The dogs at Lucky Dog Rescue Ranch, Inc are indeed just that – lucky. Julie is the director, kennel attendant, intake coordinator, rescue coordinator, vet tech, fundraiser, and pretty much every other position necessary for rescuing 300 dogs each year.

Julie started LDRR three years ago. Her son had caught two feral puppies and was fostering them when he chose to end his life. The cratering pain that event brought to Julie’s world also launched her on this journey of rescue.

Now, every dog she saves, she saves in honor of him. “The dogs truly saved me,” she says. “They gave me a reason to stick around. Rescuing rescued me.”

Julie began by fostering for another local rescue we visited on this trip, Diamonds in the Ruff, but soon enough, that grew into LDRR. Julie likes to focus on medical cases. She houses the medical and special needs dogs in her house. The majority of her dogs live outside in a very tidy kennel operation that was previously used to house 150 goats.

She generally has about 20-22 dogs and puppies. They come to her from locals who find them, Diamonds in the Ruff who pass along their medical challenges and bully mixes, and occasionally, she pulls dogs from a shelter. Julie is also blessed to have three foster homes.

In addition to her shelter and rescue work, Julie has a full-time job as a credentialing specialist, so she does not do local adoptions. She simply doesn’t have the time to vet potential adopters. Instead, she relies on rescue connections. Julie originally moved to Georgia from Maine, and some of her New England rescue connections help her, but she needs more.

Julie is passionate about supporting new dog ordinances, but frustrated by the fact that even dog-fighting cases are not prosecuted. One of her dogs, Justice, came from a dog-fighting situation that led to 15 dogs being pulled from a property who had clearly been used for breeding and fighting, yet no charges were ever brought or prosecuted.

There are no animal services and no municipal shelter in her county. The sheriff and local residents call Julie when there is a need. She receives no money from the county and relies completely on donations, often from her friends in the Northeast, and occasional Cuddly fundraisers.

We took time to meet the longest resident, a shy yellow lab named Shiloh, who has been at LDRR since 2023.

Inside, we met Esther, a red pitty who reminded me of my girl, Fanny Wiggles. Esther has plenty of scars on her body and in her heart, and Julie is keeping her inside in a bedroom as she adjusts to being around people.

We also met Justice, who is ready to find a home, so she’s been rotated into the house. Julie likes to give the dogs time inside her home to get them ready to transition to a forever home or a rescue.

Julie has lots of beautiful, highly-adoptable dogs, including a chocolate lab, and pittie-basset mix, plus more border collie-types and several low riders. Almost all came out to play with us and the reporter who was covering our visit for the local paper.

Like so many in the area, Julie’s property sustained damage from the hurricane last fall, but she hopes to someday be able to repair the fences and open up a larger space for the dogs to run.

It is always inspiring to meet the people who step into the gap left by counties that do not have any animal services. They are the only chance for many dogs. We can only hope that Montgomery County eventually realizes that animal services are essential, not just for the dogs but for the people.

For now, they are lucky to have Julie, honoring her son’s memory by rescuing as many as she can.

UPDATE: I recently fostered a dog we met on this visit. Lucie Lou was a great foster dog and landed in dog heaven on a big farm with a family who adore her and plenty of room to roam.

If you’d like to support Julie’s work, consider making a donation:

Cash App: https://cash.app/$luckydogrescueranch

Paypal: @luckydogrescueranch

Venmo: @LDRR2023

Zelle: luckydogrescueranch@gmail.com

You can also follow all Julie’s work and see her amazing dogs on Lucky Dog’s Facebook Page.

Until each one has a home,

Cara

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Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues was published in January of 2025. It is filled with stories and ideas to help everyone be part of the solution. You can buy a hardback or paperback copy for yourself and/or buy a copy for a shelter or rescue through our website. It is also available on Amazon in paperback and ebook. We are seeking opportunities to present the ideas from the book and facilitate discussions on how we can collaborate to find solutions for our shelters. If you have a dog-hearted group that would like to connect, contact Cara@wwldo.org.

To see our Emmy-nominated, award-winning short documentary, Amber’s Halfway Home, click here.

Did you know we have a podcast? I’m working at getting regular episodes up, including the audio version of the new book, and interviews with shelter heroes we meet. Find the podcast on Spotify and other podcast services.

For more information on any of our projects, to talk about rescue in your neck of the woods, or partner with us, please email cara@WWLDO.org.

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