Love Leo Rescue
Our Mission
Love Leo Rescue is a Los Angeles-based non-profit dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused, injured, abandoned, and forgotten dogs. We believe that every dog deserves a second chance at a happy life.
Our Story
Founded by Sasha Abelson in honor of her rescued pitbull, Leo, our organization addresses the severe pet overpopulation crisis in Southern California. What began as a personal mission to help dogs in need has grown into a community-focused effort that includes both animal rescue and vital, low-cost spay and neuter services for underserved families.
Our Foster-Based Approach
We are a fully foster-based rescue, which allows us to provide a safe, loving home environment for every dog in our care while they wait for their forever families. This model enables us to focus on dogs with complex medical needs and injuries, ensuring they receive the specialized care, rehabilitation, and training they require to thrive. By partnering with dedicated foster families, we can offer personalized support and prepare our pups for successful transitions into their new homes.
Finding Your Perfect Match
We believe that adoption is a joyful, lifelong partnership. Our thoughtful process focuses on ensuring the best fit for both the adopter and the dog, which is why we require an initial meet-and-greet and provide professional training sessions with our partners at Decoding Dogs. We want you to feel confident and prepared as you welcome your new companion into your life.
Join Us in Making a Difference
Whether you are looking to adopt a new best friend or want to open your home as a foster, there are many ways to get involved. Please visit our website to view our adoptable dogs, explore our foster application, or learn more about how you can support our life-saving mission through donations.
Trust Assessment
SilverRated Oct 4, 2026
NonprofitVerifiedFoster-BasedOperating 10+ years
FinancesOnline Review Highlights
- Staff dedication and warmth
- Transparent adoption process
- Misunderstanding of private rescue legal boundaries
Recent Videos
10/11 - (Courtesy Post): @hicarsondogs I took Popeye on a doggy day out today! He’s been at the Harbor Animal Shelter since August 8th and hasn’t had much interest. Maybe it’s his breed, his age, or the fact that his kennel is tucked away in a corner where he’s easy to miss. He doesn’t bark, jump, or lunge at people walking by, he just sits quietly waiting. He warmed up to me instantly. As soon as we got in my car, he started giving me kisses, almost like he was thanking me for taking him out At the park, he showed lots of interest in other dogs with no signs of reactivity or aggression. He wasn’t bothered by the little kids running around either. The squirrels, however...different story lol. He loved bath time, hopped right into the tub, and let me clean him up without any handling sensitivities. I brought him home afterward to relax, and he immediately made himself comfortable on my bed. I can’t imagine how nice the soft bed felt on his body after sleeping on concrete floors for so long Popeye is available for adoption at the HARBOR ANIMAL SHELTER in San Pedro CA. Animal ID A2288611 -6 уг -58 lbs -Can be selective with his doggy friends, but loves socializing when he finds the right match! -saw no concerning behavior around kids -very treated motivated -EXTREMELY affectionate -medium energy
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10/11 - (Courtesy Post): @startswithonetoday There’s more than one way to make a difference! Whether you volunteer on Sunday mornings, drop off essential donations, shop our Amazon Wish List, or donate just $5, there’s a way for everyone to help. Can’t make it to Skid Row? Live across the country? You can still be part of the impact with our $5 Friday fundraiser! Every dollar helps us continue supporting our community. Thank you for being part of what makes this possible. • Donate $5 through the link in our bio!
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10/7 - (UPDATE RESCUED Courtesy Post): @hellosouthladogs There are so many wonderful dogs at the South LA Shelter right now... We are over capacity and desperately need kennel space for large dogs. I’m going to try to be less precious and to just post dogs I love. I’d be so grateful if you could share them. This sweet dog is Kobe. He’s one year-old and about 43 pounds. He has a soft temperament as you can see in the video... He did great in play group... played with soft dogs, but got shut down when the yard was rowdy. Gave appropriate corrections. He’s just a real nice kid and I’d love to get him out of here. He’s available now!! South LA Shelter 1850 West 60th Street Los Angeles, CA 90047
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10/3 - (UPDATE: rescued and at the vet. Thank you Ronnie for transporting him to safety). Help!!!! 🆘 All hands on deck please! This dog needs to go to the emergency vet NOW. We’re not animal control, but we’re doing the job of animal control because they don’t pick up stray dogs anymore. We need donations to cover his care. You can click the link in our bio or donate via the methods below: Venmo: loveleorescue Zelle: loveleorescue@gmail.com PayPal: loveleorescue@gmail.com Cash App: loveleorescue Thank you 💕
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10/2 - Genuinely no idea who could’ve done this 🤷🏻♀️ Coco is a 1 year old, 65-lb girl with a big personality and an even bigger love for her people. She’s playful, goofy, affectionate, and always ready for an adventure! She enjoys walks, playing with her dog friends, or keeping an eye on the neighborhood from her favorite window. She loves toys, treats, and cuddling and is convinced she’s the perfect size for a lap dog. Coco is also crate trained and does great relaxing on her own when her people are away. She’s been waiting far too long for a family to call her own and is available for adoption. ❤️ 📍 Los Angeles, CA Available through @loveleorescue
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10/1 - HELP!!!!!! (Courtesy Post): We were made aware of this poor angel, who found herself laying outside of a women’s prison. She appears to be sick, depressed, and afraid. A friend of ours went to check on her, and it turned out she had already been impounded at the shelter. We are unable to take her at this time as we have absolutely NO large dog clusters and are at capacity. But we want to help her. So we will handle applications for her if someone is interested in giving her a forever home. We have named her JAYNE as a placeholder. She is in desperate need of a safe place to land once she gets sprung from the Shelter. She deserves so much more than this life has given her. Let’s show her all the good things that humans are capable of. You can fill out an application for her on our website: loveleorescue.org
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10/1 - (Courtesy Post): @lancasteranimalslaco Stu had a family since he was a bottle-fed puppy. For 10 years, they were home. They were the only life he understood. Then, at 10 years old, he watched them leave and walked into a completely different world. Through medical exams, he was gentle and friendly with everyone he met, even through pokies.... Walking through the buildings his tail kept wagging at every person he passed, and he stopped to say a friendly hello to every single dog he walked by .....but then when it came time to get to his kennel, it’s like he realized he had to stay here. Stu stepped inside and just stood there, confused, looking around at a place he had never known before. Stu was surrendered for moving. Per owner: He was bought from a breeder 10 years ago, has been around big and small dogs and kids. He’s good in the car and on leash, and likes toys especially stuffies. Stu spent 10 years belonging to someone. We really hope he won’t have to wait long to belong again. #A5658862 • Lancaster Animal Care Center Open Monday-Saturday, 11-5 No appointment needed. Check availability by entering the Animal ID on animalcare.lacounty.gov - you can view all our available animals there. 661-940-4191
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9/30 - Simon is home. Some of you remember the heartbreaking story of this very good dog. He was impounded at a rural shelter. He waited there for over three years. Over 1000 days. He waited and waited and waited. The Shelter does their best to take care of the dogs in their care. But - with limited foot traffic and almost no adopters, once a dog is impounded it’s not very often that they end up leaving. Especially an adult dog. Summers turned into winters, and he endured 110° days, and below freezing nights. However, it didn’t change his sweet spirit. He became their tester dog due to his good nature and balanced temperament. When we found out about him, we knew we wanted to help. There were several other dogs there that had also spent three years of their lives there and - on one single day, we were able to save all three of them. Simon landed in a wonderful foster home with previous adopters and learned about the world around him. It was a little scary at first, and he managed escape once and do a little run around the neighborhood. But he came home safely and learned that his foster family was there to help him and love him. Every day he became more confident. And then, our previous adopters saw him and knew he was meant to be theirs. He is now home and is the fourth Love Leo dog for Wade and Betsi who have been adopting from Leo for well over a decade. Simon couldn’t have found a better forever home to call his own. We are so happy for him. Happy life! ❤️
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9/29 - (Courtesy Post): @hellosouthladogs “To the person or family that adopt Ace my baby he is a gentle giant. My family adores Ace, but they are not present enough to help me with his raising (playtime, training, growth). He is active but he does wind down. He loves attention, he has some training. He knows when he been a bad boy when you tell him and he receive no rewards for bad behavior (not coming when I call, he use to dig holes in yard, or sometimes at times he acts like he is the boss.) In other words he will try and show you what we doing today. He loves to be chase after, he loves his neck rub and the top of his head, + eyebrows. He knows seat, come, stay, go drink, good boy, bad boy. He has some training, but trainer got promotion on her job and hours changed to hard to work our schedule out. She loves Ace too, but she has a big dog already and a cat. He is protective of me. I believe it might be because I’m the only one who feeds him. He loves attention, he hasn’t been around other animals. Dogs yes, sometimes he would bark, other times it would just ignore. He has never been around cats, but when they walk my front yard he will bark. Around kids not close at the gate he will just bark at them. My family hate to see Ace leave. This is my only option. I am 69 yrs old and my family brought him for me after my brother passed away. I hate to see him go as well. I pray he gets to a good family or person that love and take really good care of him. I believe whoever gets him will fall in love with him as well.” Ace #A2294959 - 1yo male, 62lbs South LA Animal Shelter, 1850 W. 60th St., Los Angeles, CA 90047 Phone: (888) 452-7381 Hours: Tue-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-5pm, Closed Mondays
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9/28 - Please take a moment to read this appreciation post for one of our dear friends and loudest (in the best way possible) advocates for rescue dogs. @shirascottastrof @theanimalrescuemission She has worked behind the scenes to make magic happen for so many neglected, injured and abused dogs by securing donations for their medical care. Please help us thank her by giving her a follow. She deserves all of the flowers. 💐🌺🌼
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9/27 - (Courtesy Post): @hicarsondogs | know Dahlia isn’t going to be an easy sell, this is the second video l post of her. She’s a senior (7 years old according to the shelter), she has mobility issues, and I know most people are looking for younger very dog friendly dogs and dahlia doesn’t check those boxes. But if anyone has it in their heart to give an overlooked senior dog a chance, please let it be her. She stopped me in my tracks last week and I haven’t stopped thinking about her since, so today I went back and picked her up for a few hours just to give her a break from the shelter. Here’s what I learned about her today: • She is absolutely a couch potato. If you’re looking for a dog to run, hike, or go on long walks with you, she’s probably not your girl. • She would do best as the only dog in the home. She didn’t show major reactivity when we passed other dogs today, but she was definitely interested in approaching them. • Cats are unknown. The shelter doesn’t test dogs with cats, so unfortunately we have no way of knowing how she would do with them. • She has mobility issues. Stairs are difficult for her and long walks aren’t really her thing. She needs someone who understands that her golden years are probably going to look a little slower. • She’s incredibly easygoing and people friendly. My neighbors stopped to meet her, the mailman came over to say hi, and she was a total sweetheart with everyone. Dahlia is available for adoption at the Harbor Animal Shelter, San Pedro CA. She’s been waiting for almost 5 months Animal ID A2273467
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9/25 - (Courtesy Post): Highlighting funny and lovable puppy Simba who is almost 8 months old and a total catch! He is very well socialized with dogs and people. He’s a goofy well trained pup and a very smart boy who listens to commands and has nailed his sit, stay and come commands. He is crate trained, and house trained. He was fully vetted, neutered, vaccinated & microchipped by the Spay Neuter pop-up program with LLR and The Canine Condition. Simba is looking for his forever home. We are taking applications. To inquire about Simba please email contactus@thecaninecondition.org. If you are even remotely interested, come meet him send us an inquiry.
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9/22 - Just your typical Tuesday for Coco 🤪 Coco is a 1.5 year old pitty mix. She is a 65lb lap dog who loves walks, toys, watching TV, playing with her dog friends, and cuddling on the couch. She is an absolute love bug that will thrive in an active house hold. Outside of needing some work on leash manners, she truly is the total package. She’s crate trained, potty trained, and ridiculously cute. She’s coming up on a full year in foster and deserves to finally have a family of her own ❤️ 📍Los Angeles, CA Available for adoption @loveleorescue
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9/15 - Our sweet boy Thimble is making progress. He’s up and moving around, which is a huge relief. We are still a long way from our goal, so if you haven’t donated and would still like to help us, give this precious boy his next and best chapter, you can click the link in our bio💕.
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