Nevada County Sheriff's HEART

10/30/2026

Penn Valley, CA: On Wednesday, October 28, at 11:08 a.m., a 911 caller reported a cow trapped in a pond, with only its head above water.

When Nevada County Animal Control Officers Koster and Stram arrived, they discovered something far more challenging. The cow was trapped in a muddy sinkhole, sinking into thick mud, much like quicksand, with every move she made. This would require a technical rescue.

Sheriff’s HEART Large Animal Technical Rescue Team was requested and immediately responded. With specialized equipment, training, and teamwork, they safely freed the cow, making a difficult rescue look easy.

But behind that successful rescue were countless hours of preparation and practice. This is why we train, why we invest in equipment, and why having a team ready to respond matters. ❤️🐄

Polly, the cow, was checked out by a veterinarian and she’s doing great! She now has a great story to share with the rest of the herd!

The team used Dr. Madigan’s Loops System and one long strap to conduct a forward drag/assist.

Visit sheriffsheart.org if you’re interested in learning more about our team!❤️

10/11/2026

A quick reminder to everyone who offered to help finish up the cleanup at Horsemen’s: Tomorrow is our last day! Anytime between 9-2. We’ll be focusing primarily on construction projects, including setting gate posts and stretching fencing. If you’re available to lend a hand, we’d really appreciate the help getting these final projects completed. Thank you all for your hard work and support! ❤️🐾

09/30/2026

A few more hands made all the difference yesterday evening. 🐴❤️

Just before 5 p.m. on September 29, three Nevada County Animal Control officers responded to a report of a horse down. They found the 22-year-old mare on her back at the bottom of a steep hillside, wedged against a propane tank with her legs facing uphill. She had been down for about an hour.

The officers placed a rescue loop around her hindquarters, but she was too heavy and firmly lodged for them and her owner to move alone. A veterinarian and her son arrived just in time. Together, the six of them carefully pulled the mare free.

The veterinarian found only a superficial cut near her withers and some muscle soreness likely caused by the fall. We’re grateful to everyone who helped give this rescue a good ending. ❤️

09/29/2026

Three days of community service, and a big step toward being ready when animals need us most. ❤️🐾

This past weekend, HEART volunteers rolled up their sleeves at the Nevada County Horsemen’s facility, helping prepare the grounds for animal evacuation, sheltering, training, and care. Every hour of cleanup brings us closer to a space where our team can respond when our community needs it.

Thank you to everyone who gave their time and energy, and to the Nevada County Horsemen, NUKU and Gold Country Trails Council for partnering with us and sharing this space. This is what community looks like: people coming together today to help protect animals tomorrow.

09/14/2026

Just a quick reminder… our team meeting is at a new location!!

10600 Bubbling Wells Road in Grass Valley! See you all there! ❤️

09/13/2026

Our HEART LATR team is always learning. Today is a ropes class being taught at the Nevada County Horseman’s Club property. Ropes and pulley systems are a vital cog in large animal rescue. Training keeps us proficient in our skills so when the rescue call comes in we can effect the rescue safely and efficiently.
In the videos, you can clearly see the benefits of using mechanical advantage such as a 3 to 1 or 5 to 1 ratio pulley system. The people on the left are the pullers and the people on the right are the resistance. Without the mechanical advantage, the people on the left were not able to move the people on the right. With the mechanical advantage, it becomes much easier and safer for everybody and the animals that we rescue.
This was a great course put on by two of our very own rope experts. 

09/04/2026

Julie, reading this fills me with so much pride! Not only for everything HALTER Project has accomplished, but for the extraordinary woman behind it. You may be small in stature, but you have one of the mightiest hearts I have ever known. Your passion, generosity, and unwavering commitment to protecting animals and the people who love them have created a legacy that reaches far beyond your own community.

HEART has personally felt the impact of your kindness and support more times than I can count. You have believed in us, encouraged us, and generously stepped forward whenever you saw a need. I’m so fortunate to call you my friend and so incredibly proud of the difference you continue to make. Congratulations, Julie!! This recognition was so deeply deserved then, and your work remains just as meaningful and important today. ❤️

The HEART team would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank you for all of the support you’ve shown us!❤️🙏

In September 2016, we were invited to the White House where HALTER Project received two national awards: one for Individual Preparedness and another for Community Preparedness Call to Action. It’s hard to believe that was 10 years ago this month!

Who knew one year later, in October 2017, we would all be staring into, and fleeing from, a beast of a wildfire driven by hurricane-force winds that destroyed huge swaths of our community, and ultimately united us in loss and recovery!!

HALTER Project was born in the Valley of the Moon in 2013. We saw a need to fill a gap in info and resources to guide animal guardians in making plans for emergencies and disasters. We hit the ground running and never stopped.

08/30/2026

Hey everyone. I am the owner and admin of this page. I want to set a few things straight about this HEART page.

While I realize the extreme passion people have towards animals, this page was created to be an information, safety and awareness page for not only the HEART Team, but the public in general. All settings were set to public because we feel very strongly about our mission of assisting animals (and owners) in their times of need. As a result, we share posts about some of the things we do.

Sadly, a recent post elicited many negative, hateful, hurtful and just plain ugly comments from several of you. I will never understand why people feel the need to be this way, especially not knowing all the facts and circumstances behind every post. A wise person once said, if you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all.

While everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions, these types of comments will never be tolerated on this page. This is not a space for hatred, nor politics, nor religion. Ever. As a result, I have blocked anyone else from commenting on that post. I hope I don't need to do it anymore as HEART continues to share posts with you.

08/28/2026

Yesterday, a small but mighty group of HEART volunteers assisted Nevada County Animal Control with the safe impound of these two beautiful girls, Daisy and Petunia. Sadly, due to unfortunate circumstances, their owners were no longer able to provide the care these girls needed.

Just before our mission began, a fire broke out over the hill, adding a little extra excitement as firefighting planes and helicopters flew directly overhead. Despite all the commotion, Daisy and Petunia handled their journey like champs, and everyone made it safely to the shelter.

Now these sweet girls are ready for the best part of their story: finding loving homes! ❤️🐾

If Daisy or Petunia looks like the girl you’ve been waiting for, please contact the Nevada County Animal Shelter for adoption information. And as always, thank you to our HEART volunteers for stepping up whenever animals need us!