out of frustration, really; seeing how many dogs are left behind, suffering without help.”
An active Facebook page keeps locals up to date on everything from urgent medical needs for certain dogs, animals needing placement, information about food and blanket donations, and much more.
The organization’s long-term goal is to possibly open its own facility.
In the meantime, Murray and her team are often out in the field, acting as valiant “retrieval specialists,” using humane “traps” to recover the animals.
“We catch a lot of dogs, and we network them to other rescues,” Murray explained. “But I once I tell people I’m a rescue, they think, ‘Oh, you’re a rescue, you can take these dogs.’ Well, I don’t have a facility, which would be a dream. If we had a facility, we could take the dogs in.”
In lieu of a facility, the team feeds the dogs where they are. 
“We’re probably feeding about 50 dogs so far,” Murray said. “We feed them in place because they’re in a safe area, then we network them and reach out to other rescues. Gradually, we pick them up and get them out to the rescue.”
Some health issues are evident, particularly Giardia. The microscopic parasite infects the intestines of dogs, creating a condition called giardiasis. Common effects include weight loss, dehydration, and diarrhea.
“It’s easily treatable,” Murray said of the issue, “but the shelter might euthanize the dog. So, we treat these dogs for all sorts of things, and just try and get them a place to go if they can’t go to a rescue. We do have a very few foster families that take them in.”
Donations are always welcome. Murray said one of the biggest things the organization spends money on is food and spaying/neutering.
“And the gas,” she added. “Obviously, we’ve got to get around, and we do put in some miles in this cranky old truck we have. But this work is important, so we keep moving forward.”
Learn more about Rovers Return Dog Rescue on its Facebook page.
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, June 2025.
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