Today we’d like to introduce you to Charissa Sendejas
Hi Charissa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up our family took in all the strays! My family did the best we could to help animals in our community and I knew from a very, very early age that I wanted work with animals. In 2021, I founded Santo’s Sanctuary and Rescue, Inc. with a mission to make a difference for dogs in need in Houston and surrounding areas. I don’t think the everyday person realizes the dog problem within this city. I also think the average person doesn’t often know what they can do to help and we definitely want to bridge that gap. Our goal extends beyond rescuing street dogs and dogs on the euthanasia lists; we also aim to support owned dogs facing challenges. We recognize that many families in our community struggle to afford basic care for their pets due to financial hardships. Essential care for dogs includes not only food and water but also access to resources like spay/neuter services, vaccinations, and monthly heartworm and flea prevention.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with various rescues and fostered hundreds of dogs. My friends, family and fellow rescue peeps encouraged inspired me to elevate my passion for animal welfare. Together with my husband, and a few amazing animal lovers we operate this small rescue with a strong commitment to integrity in all our endeavors. We transport 80% of our dogs to the PNW area, believe it or not they are underpopulated. Hey I’m Every single save matters.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Working in rescue is never straight forward. You sacrifice so much of yourself to do this work. My husband and I don’t travel together, we know someone always needs to be boots on the ground just in case. It can strain friendships, and relationships because it’s not easy. Emotions run high and you are often faced with difficult decisions. For us it’s about leveraging our connections, resources and leading with our heart. It’s never easy, but at the end of the day we know if we are doing what’s best for the dogs the money will always be there. We have been fortunate enough to have a great partnerships with vets, businesses and individuals that want to make a difference in our community. Finding fosters has been the biggest challenge for us here at Santo’s Sanctuary and Rescue. We provide everything, food/ medical and supplies but we still have trouble finding fosters. Part of it is people often think they have to be this exact ideal situation to foster, like a stay at home person who’s with the dog 24/7 and that’s just not true. My husband and I both work full-time jobs outside of the dog rescue and we have multiple foster dogs at a time. If someone’s willing to open up their heart and home, we provide the support and the guidance they need to be successful with fostering. Even fostering for a few days can save a dogs life while the rescue finds placement. When rescues don’t have fosters, they often end up with big bills for boarding and I’ve seen so many rescues go under that way. We really try to be mindful of everything we do so that we can keep doing this work.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Being a Hispanic woman owned 501c3 non-profit rescue makes me really proud of the work I do in the Houston community. Our rescue is known for intaking dogs regardless of their heartworm status. Sadly, some rescues turn dogs away if they are heartworm positive and it’s really sad because it isn’t their fault they are in this position. Heartworm treatment can be $1,000+ per dog and fundraising is challenging. We are thankful to have some AMAZING partnerships with local breweries that help us with our cause. Yep, you heard right …Breweries! We are the rescue known for hosting vendor markets, bingo nights and foster drives at Houston area breweries. We even had a beer launched in keg and can recently at 11Below Brewing called ‘Raise the Woof!’ and proceeds went to the rescue. We love the beer community and beer people are dog people!
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Covid was a difficult time for everyone, and it was also difficult time for rescuers because dog surrenders were at an all-time high. At one point during the pandemic I looked over at my husband and was like “there’s 40 dogs here”! There were just so many to help and because we were both working from home. I cannot believe the pandemic was 5 years ago. So many people lost loved ones, their jobs, and people were scared they couldn’t provide for their family or pets. We navigated a lot of situations to help people keep their animals. At the end of the day, it’s not only about helping animals. It’s about helping our community. Helping people. We really have learned that if there is a will there’s a way! Our next big endeavor is going to be purchasing land so that we can continue to grow our operation. I’m proud of what we do in this organization and I hope that I can inspire others to be the change. Sounds cheesy, but once you figure out your passion you will know your purpose. I know with every fiber in my being that I was born to rescue dogs.
You can follow our journey and learn more about our cause by following us on Instagram @santossanctuary,
Pricing:
- ** WE ONLY ADOPT 10% OUR DOGS LOCALLY DUE TO OVER POPULATION WE SEND OUR DOGS TO THE PNW AREA.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ssrsaves.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/santossanctuary
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/SSRSAVES/
Image Credits
Some photo credits: RolandoGuerraPhotography.com
