Save The Strays Animal Rescue & Sanctuary

We adopted this sweet pup from Mrs Sandra May 2024. He is a light to our lives and we love him! Thank you to this rescue for making this possible❤️

My family adopted our first dog, Mimi, a little yellow lab mix, with Save the Strays almost 17 years ago. Our sweet girl lived to be almost 16 years old, but sadly passed last year. She truly was the best, most loving, dog you could’ve asked for. When Mimi was 8 we adopted another dog through Save the Strays, another lab mix, named Lacey, she is now 8 years old. Lacey was a great addition to the bunch so once I was an adult, I wanted to continue on myself by adopting through Save the Strays. My boyfriend and I saw there were a bunch of Australian Cattle Dog / Australian Shepherds and decided to adopt our sweet little Echo. Echo is now 5 years old and still just as fun, loving and energetic as the day we got her! My brother then a year ago also adopted a sweet pup Darcey through Save the Strays. We live in Connecticut, so we are not close in distance to the organization. However, Sandra, at Save the Strays, has helped us adopting far away a smooth process which in turn has given us our sweet pups. Save the Strays is hands down the best organization you can adopt from!

Sandra Dollar and my family have known each other for 17 years ...I adopted my first puppy Mimi from her in 2007. We were blessed to have Mimi for almost 16 years... she was the best most lovable little angel you could ever ask for❤️ in 2016 we adopted Lacey another yellow lab mix who has been nothing but a joy to us ...she is now going on 9 years old and also is such a love.. in 2019 my daughter adopted Echo Australian Cattle Dog/ Australian Shepherd another sweet love that fits perfectly in our family... in 2021 my son adopted Darcy a Tree Walking Coonhound mix ....she also is a love bug and a perfect fit to our family❤️... the organization Save the Strays with Sandra Dollar has bought more joy to my family in almost the last 20 years at the Guthrie family home in Waterford Connecticut... we have become very fond and close with Sandra and this awesome wonderful organization.. I cannot tell you how much joy my family has gotten from every single one of these puppies.. God bless Sandra and her her team at Save the Strays that make it so possible and place these beautiful pups with families that love them... I wish I lived closer so I could volunteer and help ❤️ I pray that this rescue is around for a very long time and gets the support and help it needs from other wonderful organizations to enable her to rescue and give all the animals in her care a safe and wonderful home... I highly recommend anyone to adopt from Save the Strays������������ I will continue to share her rescue information for others that would love to adopt.. thank you Sandra for a lifetime of love from all of our girls❤️

Sandra is doing such amazing work providing homes and care for so many dogs in need. She goes above and beyond to get these pups ready for their fur-ever homes and we appreciate it more than we can say! She provides all the information and records necessary to make transitions as easy as possible and gives so much of her time and herself to help these animals. Please consider giving a home to a dog in need and supporting the worthwhile work Sandra is doing through Save the Strays!! ~Pat and Larry E.

We are so grateful to Save the Strays for connecting us with our new baby, Niko! We were looking for a companion for our other rescue dog and he is a perfect fit for our family. He is so sweet and loving and smart and his foster mom did a fabulous job with his training. He has settled right in and has brought so much joy to our home!

Sandra is doing such amazing work providing homes and care for so many dogs in need. She goes above and beyond to get these pups ready for their fur-ever homes and we appreciate it more than we can say! She provides all the information and records necessary to make transitions as easy as possible and gives so much of her time and herself to help these animals. Please consider giving a home to a dog in need and supporting the worthwhile work Sandra is doing through Save the Strays!!

What fun we now have! We lost our last dog 2 years ago and gave away all the dog paraphernalia. It was a lot, after all we have married for 65 years and always had a dog. We were not going to get another. Then we started thinking-our house is not a home without a dog, so we started looking!
There is a rescue here in town but they have a lack of communication. We found Sandra by word of mouth via the internet. What a joy! We have had many breeds of dogs over the years and found the Shih Tzu to be a good choice as after retirement we traveled North America in our motor home and the small size was a good choice. We started the search for an adult Shih Tzu. Guess who had one?
Sandra is so knowledge and treats each dog as if it were her own. Toby is 2 to 3 years old and has health issues (came from a puppy mill). Sandra took him to 2 vets to check him out. We were given copies of the vets findings. We gave copies of the findings to our vet, prior to Toby's visit.
Without Sandra and SaveTheStrays we may not have gone thru the adoption. We have had Toby for 3 weeks and are a happy family with a dog and 2 cats!

You know the saying, “You don’t always get what you want, but God gives you what you need”? -- Well that’s exactly what happened when we adopted Poppy through Save The Strays Animal Rescue. We were looking for a “small dog” and Poppy was listed on PetFinder as small (17 lbs) because of their “sliding” scale. We put an inquiry in regarding Poppy, and found out that she was already adopted. So we decided to wait on the Lord before looking again.

About 2 weeks later, Sandra, from Save The Strays contacted us to say that Poppy was returned due to the other family already having an older dog and Poppy was too “puppy” around their dog, and were we still interested in meeting Poppy. (And of course we were!)

Sandra was great with communication, through emails, phone calls and texts. She answered our many questions. She sent us helpful paperwork and instructions in caring for Poppy as well. When we arrived at Save The Strays Animal Shelter, it was very neat and organized. We were totally impressed in all that Sandra does to maintain the animals there. Poppy was clean and well looked after. She was extremely friendly and affectionate. However, Poppy was now 20 lbs. That’s almost twice the weight of a dog we were hoping to adopt. But we really liked her and she was so pretty. So we brought her home and began bonding with her.

It’s been 4 months since we have adopted Poppy and we have gone through puppy hood and now we are into the teenage phase with her. She is definitely a hand full and very strong. She is now 35 lbs of muscle and energy, but has her down time too where she loves to sleep, sometimes even right on top of us! Poppy loves her back yard where she runs, digs, and plays fetch. She is getting used to the grandkids and will soon be taking Basic Obedience Classes. She has brought us so much joy. We are very thankful for her in our life and our experience with Save The Strays has been rewarding.

My family has adopted with Sandra and Save the Strays for over 15 years now, beginning with our beautiful MiMi who sadly passed away last year at almost sixteen years old. Since then, my parents have adopted another wonderful pup named Lacey and my sister and her boyfriend have adopted their dog Echo from Sandra. I adopted my first pup and best friend Darcy from Sandra last year. Sandra and Save the Strays made the entire adoption process easy, from amazing communication to transportation. Sandra is a loving person who provides great care for these animals without a home. I always recommend her to anyone who is thinking about adopting a pet and still keep up with her, giving her updates on Darcy’s new life in Connecticut. I could not imagine my life without Darcy and I am grateful for and highly recommend Save the Strays.

We adopted our beautiful "Madison" from this wonderful sanctuary, she was a bit older, a large female Rottweiler who would never have had a chance without Sandra. And despite not ever being part of a family before, Sandra makes sure she rotates the dogs into her house so they can adapt more quickly, and Madison was no exception. Loving, gentle, and smart, she transitioned immediately. She has passed, but we still miss her every day. Thank you Save The Strays and Sandra! We set up a monthly contribution years ago, and we urge anyone reading this review to consider doing the same.... my favorite bill!

We adopted our Cairn Terrier, Lily, from Save the ashtrays after an in-depth interview process. She has been with us almost 15 years and is the best dog ever. I am so happy we were chosen to be her parents all these years and we would definitely adopt from them again.

Hi! I can not say enough about Save The Strays Animal Rescue & Sanctuary!! They are just AMAZING! They helped find the forever home for this sweet girl who’s owner had passed away unexpectedly. She is now in her Fur-ever home getting lots of walks, love, hugs and attention! I CAN’T THANK THEM ENOUGH!!

Excellent and very helpful with questions and arrangements. Takes wonderful care of all the animals. Our new adopted puppy is a wonderful addition to our family. Thank you so much!

Save the strays was amazing to work with! Sandra was very helpful and was so interested in making sure her dogs got the right forever family! No pressure, and just making sure it was a good fit. The dogs are so well cared for too. This was our first adoption and we couldn’t be happier!

We had such a wonderful experience with Sandra, who helped us adopt our sweet Lottie earlier this year. She was clear and prompt with communication, and we were very satisfied with the visit/adoption process. Sandra clearly wanted our sweet girl to go to a safe, qualified, and deserving home, and was so patient as we asked questions and made this big decision. It was the best one we made! Thank you, Sandra and Save The Strays Animal Rescue and Sanctuary!

Sandra and Save the Strays are awesome! Just got my second fur baby from them a couple weeks ago. Sandra goes above and beyond to help the dogs she rescues with any medical issues, vaccinations and whatever else is needed to help these wonderful dogs get back on their feet and find their furever homes.

My husband and I wanted our son to grow up with a dog. However, we both knew that finding a house-trained dog, who would be patient and gentle with a 1 year old would be a challenge. After meeting several other dogs with various rescue groups we found Save the Strays. Before meeting with all the recuses we explained our son was newly walking, rambunctious, and loved dogs but was still learning how to treat animals…he was only a year old! We were very disappointed with the first two rescue groups who both assured us they had dogs who were friendly and did well with toddlers. The dogs they introduced us to may have been comfortable around older children, but were not a good fit for a growing family with a toddler. Then we found Save the Strays!! Sandra was AMAZING to work with and gave examples of how Angus “Gus” had interacted with children (a variety of ages) in the past. We drove the two hours to meet Gus…it was love at first sight for Gus and our son! Sandra continued to provide support when Gus began having accidents inside. With her advice, we haven’t had any potty issues since. Now if I could only get her to potty train our little boy :)

We had a great experience adopting from Save the Strays. We love the quality of life they are able to give these dogs and the fact they are able to work with them until they are ready to adopt. Devon is extremely well behaved and has fit in perfectly with our other dog. She is exactly as Sandra described!

I have fostered dogs for Save the Strays for over 10 years. This rescue makes sure every dog they take in gets thoroughly vetted, including extras like dentistry when needed. They also take in dogs that other rescues won't - seniors, dogs with serious or chronic illnesses, and dogs with disabilities. Whatever the issue, they go the extra mile to make sure their dogs have what they need.

Sandra Dollar at Save the Strays was wonderfully sympathetic and efficient with our adoption of our new tripawed RUPERT. We had lost one of our little dogs and were heArtbroken. Sandra facilitates the adoption with care and attention to detail. She was awesome. I highly recommend you adopt from her. You won’t be sorry.

This is an awesome place to adopt from. I had been looking for months and couldn't find anything I really wanted. I saw Regan and I knew this was the dog for me. Save the Strays was prompt in answering my inquiry and setting up a meeting time. My nieces spend a lot of time with me and they had no issues with me bringing them. Sandra was very easy to get a long with and seemed genuinely interested in making sure it was a good fit. When we all decided that Regan was mine, they provided me with the leash, harness, a complete medical record, her medication schedule (flea/tick and heartworm) and the first dose of the heart worm medication. My vet and her staff was surprised at the detailed medical chart. I would DEFINITELY come to this shelter again if I were in the market for another animal. Sandra cares for each and everyone of the animals as if they were her own.

We have had dogs before, but this is our first adoption experience. Sandra made the meeting with our dog so comfortable and friendly. She has a natural gift for dogs and people! Save the Strays is definitely on a mission to benefit dogs in need of love. These little orphans find the security of their forever homes - and that is the vision we had as we began our quest for a furbaby friend. We know we all have much to learn about each other, but Sandra assured us that she is always available to help. From the Brown household, we pray for God's blessing and favor to continue toward Sandra and Save the Strays Animal Rescue & Sanctuary.

We adopted Georgi, now Indigo from Sandra at Save the Strays. She is now completely a part of our family; she and our other rescue Neeko(black and tan) are constant companions. Whatever he has she wants and vice versa. He has even taken to faking her out by asking to go out and then circles back and grabs the bone she was chewing on! They are very entertaining.
We also appreciate all of the information Sandra provided us; from standard records on our pup, to new research about switching food and manufacturers on a regular basis, to delaying spaying or neutering due to new studies on better health and longevity.
Thank you Sandra and Save the Strays for our new love!
The Bierce-Wahl family

We looked months for a rescue. Found Bailey at Save The Strays. Sandra Dollar was very welcoming when we arrived. Amazed at how organized she was. Had her folder, organized with everything we needed. Bailey is a wonderful, kind and smart dog. So happy we found her. Thank you Sandy

We adopted a beautiful 2 year old German Shepherd named Sasha from Save The Strays back in 2011. We had her for 7 years until her back legs stopped working due to Degeneritive Myelopathy. She crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in April of 2018. Sandra and Save The Strays does a great job for the unwanted and abandoned animals.

I first met Sandra Dollar, who runs this non-profit, many years ago when I adopted a sweet dog named Amber. I had seen Amber on Petfinder and thought she was such a beautiful girl. I wanted to adopt her to be a companion for my senior male dog. Sandra and I spoke at length and I filled out an application. Since I lived several hours away there wasn’t an in-home visit, I drove to meet Sandra and Amber.

Sandra was kind and very informative; I knew that Amber’s best interest was her main concern. She was able to provide a great deal of information, not only about her history, but of her breed, which helped immensely in my decision making.

Amber (who I named Abby) spent seven wonderful years with me before passing on. Throughout those years I continued to speak with Sandra about her care, and often received recommendations on where to get help or how to approach different issues. I sincerely appreciated her dedication to her family of adoptees. She has re-homed hundreds of dogs, but they and their families are still “hers”. It shows! I continue to support this worthy cause to this day.

Hi my name is Joanie Dittman-Guthrie. I met Save the Stays back in August 2007 through Pet Finders.We had just lost our pup Spunky in July from diabetes and we were heartbroken.One evening my husband saw our adorable MImi in a picture with her sister on the Save the Strays website. We contacted the Rescue and spoke with Sandra Dollar. Sandra was so helpful and went out of her way to answer any questions we had about adopting Mimi..she sent pictures and information to us that made us know that Mimi would be such a great addition to our family.. we live in Connecticut... Sandra was able to arrange for transportation to get Mimi up to us.. Mimi will be 12 June 8th and we just love her to pieces.. April of 2016 I contacted Sandra and mentioned I would love to adopt another yellow lab pup so Mimi would have company.. at the rescue a litter of pups was available and Sandra once again made our hearts full by sending us Lacey..Lacey will be 3 in November.. Sandra was able to get help with transportation for us with Pilots to Paws .I cannot say enough how dedicated Sandra is at Save the Strays..she loves everyone of the pups in her care and it reflects in her work with them..I referred my cousin in New Hampshire to Save the Strays and they adopted a beautiful beagle pup.If and when I would love another dog for our home in Connecticut I will not hesitate to contact Sandra at Save the Strays ..please know that this organization is worthy of any and every praise for what they do with abandoned and stray animals..My heart is full of pride for all the love and compassion that this Shelter provides for these beautiful animals.Warmest regards Joanie Dittman-Guthrie and Family

Back in 2013 I had just moved to a ranch style home with almost an acre fenced in. I thought maybe I could help another dog that needed a home. I already had 3, but 2 were up there in age and my younger one needed someone closer in age. I had gone through many on PetFinder when I happened on Violet from "Save the Strays". My heart went out to this little brown dog that looked so scared. As it turned out....she was. She had been feral when Sandra rescued her at nearly 6 months old. But because of her fear, Sandra was having a difficult time finding a forever home because she was way too timid to go to anyone. Sandra had worked and worked with her to try and get her to trust her. I told her it didn't matter to me...I was retired and had plenty of time and that I wanted to help change her life. Sandra made sure that I knew that I could bring her back if things didn't go well. She even sent me a video so I could see how she was so skittish. Sandra is in SC and I am in GA....but she arranged for a transport to meet me near Madison, GA. She turned from Violet to Lizzy because she didn't move her head but her little eyes darted all around with fear. This past November I discovered a Lizzy look-a-like at a Rescue in Dalton GA. She had been surrendered and the comment the vet put on her paperwork was "very scared". Lizzy is my shadow and now this little girl River is Lizzy's shadow. They looked so much alike when young. River brings out a playfulness that even Lizzy didn't know she had! But Lizzy has a place that is only hers and it's next to my leg when sitting. If someone else tries to sit there she patiently waits (staring at me) for me to move them. She has to always be touching me. All my friends and family adore Lizzy. So a big THANK YOU to Sandra for finding her, working with her and trusting me to make it work!

I adopted the best dog from Save the Strays. Her picture was on their web site and I called. They asked a lot of questions about how u take care of my dogs and spoke with my vet and other references. They even bought her to my home! They are the best.

In 2010, I knew I wanted another companion, as my fur-baby had passed away several years prior. I also knew that I wanted to adopt, not shop! Save the Strays Animal Rescue and Sanctuary was one of the rescues that I had researched online, and after looking around on their website, I could tell that they cared greatly about the animals in their care. I was able to find my four-legged son Bertie (now changed to Buddy) in their page of available dogs, and I fell in love! The adoption application process was very easy, but they were also very thorough, to ensure that Buddy went to a good home. Sandra was a pleasure to work with, and even met me halfway between the shelter and my home at the time (NC) so I wouldn't have to drive so far! I could tell she loved Buddy and I believe it was a bittersweet day for her, but that day changed my entire life for the better! Buddy will be ten years old this fall, and I still stay in touch with Sandra and send updates about my Buds. I also donate when I can, so that they can continue to provide the best care possible for animals. I highly recommend this organization!

I first found this rescue back in 2013 when I adopted Bizzy. Working with Sandra the owner is wonderful. Then we had space for a new pup so we called Sandra again and adopted Max. Now we have a 4-Pack. I would highly recommend working with this rescue as they are kind and caring and absolutely love what they do. If you are not in the market to rescue, a donation is always appreciated by this wonderful place.