El Paso Giving Day is here again! ❤️🐾

Many of you know how close Animal Rescue League of El Paso is to my heart. I’ve been a proud volunteer for 22 years, and over those years, ARL has given me some of the greatest joys, hardest heartbreaks, and most meaningful experiences of my life. It’s also given me lifelong friends who became family.

This year has been an especially emotional one for me.

I lost the last two of my original ARL “Littles”, Shaka Kahn and Tater. Saying goodbye to them was incredibly hard. They came into my life because of ARL, and I will always be grateful for the years, love, and memories they gave me.

I also started fostering again this year, and what a roller coaster that has been.

One of my fosters was Capri, a little Chihuahua who was found on a doorstep in active labor. She lost two of her puppies before she and her only surviving puppy made it to ARL. Capri needed surgery to remove the puppy she had lost, and because of everything she had endured, she was unable to produce milk. For eight days, I bottle-fed her tiny puppy. Sadly, despite everything we tried, that little one did not survive. That one gutted me. But that baby was loved, cared for, and held every step of the way. For those eight days, that little life mattered.

Then came Benny, an eight-week-old fluff ball who had been surrendered to a high-kill shelter after suffering an injury to his hind leg. His leg ultimately had to be amputated, but Benny is proof that a disability doesn’t have to define a life. He deserved a chance, and ARL gave him one.

And right now, I’m fostering four tiny kittens who were found during our recent storms, huddled beneath a bush. These little ones are thriving, and watching them grow stronger and more playful every day is exactly the kind of joy that keeps me coming back.

Over the years, I’ve learned that rescue isn’t always happy endings. Sometimes we celebrate adoptions and second chances. Sometimes we hold tiny lives that simply aren’t meant to stay with us. Sometimes we say goodbye to beloved animals who became family. And sometimes, we get to watch a frightened, broken, or forgotten animal find their way back to the light.

That’s what ARL does.

For 31 years, ARL has opened its doors to animals who are homeless, abandoned, neglected, injured, sick, scared, or simply in need of someone to give them a chance. The people there show up day after day, year after year, and keep doing it. And they couldn’t do it without the community behind them.

I’ve been lucky enough to have family and friends join me at ARL over the years—walking dogs, cuddling puppies and kittens, cleaning kennels, fostering, adopting, volunteering, helping with fundraisers, and donating. Some of my favorite memories are the ones we’ve made there together.

This El Paso Giving Day, I’m asking you to help me give back to the place that has given so much to me and to so many animals in our community.

Your donation helps ARL keep saying yes—to the dog who needs surgery, the kitten who needs a bottle every few hours, the neglected animal who needs time to heal, the senior pet who has lost their family, and all the animals who simply need someone to care.

I know firsthand how much these animals can change your life. They have broken my heart, filled it back up, made me laugh, made me cry, and given me some of the most meaningful experiences of my life.

Thank you for helping ARL keep its doors open, keep caring, and keep giving these animals a chance. And thank you for being part of something that means so much to me.

With all my gratitude, Letty ❤️🐾