Thank you to everyone who participated to help us give dogs and cats across the country a Fresh Start. Because of you, we were able to help more Underdogs become Wunderdogs! Meet the 2021 Winners below, and have no fear – Fresh Start will be back next year!
View The Winners
Nominate your favorite rescue shelter from September 13 - 19.
Vote for your favorite rescue shelter from September 22 - 28.
The rescue with the most votes in each region will win $12K! And 2 runners-up in each region will receive $3K each.
Each region has 1 Grand Prize Winner and 2 Runners-Up…
But we have one last surprise for our rescue fans across the country.
We were so inspired by the stories of courage, resilience and love that go into rescuing that we decided to select one more shelter in each region to receive a $3,000 prize. These 5 organizations didn’t get the most votes, but their stories simply lifted our hearts. We’re calling them our special Wunderdog Winners!
West Grand Prize Winner
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NO PUG LEFT BEHIND This foundation's rescue mission was born out of pure PUG LOVE. My name is Izabella St. James, I am a pug mom, a long time pug rescue volunteer, a foster mom, and a pug rescuer. I love this breed and my heart cannot rest ...
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Southwest Grand Prize Winner
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Fix West Texas has rescued, fixed, vaccinated and rehomed 474 cats year to date. They are a leader in our community who promotes responsible pet ownership and steps up to help all cats who have been abandoned or are in harms way.
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Midwest Grand Prize Winner
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This organization has helped to rescue and save so many animals! They routinely get animals from the local shelters that are in danger of being killed and promote outreach for them in our community. We adopted our dog from them after they s...
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Southeast Grand Prize Winner
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An older couple began by taking in strays dumped on their property. Until the neighbors complained so they scraped some money together and bought a run-down former nursery building and grounds. They take in older shelter dogs facing euthana...
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Northeast Grand Prize Winner
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Husky House has rescued thousands of dogs from kill shelters, puppy mills and owner surrenders. We are committed to the rescue, shelter, care and adoption of these unwanted dogs. We generally adopt out over 200 dogs a year. All of our dogs ...
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West Runner-Up Winners
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West Runner-Up Winners
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Southwest Runner-Up Winners
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Southwest Runner-Up Winners
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Midwest Runner-Up Winners
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Midwest Runner-Up Winners
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Southeast Runner-Up Winners
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Southeast Runner-Up Winners
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Northeast Runner-Up Winners
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Northeast Runner-Up Winners
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West Wunderdog Winner
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In 2018, it was reported that 56% of dogs that entered animal shelters were euthanized. A heartbreaking number when shelters report that approximately 80% of those dogs were healthy and/or treatable and could have been adopted into new home...
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Southwest Wunderdog Winner
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We are a small community hit hard by the pandemic. This shelter has managed to fight through these hard times. The shelter is run by people who care, but unfortunately is not always able to help animals found abandoned or lost. Many times b...
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Wunderdog Winner
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The all-volunteer led United Yorkie Rescue is dedicated to saving the lives of Yorkies & other small dogs. To date, UYR has saved over 3,500 pups & works tirelessly every day to take in as many stray, abandoned or surrendered Yorkies & othe...
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Southeast Wunderdog Winner
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Founded in 2012, Belzoni Animal Rescue Kennel (B.A.R.K.) is a volunteer-run rescue in the rural Mississippi Delta, where the state of animal welfare is incredibly challenging. Although they use the city pound space to house the dogs they re...
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Northeast Wunderdog Winner
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The Houlton Humane Society is a 501c3 no kill animal shelter. The shelter is run by director CJ Virgie. CJ puts her heart and soul into running the shelter. She brings her vast experience as an ACO from the midcoast area to the shelter. CJ ...
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That's a wrap on Fresh Start 2021!
Thank you to everyone who nominated, voted, and participated in our Fresh Start campaign this year. Because of you, we will be able to give rescue pets across the US a Fresh Start! See you in 2022!
