Medical care
for shelter animals
Our mission is to fund medical care for the animals at Agoura Animal Care Center so they can heal and find loving homes.
Our VisionA community where every animal we support receives quality healthcare and finds a secure, loving home.
How We Save Lives
The animal is the heart of everything. Around it, eight connected programs cover every need from the first exam to the last day in the shelter, so an animal can heal, be seen, and go home healthy.
Gets the treatment they need
Medical Care FundingWe fund exams, diagnostics, surgery, dental care, medication, specialty treatment, and recovery support for shelter animals at Agoura Animal Care Center through local veterinary partners.
Senior medical care
Forever Young Senior WellnessCreated in loving memory of Matthew Young, we fund senior wellness exams, diagnostics, treatment, and comfort care for shelter animals age 7 and older.
Gets a second chance at Agoura
Raising the B.A.R. TransfersCreated in loving memory of Blake Anthony Rosen, we support staff-approved transfers for animals who need medical care, visibility, and adoption opportunities at Agoura.
Heals in a real home
Medical Foster SupportWhen animals need more time to recover, medical fosters provide a quiet, caring place to heal while treatment, follow-up care, and adoption support continue.
The heart of every program
Our AnimalsEvery program begins with one question:
What does this animal need?
Their care guides the funding, support, visibility, and next step we work toward.
Comfort every step of the way
Hospice & Comfort CareFor animals with serious medical needs, we help fund comfort-focused care, pain relief, monitoring, and compassionate support so they are treated with dignity.
Gets seen and chosen
Adoption VisibilityPhotos, stories, social media, and partner spotlights help medically supported animals reach more people, stay visible, and find the right adopter.
Adopters know the full story
Adoption EducationBefore adoption, families learn about the animal’s medical history, treatment, ongoing care, and future needs so they feel prepared, supported, and confident.
Cans become care
Recycling ProgramOur volunteer-run recycling program turns donated cans and bottles into funding for medical care, one simple community-powered act of support at a time.
It Started With One Volunteer
Medical care can be the difference between being overlooked and being given a real chance.
In 1996, a volunteer at Agoura Animal Care Center saw treatable shelter animals losing their chance because the medical care they needed was beyond what the shelter budget could cover.
That belief became action. Healthcare for Homeless Animals began as Malibu Pet Companions, created to help fund veterinary treatment one animal at a time through local veterinarians willing to help. As the organization and the area we serve grew, we became Healthcare for Homeless Animals, serving all shelter animals at Agoura Animal Care Center.
Thirty years later, the heart of the work has not changed. A shelter animal's medical need should never be the reason they are overlooked. Today, Healthcare for Homeless Animals funds exams, diagnostics, surgery, dental care, medication, specialty treatment, and recovery support through local veterinary partners.
We are still 100% volunteer-run and sustained by donors, sponsors, grants, fundraising, and community support. Every gift helps turn uncertainty into a next step, a treatment plan, a recovery, and a real chance at the loving home every animal deserves.
Thirty Years, One Purpose
From one volunteer in 1996 to a community funding hundreds of treatments a year. The work is not finished, and every milestone was made possible by the people who showed up.
- 1996
Where it began
Founded as Malibu Pet Companions by one shelter volunteer.
Founded as Malibu Pet Companions by one volunteer who saw treatable animals losing their chance at life to limited budgets. The first donations funded the first treatments and the first veterinary partnerships. - 1998
Nonprofit status
IRS 501(c)(3) recognition opens the door to grants and giving.
Recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity, opening the door to grants, workplace giving, and tax-deductible gifts from a growing circle of supporters. - 2007
A wider reach
New leadership. Transfer animals from other county centers get care.
New leadership and revised bylaws expanded the mission to include animals transferred in from other Los Angeles County care centers. Fundraising campaigns, adoption events, a walk-a-thon, and grant applications grew our support. - 2014
Passing the torch
Robin Kahrs becomes Director Emeritus after seven years as President.
After seven years as President, Robin Kahrs became Director Emeritus, staying on as our historian, event organizer, and fundraiser while a new generation of volunteers stepped forward. - 2018
Programs take shape
Forever Young, Raising the B.A.R., medical foster, and hospice.
Tamy Rieder became President. Forever Young, Raising the B.A.R., medical foster care, and hospice grew into defined programs, and the shelter gained recognition for rising adoption rates. - 2024
Reaching further
Newsletters, social media, and technology carry more stories to more people.
Newsletters, social media, and new technology carried more animal stories to more people than ever. Partners, shelter staff, volunteers, and donors worked as one team, saying yes to necessary medical care again and again. - 2025
A record year
$300,000+ in medical care, 360+ treatments, $11,000 raised by recycling.
Medical care funded passed $300,000 across more than 360 treatments, and the volunteer recycling program raised over $11,000 on its own. Every dollar went to animals at Agoura Animal Care Center who needed it. - 2026
30 years and counting
Recognized by the City of Agoura Hills. More animals need us than ever.
Recognized by the City of Agoura Hills for 30 years of service to our community and local shelter animals. Today we see more animals, more medical needs, and more medical bills than ever, and support has never mattered more.
From Medical Need to a Real Chance at Home
When a shelter animal needs more than time, medical care can change what happens next. This is how donor-funded care helps move an animal forward.
The Animal's Journey: Shelter to Home
- 1
A need is identified
An animal arrives sick, injured, senior, pregnant, overlooked, or in need of more than basic care.
- 2
We help fund care
Healthcare for Homeless Animals helps fund the next medical step through trusted local veterinary partners.
- 3
Treatment begins
Exams, diagnostics, surgery, dental care, medication, specialty treatment, or supportive care begin based on the animal's needs.
- 4
Recovery + visibility
The animal recovers at the shelter or in medical foster care while we help share their story and keep their path moving.
Home becomes possible
With pain treated and needs understood, adopters can see the animal, not just the medical challenge.
Why Our Animals Need Us Now
Animals arrive at the shelter every day. Some are healthy and ready for a new beginning. Others arrive sick, injured, senior, pregnant, or in pain, and they need more than time. They need medical care.
When a shelter animal needs surgery, diagnostics, dental care, medication, specialty treatment, or recovery support, the next step can come down to one question: can the care be funded?
That is where Healthcare for Homeless Animals comes in. We help fund the medical care that gives shelter animals a real chance to heal, become adoption-ready, and move toward the loving homes they deserve.
More animals are waiting
Shelters across the country continue to face crowded kennels and longer stays for many animals. When space is limited, every medical case matters even more.
Many arrive already hurting
Some animals come in sick, injured, senior, pregnant, neglected, or in need of urgent treatment. They cannot wait for a home before their care begins.
Public shelter budgets can only go so far
Shelters work hard to meet daily needs, but advanced care like surgery, dental treatment, diagnostics, specialty care, and extended recovery often requires outside support.
Medical costs keep rising
Veterinary care is more expensive than ever, and each bill affects how many animals can receive the treatment they need.
Care creates their way home
Medical care does more than treat a condition. It can relieve pain, restore comfort, build trust with adopters, and give an animal the chance to be seen for who they really are.
Care changes everything
Medical care is the bridge between the shelter and a second chance. When the care is funded, an animal can heal, become adoption-ready, and go home.
Our Team
Every board member is also a volunteer at Agoura Animal Care Center. We are boots on the ground: we walk the kennels, medical foster, adopt, and know these animals by name. Together with a wider circle of shelter and Healthcare for Homeless Animals volunteers, this is the core team.
Tamy Rieder
Tamy leads Healthcare for Homeless Animals as President and has volunteered at the shelter since 2012. A physical therapist for more than 25 years, she shares her home with Daisy and Mopsy, who healed through our senior program.
Bob Ferber
Bob serves as First Vice President and drives shelter animals to their veterinary appointments. A former animal cruelty prosecutor, he sits on animal welfare boards and has adopted many senior and special needs dogs over many years.
Ann Adrianse
Ann serves as Secretary and trains new shelter volunteers. A retired elementary school teacher who began volunteering in 2014 and joined the board in 2018, she is a lifelong cat owner whose orange tabby, Marley, rules the roost at home.
Tina Davar Hobbs
Tina leads operations, fundraising, marketing, and design. Founder of the creative agency SweSoul, she brings a background in business and nonprofit leadership, and adopted her sweet girl Brooklyn from Agoura Animal Care Center itself.
Cathy Davis
Cathy serves as Treasurer, keeping every dollar accountable to the animals. A retired systems analyst who began volunteering in 2018, she has a soft spot for shelter cats and small animals, and cares for a flock of eight birds at home.
Sheeva Ahmadian
Sheeva manages partner relationships and supports marketing, adoption, and events. A dentist who joined the board in 2026 after volunteering since 2023, she cares for Grace and honors the memory of her late soul dog, Aro, every day.
Madison MacKenzie
Madison leads our medical foster program and supports veterinary appointments, social media, design, and events. A forensic accounting paraprofessional volunteering since 2023, she shares her life with her husky, Dakota, and rescues.
Robin Berger
Robin leads our recycling program and supports fundraising, events, and volunteers. She brings a deep history of volunteer service and community care, and every can she sorts becomes medical care for an animal waiting at the shelter.
Robin Kahrs
Director EmeritusRobin served as President for seven years before becoming Director Emeritus in 2014. A shelter volunteer for more than 22 years, she is our historian, event organizer, and fundraiser, and mom to Vega, an adopted Lab and shelter alumna.
Want to join our team?
Our Volunteers Make This Work Possible
Healthcare for Homeless Animals was built by volunteers. It began with people who saw treatable shelter animals at risk and understood what was possible: with the right medical care, an animal who is sick, injured, senior, or overlooked can heal and be adopted.
For more than 30 years, volunteers have helped us say yes to more animals. We are growing a dedicated team so we can keep funding the medical needs of shelter animals with the care and commitment they deserve.
If you love animals, there is a place for you here.
Time, skills, ideas, resources, or simply the heart to show up. Every kind of help moves care forward.
- Medical fostering and recovery care
- Transport to veterinary appointments
- Events, fundraising, and community outreach
- Photography, social media, and design
- Recycling drives and operations
Donate Your Recycling
Saves Lives.
Save the planet, save lives. Every aluminum can, glass bottle, and plastic bottle you drop at our volunteer-run recycling hub at Agoura Animal Care Center becomes funding for medical care for the animals right there at the shelter. Simple, free, and open 24/7.
through recycling in 2025
Drop off, any time
Bring aluminum cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles (no cardboard) to the donation area left of the office at Agoura Animal Care Center, 29525 Agoura Rd. Open 24/7.
Volunteers sort and redeem
Our recycling volunteers collect every load, sort it, and take it to the recycling center. Prefer to redeem your own? Donate the proceeds to us instead.
Care gets funded
100% of the proceeds fund medical care for shelter animals. A cleaner community and healthier animals, one can at a time. Then tell a neighbor.
Partners
in Second Chances
Medical care for shelter animals is a shared effort. These partners help make the care, and the outcomes, possible.
Agoura Animal Care Center
Our Los Angeles County shelter partner for 30 years. Every animal we help is in their care, and their staff and volunteers are part of every outcome.
City of Agoura Hills
Recognized by the City of Agoura Hills. Honoring 30 years of service to our community and local shelter animals. The 2026 proclamation belongs to every volunteer, donor, and partner who made those years possible.
Malibu Coast Animal Hospital
Skilled veterinary care for shelter animals at reduced fees, so every donated dollar treats more animals.
Oaks Veterinary Urgent Care
Urgent medical services for shelter animals at discounted rates, when time matters most.
15/10 Foundation + WeRateDogs
Together they help fund complex medical cases and ongoing care for dogs whose needs might otherwise make adoption harder, and spotlight our dogs to new audiences through their social platforms. This is what second chances look like.
Want to partner with us?
We would love to hear from you. Great partnerships are how second chances happen, and we always have room for one more at the table.
Contact UsHelp Fund the Next Second Chance
Every gift helps shelter animals at Agoura Animal Care Center receive the medical care, recovery support, and adoption visibility they need.