Happy Life Animal Rescue
Every Animal Deserves a Happy Life
Happy Life Animal Rescue is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing dogs and cats from abuse, neglect, and overcrowding. We believe every animal deserves a second chance and a loving, permanent home.
Our Story
Founded in 2016 by the Forster family in Pawling, NY, we began as a small, volunteer-run effort with a single foster dog. Over the years, we have grown into a dedicated team serving the Hudson Valley and beyond, helping 600–700 animals find their forever homes each year.
How We Operate
We are a limited-intake, donation-funded rescue, ensuring that every animal in our care receives the time and attention they need to thrive. While we began as a foster-based network, we now operate our own facility in Pawling, supported by a combination of dedicated volunteers and professional kennel technicians hired to ensure the highest standards of care.
Your Perfect Match
Adoption is a joyful journey, and we believe it is a conversation rather than a transaction. Our adoption counselors work closely with you to understand your lifestyle and environment, ensuring that we match every dog and cat with a home where they will truly flourish.
Join Our Mission
Are you ready to meet your new best friend? We invite you to browse our available animals online, visit us during our open hours in Pawling, or stop by one of our many community adoption events held across the region. Every interaction is an opportunity to change a life for the better, and we would love to help you find your perfect match today.
- Compassionate staff
- Efficient adoption process
- Post-adoption health issues
9/28 - Dog Adoption at PetSmart Mohegan Lake, NY – Oct 25 | Happy Life
Celebrate National Adoption Week! Meet adoptable rescue dogs at PetSmart in Mohegan Lake (Cortlandt), NY on Sun, Oct 25, 11 AM–3 PM. Free to attend.
9/8 - Happy Life Animal Rescue Events | Upcoming HLAR Events
Learn all about upcoming events for Happy Life Animal Rescue with our events calendar. Join us at our next event!
7/1 - Pet Adoptions Near Orange County NY – Happy Life Animal Rescue
Dog & Cat Adoption in Orange County, NY | Happy Life Animal Rescue Serving Orange County, NY Adopt a Dog or Cat in Orange County, NY Happy Life Animal Rescue…
10/11 - The rain isn’t holding us back today! We’re on our way to @fishkillfarms to make some adoptions happen! Come out and fall in love! Rain or shine we are out to help these pups! Are you joining us today? #rescue #hurricaneisaias #adoptionevent #fishkillfarms #happylifeanimalrescue
Watch on Instagram
10/9 - 🚨🐾 THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM? NOT IN RESCUE! 🌀🐶 While everyone else is preparing for the hurricane, we’re preparing to SAVE LIVES! ❤️ As the storm approaches, shelters in its path need to make room for the animals who will desperately need help in the aftermath. That’s where teamwork comes in. 💪 Thanks to our incredible friends at @bissellpets and @thegbhs in Alabama, we’re helping clear shelter space BEFORE the hurricane hits! 🚐 Dogs are heading north. 🐾 Kennels are opening up. ❤️ And more lives will have a fighting chance when the storm arrives. Because rescue doesn’t stop for a hurricane. Sometimes, it kicks into overdrive! 🌪️ A HUGE thank you to everyone making this lifesaving mission possible. This is what happens when rescues come together for the animals who need us most. Different states. Different shelters. ONE mission. SAVE LIVES. 🐶❤️ #HappyLifeAnimalRescue #BISSELLPetFoundation #GreaterBirminghamHumaneSociety #RescueMission #HurricaneRescue
Watch on Instagram
10/4 - ☕🐶 YOUR SUNDAY PLANS JUST GOT A LOT CUTER. Join us TODAY, Sunday 10/4, from 11–2 for Pups & Cups at Happy Life Animal Rescue’s adoption center in Pawling! 🐾 Enjoy a beverage, snuggle some adoptable pups, and try explaining to your heart that you’re “just looking.” Good luck with that. 😂💙 Come meet your next adventure buddy, couch companion, or tiny supervisor who follows you to the bathroom. Your new best friend could be waiting! 📍 Happy Life Animal Rescue • Pawling, NY ⏰ TODAY • 11 AM–2 PM Tag your puppy-loving coffee date and come say hello! ☕🐾 #HappyLifeAnimalRescue #PupsAndCups #AdoptDontShop #PawlingNY #HudsonValley
Watch on Instagram
10/3 - 🚨 IT’S A GRAND DAY TO GET ADOPTED! 🐾✨ We’re hanging out at The Grand in Pawling TODAY with some seriously adorable pups looking for their forever homes! 🐶❤️ Come say hi, get some puppy kisses, and maybe leave with your new best friend. 👀🐾 📍 The Grand at Pawling ⏰ We’re here until 2PM TODAY! Make your Saturday a little more GRAND. 😉❤️ #HappyLifeAnimalRescue #AdoptDontShop #PawlingNY #DogAdoption #RescueDogs
Watch on Instagram
10/1 - It’s October. Golf and save a life ⛳🐾 Sign up for the Gary B. Love Golf Outing, Monday October 19 at Centennial Golf Course in Carmel, NY. 18 holes, dinner, and a whole lot of dogs and cats who get a shot at a home because of it. Register at happylifeanimalrescue.org, link in bio 🐾 #rescuedog #adoptdontshop #golf #dogsofinstagram #rescue
Watch on Instagram
9/26 - Happy Life didn’t lose a friend when Gary passed. We lost family. He loved four things: his family, his church, golf, and these animals. So once a year we play 18 holes in his name, and our dogs and cats get a shot at a home because of it. Oct 19. Go to happylifeanimalrescue.org to play, sponsor, or donate 🐾 #rescuedog #adoptdontshop #golf #dogsofinstagram #fyp
Watch on Instagram
9/24 - He’s been neutered and he’s still funnier than us ⛳🐾 Jokes aside, the Gary B. Love Golf Outing honors Gary, a volunteer who loved his family, his church, golf, and these animals. Join us Monday, October 19 at Centennial Golf Course in Carmel, NY for 18 holes and dinner, and help our dogs and cats find their people. Register at happylifeanimalrescue.org, link in bio 🐾 #rescuedog #adoptdontshop #golf #dogsofinstagram #rescue
Watch on Instagram
9/22 - This putt just saved a life ⛳🐾 The Gary B. Love Golf Outing is our biggest fundraiser of the year, 18 holes and dinner to help rescue dogs and cats find their people. Oct 19. Go to happylifeanimalrescue.org to play, sponsor, or donate. #rescuedog #adoptdontshop #golf #dogs #fyp
Watch on Instagram
9/21 - ⚽️ CHONKSTER HAS ENTERED THE GAME. 😂🐾 This 1.5-year-old Frenchie has two speeds: chasing the ball and waiting for you to throw the ball again. Chonkster is playful, goofy, snuggly, and packed with that classic Frenchie personality in one very appropriately named little package. ❤️ Want to join his team? Come meet Chonkster starting tomorrow, Tuesday 9/22, at Happy Life Animal Rescue! Fair warning: he may expect you to bring a ball. 🎾😂 #HappyLifeAnimalRescue #Chonkster #FrenchBulldog #Frenchie #AdoptDontShop
Watch on Instagram
9/20 - Rainy Sunday plans? We’ve got a better idea. ☔🐾 Skip the couch, grab an umbrella, and come meet your new best friend! ❤️ We’ll be at PetSmart in Mohegan Lake TODAY, Sunday 9/20, from 12–3 PM with some seriously adorable pups looking for homes. Because honestly… a rainy day is a whole lot better with a puppy. 🐶☔️ 📍 PetSmart — Mohegan Lake ⏰ 12–3 PM 🐾 Happy Life Animal Rescue Come say hi, fall in love, and maybe head home with a little extra sunshine. ☀️❤️ #HappyLifeAnimalRescue #AdoptDontShop #AdoptARescueDog #MoheganLake #PetSmartAdoptions
Watch on Instagram
9/18 - Rocket put in some work today! 🚀🐾 Today’s focus was all about relaxation, impulse control, and learning how to settle on “place” — staying calm even when there’s plenty going on around him. He did such a great job getting started and we’re excited to keep building on it. Keep it up, Rocket! 💪❤️ A huge thank you to Jodi for coming out and helping Rocket get started with his training! 🐶👏 #rescue #dogtraining #pawling #dog
Watch on Instagram
