BAD RAP

BAD RAP BADRAP has been ranked by industry experts as the top high-impact nonprofit working on a local/state level for Local Animal Welfare, Rights, & Protection.

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So many messages to return this morning, but we can’t just cut these two kids loose for exercise while Liam heals from h...
08/31/2026

So many messages to return this morning, but we can’t just cut these two kids loose for exercise while Liam heals from his soft tissue injury. A tie-down and a soft wrestling spot are saving us today. Whew!

See more fun stuff about these youngsters on our Insta page. Please check it out if you’re dog shopping or just scrolling around for entertainment. 🙂

08/30/2026

From (slightly) Naughty to Nice. We loved working with these great folks and their GORGEOUS dogs. !!

This funny little thing with the worried eyes has been named Willadeene Daisy (Named after one of Dolly's 5 sisters). Sh...
08/27/2026

This funny little thing with the worried eyes has been named Willadeene Daisy (Named after one of Dolly's 5 sisters). She showed up hanging around outside a transitional housing unit that doesn't allow pets, so strong chance she belonged to one of their residents who desperately needed safe housing but had no options for their pup. 😭

There's a shift towards 'low-barrier' policies in interim housing to allow pets, but until that happens everywhere, dogs like Willadeene will fall thru the cracks. A Good Samaritan took her in and went the distance with her including owner search, vaccines, then a spay - all the things.

She's 8mos or so years old and not thrilled with all the changes in her life, but Liam the Shepherd gave her a warm welcome and soon she'll be feeling okay. Available soonest to a real live forever home.

Happy National Dog Day. And thanks for giving Liam such a warm welcome on Monday. What a perfect day to tell his story. ...
08/27/2026

Happy National Dog Day. And thanks for giving Liam such a warm welcome on Monday. What a perfect day to tell his story.

Yesterday I used Google search to 'walk' up and down the street where he was found so I could get a feel for his former home - as a way to better understand him, I mean. (I try to do this whenever we take in a dog that's been lost. It's so telling.) Liam was found in a residential area in South Merced. I saw a lot of work trucks, trailers and small, tidy and modest houses in his neighborhood. A few but not all are run down.

The economic and infrastructure challenges of his former home are fierce, but so are their generational roots and cultural ties. People take care of each other there and it's common for extended families to share a home to pool costs and take care of the children. That may help explain why Liam is so comfortable with any and all people.

It's a hard working community. Over 90% of residents there are employed but live paycheck to paycheck. Nearly 30% live below the poverty line. They may help explain why Liam's body shows some damage from a nutritional deficiency. Many people with low incomes use affordable but sub-par kibble brands like Ol'Roy. The first ingredient of Ol'Roy is corn meal, the second is 'animal by-products' aka mystery meat, which can legally include diseased animals and roadkill.

His connective tissues are weak and his front feet are flat - hence the limp. We have some work to do to get that body strong, but thankfully young dogs like him can bounce back with the help of good nutrition + supplements and managed exercise.

Liam's the kind of dog that thinks humans are the best thing since sliced bread. He'll follow you around and push that big dumb ball into your leg, hoping you'll stop doing the dishes and play with him already. You know that type right? Mr. 'Let's Be Happy.' Someone clearly loved this guy. I wish I could tell his former people that their cute puppy with the funny head feathers is safe and gettin' love. And even more, I wish they had a living wage so all their pets and their family's pets could get the nutrition they deserve

(By the way, impound fees, daily boarding costs and penalties can add up fast to several hundred dollars in the Merced County shelter The manager can waive some but not all of the costs. It can be cheaper to pick up a new pup than reclaim the one that wiggled out of the yard.)

Anyway, Happy National Dog Day. May we all strive to become the humans the dogs need us to be.

💔 We really weren’t ready to say good-bye to you Dolly. 😢 Rest in Joy. It was an honor and a privilege sharing the plane...
08/25/2026

💔 We really weren’t ready to say good-bye to you Dolly. 😢 Rest in Joy. It was an honor and a privilege sharing the planet with you.

Good News, Bad News, Good Gawd! Meet Liam.💚 Good News: A repeat shelter adopter at Merced County Animal Shelter fell har...
08/24/2026

Good News, Bad News, Good Gawd! Meet Liam.

💚 Good News: A repeat shelter adopter at Merced County Animal Shelter fell hard for this kid, which is understandable. He's young, silly, GORGEOUS, dog friendly and a total fan of humans.
🔺 Bad News. The adopter changed her mind after staff mentioned a limp in his front leg. The shelter doesn't have funds for diagnostics and that limp was about to end his life.
💚 Good News: We found out and said "Dammit! Please go get an exam and xrays on our dime. He needs to get into that home!" Staff kindly hustled him to an appt. asap, xrays commenced, and
💚 GOOD News! Vet said his limp is a soft tissue injury, likely from several weeks in a kennel after a life of hunger and very poor nutrition. Even more, she said, "This dog has a bullet proof personality." Huzzah!
💚 BEST BEST News! The adopt said 'YES' and came to collect him. Huzzah! We were all so very happy.
🔺 Bad AF News: One of the adopter's dogs got grumpy and said, 'Hell No' as they lifted Liam into the car. She drove off without him. A life of yuck, a limp, a too-long shelter stay and now a rejection in an exceedingly overcrowded shelter.

💚 Good News: You mighta guessed it. We buckled and said, "Send him to us then, dammit." And this is how we get our dogs. 😆 Sweet Liam. Our first ever Belgian Shepherd. Omg - He is pure love.

Available Soonest. He's desperate to be a normal boy again and play with our dogs, but we want him to rest and heal first. Soon Liam, soon!

🔥 Hey, Good news. These puppies - found alone on a Modesto road in 100F heat and taken in by Good Sams with landlord iss...
08/24/2026

🔥 Hey, Good news. These puppies - found alone on a Modesto road in 100F heat and taken in by Good Sams with landlord issues 😭- are being absorbed by a Rescue this coming week (Yay. Thank you Rocket Dog Rescue). Questions came up here about whether it's reasonable to ask 501c3 Rescues to absorb lost dogs when animal shelters are obligated to do so. GOOD question. Every group has to answer this Q for themselves, but I think most agree that we're clearly in unprecedented times and the fewer dogs who enter the shelters right now - puppies especially! - the better for all involved.

We have every right to demand that shelters step up with a better system for intaking lost pets from the public. Our tax dollars at work, right? Not to put Stanislaus County AS in the hot seat, because we know they aren't the only shelter with surrender barriers that bounce lost dogs back out onto the streets. It's happening everywhere. We really appreciate that people like the Hot Potato pups' Finders are so willing to 'hide' the pups and ask for help while risking landlord troubles. Without their insight, we wouldn't fully understand how this crisis is playing out and what Helpers are facing.

Here's why accepting strays *as space allows* works for us.... Since dogs disintegrate fast in crowded shelters, safekeeping them during their stray hold sidesteps disease & kennel stress, and it reduces their decompression times. Pups can avoid 'growing up' in the shelter and can learn to be dogs asap. Rescues can legally get dogs vet checked, wormed and vaccinated during the stray hold. Early 'coming soon' promotion can roll out to attract possible adopters, speuter appts can be secured, dogs can get training and important socialization skills in a home setting during this 30-ish day hold window. Important: If an owner steps forward to claim their dog (Yay!), this gives us a chance to pop in a microchip, offer resources, guidance and problem solving help to hopefully keep that dog in the home and out of the shelter.

Even though BR declines many/most like we did with these same pups, the convos we have with the Finders gives us a chance to help them sort out their best options. This is community outreach and Good Samaritan support work all rolled into one, and we all need more of that.

In comments: The legal obligations of Finders and Rescues who take over with the stray hold. Feel free to add or correct as needed.

🔥 UPDATE: Pups are Safe // Hot Potato Puppies in Modesto. Rescue friends, how do we start to fix this? Two Good Samarita...
08/21/2026

🔥 UPDATE: Pups are Safe // Hot Potato Puppies in Modesto. Rescue friends, how do we start to fix this? Two Good Samaritans hit brick walls recently when their local shelter (Stanislaus County Animal Services) rejected two lost 10wk pups because they're not accepting stray surrenders right now. 'Contact rescues and put them on Craigslist,' they were told. Familiar story, right? Turn'em away, let the community sort it out. Their landlord will bounce them if they knew, yet the entire Rescue Community is turning them away too.

As part of learning if we can assist, we always check to learn what efforts people have already made. Guys! Lookit the list of Rescues they've contacted and the response they received. We're no better - We added to the Good Sams' stress by telling them that the pups aren't 'Pit Bull Enough' for our adopters.

These pups have turned into Hot Potatoes and their situation mirrors the mess of our times. Can any of our Rescue friends reconsider and invite them to one of your adoption events? 🔥 And beyond that need, can we start to talk about how we as a collective respond to Good Samaritans and families in distress? We're all feeling the overwhelm and having good boundaries is healthy, but for the health of our community and the Big Picture, How do we help the Helpers?

How sweet is this, right? Hand on heart, with warmest thanks to Annie (and Jetta). 💕
08/20/2026

How sweet is this, right? Hand on heart, with warmest thanks to Annie (and Jetta). 💕

A sassy APBT and a cutie-patootie SBT-x walk into a yard together and said, "Hey! You're super cute. Let's be a thing."T...
08/18/2026

A sassy APBT and a cutie-patootie SBT-x walk into a yard together and said, "Hey! You're super cute. Let's be a thing."

That sounds too easy tho. 😆 Barn dog friend Bennie wore Monet out with tiring tug play before her meeting with new kid Frankie, mostly because she can be dog-selective with strange dogs and it's always nice to burn steam before big dates. Then Monet and Frankie had a little get-to-know-you leash walk together.

We figured it would all go swimmingly because Frankie has a big advantage - Balls! He's still intact (we're okay with that) and wow-wow Nature helped this first intro go smooth as silk. Next was making sure Monet would lay down good clean boundaries - 'Don't you dare climb on me, kid' - and Frankie would listen - 'Sorry, sorry. Won't happen again.' Then, that lovely mirroring (photo) popcorn dance and fun play. And ... Adoption Pending!

The cutest couple ever have a lifetime of fun ahead of them. Link to their firsts in comments.

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