37% of the Way There — and Why This Matters More Than Ever

We’re officially 37% of the way there — and while that number shifted only because I had to raise the goal after receiving multiple (and much higher) estimates from moving companies, the support has been nothing short of extraordinary.

What once felt impossible doesn’t feel quite so impossible anymore. Not when there’s a community of folks rallying behind a good cause. The load feels a little lighter, and I’m feeling more relief today — and that’s all because of you.

“Thank you” feels too trivial here. I’m deeply, profoundly, and eternally grateful.

I know I’m a wordy gal — heck, I’m a writer. I’m detailed, I care deeply, and I pay attention to context. But there are many who are new to this story, so I wanted to share a brief Q&A to offer clear, digestible pieces of what’s going on and why.

Q&A

Q: Why can’t you just give these dogs to a rescue?

I’ve explored countless options over the past year — including rescues. I know each of these dogs intimately: their sensitivities, drives, triggers, nervous system patterns, and what they need to truly thrive.

And while rescues are doing the hard work — truly, God’s work — most are made up of dog lovers, not dog understanders. There’s a difference. Many do not have the behavioral fluency, trauma literacy, or nervous-system understanding required for the dogs coming into their care — dogs whose lives have already been turned inside-out in some way, who’ve known instability, neglect, or abandonment, all of which impacts their nervous systems, their stress load, and their perceptions.

Because of this, dogs are often placed in homes or situations they’re not yet equipped to handle. There’s often no accurate foster or adopter training or equipping, and dogs get bounced around, cycled through boarding, or shuffled between fosters — each stop adding new stories, labels, and assumptions that attach to them like a bad stain, following them everywhere.

Each move adds to their stress load and compounds the trauma they’re already carrying. It shapes their perceptions, conditions their nervous systems, and makes their world feel even less safe — no matter how well-intentioned the humans are.

Most of the options available were simply not viable or safe for these particular dogs.

This move isn’t about rent or convenience — it’s about keeping them alive and giving them a regulated, stable foundation so I can support them behaviorally and set them up for the lives they deserve.

I haven’t been able to provide this in my current living situation.

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Q: Why are you moving across the country to do this?

I’m relocating to South Carolina, where a close friend has a rental property with a large fenced yard and has generously waived the security deposit, waived the pet fees, and even lowered the rent to make this possible.

It’s one of the only sustainable, safe, and realistic options that allows me to keep them properly supported and provide what they need.

And truthfully — this requires me to get to a more stable, balanced place, too. My own nervous system has taken a beating. This entire effort has wreaked havoc on my health, stress levels, and overall well-being. The anxiety of carrying all this alone has been indescribable.

Housing with multiple dogs is extremely difficult to find nationwide. I looked for properties closer in, but I couldn’t find anything that would allow four dogs and stay within a realistic budget. Every option either had strict pet limits, high fees, or was simply unaffordable.

South Carolina is the one place where I already have safe housing and a small support system in place. It gives all of us the best chance at stability.

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Q: What will the funds be used for?

The funds are primarily being used for moving expenses, transportation costs, and the set-up costs needed once we reach the new location.

This includes essential safety items to help keep them safe during the cross-country journey and as they adjust to a completely new environment — especially given their histories and the stress of such a big transition.

I don’t expect to, but if we have anything left over, it will go toward a critical part of their long-term behavioral support protocol: a treadmill.

This isn’t about convenience.

It’s about meeting their daily energetic needs in a safe, structured, sustainable way — especially given my own physical limitations (needing a hip replacement that won’t happen for a while) — and because treadmills play a far larger role in behavioral rehabilitation than most people realize.

As I’ve shared in previous posts: when a dog is in a focused, working state on a treadmill, it becomes an ideal frame of mind to reintroduce triggers or anything that activates their nervous system. Done correctly, it’s one of the most powerful tools for helping dogs regulate, build confidence, increase resilience, and process the world more calmly.

Having a treadmill will help us exponentially.

And after trying others, I know the cheaper models won’t cut it.

I’ve had a DogPacer before and it was flimsy and wobbly — I ended up returning it. This time, I’m choosing a model that is stable, durable, safe, and appropriate for behavioral work, not just exercise.

This entire effort is 100% about saving their lives and keeping them out of a very broken, very overwhelmed system — one where dogs smell death and fear all around them, where many arrive already traumatized, and where some go weeks or even months without going outside due to volunteer shortages and overwhelming daily intake.

I refuse to play Russian roulette with their lives.

Every dollar helps ensure these dogs stay safe, supported, and out of the cycle that has taken so many like them.

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Q: Why are you doing this?

Ava was dumped — pregnant — in the desert. She gave birth to nine puppies under a heavy metal trash bin. Three were found already deceased. One passed the next day. And Cowboy — the tiny pup workers found lying in the dirt with his umbilical cord still attached — was barely alive.

Cowboy’s start to life was chaotic — he was bottle-fed, bounced around, and receiving inconsistent care early on because people assumed Ava had rejected him. She hadn’t.

After countless attempts to find a rescue willing and able to take the entire family, Steve and I stepped in — even though we didn’t have the space. We converted our garage into a warm, safe maternity suite for Ava and her babies. It was a huge risk because it’s a rental, and the county has a strict four-dog limit.

Neonates need feeding every few hours; he simply wasn’t receiving consistent support and was bounced around before landing here and being reunited with his siblings and mother.

As weeks turned into months of this rescue effort continuing, I was pressured to “be done already” and have all the dogs “out of the house by the end of the month” last August. And now, the two I was pressured to place — Ava and Cowboy — are the very two returning.

Not because they’re “bad dogs,” but because those placements were not the right matches.

I refuse to be put in that situation or make that mistake again.
Because responsible rescue involves responsible placement.
It’s not just a personal responsibility to the dog and the people welcoming them in — it’s also a social and public responsibility. When a dog is placed with someone who isn’t a good match (or isn’t willing to grow into a better match), the risk increases dramatically.

It becomes a liability.

Vulnerable dogs in mismatched environments can quickly become overwhelmed, misunderstood, under-supported, and ultimately unsafe — not because they are “bad dogs,” but because their world and their humans are not aligned with their needs.

We already saw this with Ava. The wrong environment, the wrong expectations, and the wrong level of support can turn a vulnerable dog into a liability very quickly. That is why I am so intentional now — I will not repeat that situation.

This effort began last December, a week before Christmas, and it has stretched from then… all the way to now.

Why?

Because we are in the middle of a massive crisis. Dogs are being discarded at alarming rates. Backyard breeding is out of control.
Shelters and rescues are drowning. There are not enough qualified, committed, responsible homes — and every day, more dogs enter the system. More people are wiping their hands clean.

This is 100% about saving their lives and keeping them out of a deeply broken, overwhelmed system — one where dogs smell death and fear, where many arrive already traumatized, and where some go weeks or even months without going outside due to volunteer shortages and overwhelming daily intake.

Every bit of support helps keep these dogs safe, stable, supported, and out of the cycle that has taken so many like them.

I'm not doing this because I can... I'm doing this because no one else would.

How you can help

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/83407a134

Amazon Wishlist (the foldable crate + travel food most needed):
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FO6IN56H45BD?ref_=wl_share

100% of profits from all books, masterclasses, and courses in Dog Mom University support this rescue mission through to its end — and to their happy ending.

You can find the books, the Dog Walking Meditations album, and Dog Mom University here:
https://kimberlyartley.com

Sharing these posts. Sharing our plight and sharing our story helps tremendously. Never underestimate the power of a share.

I’ve relied on this from the very beginning — for support, for visibility, and for helping these dogs find the happily-ever-afters they deserve.

Your share can reach someone who can help in ways none of us expect.