rescue support

Some pets need a little extra help to shine. By partnering with trusted rescue organizations, we help move these vulnerable animals out of the shelter and into loving foster homes where they can heal, decompress, and thrive. FLEAS covers rescue pledges and training support when needed, ensuring every pet has a real path to their forever home.


đź§© How It Works

1. We Identify Pets Who Need Extra Support
Some animals struggle in the shelter environment — long‑timers, medical cases, shy or shutdown pets, or those who simply get overlooked. Working closely with shelter staff, we flag the pets who would thrive with more time, structure, and individualized care.

2. We Connect Them With Trusted Rescue Partners
FLEAS collaborates with reputable rescue organizations that can place these pets into foster homes. Our role is to help match each pet with the right rescue — one equipped to meet their medical, behavioral, or emotional needs.

3. We Provide the Resources to Make Transfer Possible
To remove barriers and encourage lifesaving pulls, FLEAS covers:

  • Rescue pledges to support medical or care costs
  • Training assistance, when needed, to set pets up for success
  • Transportation support to safely move pets from the shelter to rescue or foster care

This safety net ensures rescues can confidently say “yes” to pets who need a little extra help.

4. Pets Move Into Foster Homes Where They Can Heal and Thrive
Once transferred, pets decompress, receive individualized attention, and begin learning the routines that help them shine. Foster homes provide a quieter, more individualized environment that helps pets relax, learn, and show their true personalities.

5. Rescues Guide Them to Their Forever Homes
With time, care, and support, these pets blossom. Rescues handle adoption placement, ensuring each animal finds a loving, permanent home — the happy ending they’ve been waiting for.

💛 Interested in Fostering? You Could Save a Pet’s Life
Our rescue partners are always looking for caring homes to help pets decompress, heal, and prepare for adoption. Even a short‑term foster can make the difference between a pet staying in the shelter and a pet getting their second chance.

Reach out to one of our rescue partners to learn how you can become a foster and help change a life.

Infographic showing 22 pets rescued in 2025, including a picture of three mastiff puppies
15 cats and 7 dogs rescued, including 4 mastiffs transported to an out-of-state rescue
Infographic showing 7 pets rescued in 2024, including a picture of a tan and white pit bull
Assisted 7 shelter pets with rescue pledges, training and medical care


✨Success Stories

Tan and white pit bull wearing a dress and antlers posed in front of a holiday backdrop
Fran arrived at the shelter with her five puppies after being abandoned. Once her pups were adopted, she struggled in the shelter environment. FLEAS coordinated her transfer to rescue, and a FLEAS volunteer fostered her — then fell in love and made her part of the family.
After spending nearly 500 days in the shelter, Yote finally got his second chance. With a sponsored train‑and‑board and a rescue pledge that opened the door to a partner rescue, Yote found the path to the loving home he always deserved.
One of six Mastiffs abandoned in the Texas heat, Ruth struggled to trust again. A rescue partner and a FLEAS volunteer gave her the chance she needed — and that volunteer became her forever person.

🦉 We Also Support Local Wildlife in Need

FLEAS extends its lifesaving work beyond shelter pets. When abandoned, injured, or displaced wildlife arrive at the Little Elm Animal Shelter, we help ensure they get to the specialized care they need. Our volunteers provide safe, stress‑minimized transport to licensed wildlife rehabilitation centers, where trained experts can treat, stabilize, and release them back into their natural habitats.

In 2025, FLEAS volunteers provided safe transport for wildlife from the shelter to licensed rehabilitation facilities, including bunnies, birds, a deer, raccoons, possums, ducklings, and even a vulture.

Young spotted deer in a kennel ready for transport to a rehabilitation center

Want to help us save more lives?

There are many ways to join the FLEAS family in our mission to protect and provide for Little Elm’s animals:

Your tax-deductible gift powers our programs, funding everything from life-saving medical care and adoption subsidies to microchips and spay/neuter vouchers. 

Your donation to the Pet Food Pantry ensures that no local family has to choose between feeding themselves or their pet.

Your time is one of the most powerful ways to transform the lives of Little Elm area animals. Your hands-on support is the heartbeat of our mission.