Benefitting Amador County Shelter Animals 

Program History

Named in honor of the Rottweiler mix who inspired it, The Rusty Fund for Shelter Animals provides financial support exclusively to animals at Amador County Animal Control & Adoption Center.  In the late 1990s, two animal shelter volunteers were staging home grown adoption outreach by taking adoptable dogs to local businesses. Occasionally, people gave them small cash donations. In 2004, one of the volunteers received a $1,000 check from a person who asked only that it be used "for the animals at the shelter."  A simple savings acount was opened with the money.  Around that time, a dog named Rusty was brought into the shelter. Rusty was a Rottweiler mix who, it turned out, needed costly ligament surgery in both knees. The $1,000 savings account was named The Rusty Fund in honor of that young dog whose treatment would not have been possible without this funding. Since then, countless dogs and cats have been able to get a little extra help when they needed it thanks to compassionate volunteers and many generous donors. Now partnered with A-PAL, The Rusty Fund helps shelter animals by paying for surgeries, veterinary procedures, special diets, equipment, toys and anything else needed to optimize the health, well-being and adoptability of shelter animals.