Nonprofit with Fountain Valley roots won’t say no to pets and owners in need

Nicky the pit bull spent the first part of his life used as bait by his owners so they could teach cruelty to other animals intended as combatants in illegal dog fights. He was constantly abused, had his teeth filed down and was covered in wounds by the time Colleen McCammon took him in. An initial checkup with a veterinarian revealed a .38 caliber bullet lodged in his hip.

“He was mauled from head to toe,” McCammon, president of the Animal Assistance League of Orange County, told the Daily Pilot Thursday. “When they were done they just tossed him out.”

Other shelters considered him unadoptable because of his traumatic upbringing, McCammon said. Potential owners were afraid of the stigma associated with pit bulls, especially those who have been used in dog fights. So, Nicky spent almost 10 years in the League’s care at their shelter in Midway City.

But the staff and volunteers at the nonprofit’s shelter all fell in love with Nicky, MCCammon said. They grew to know him as an affectionate, playful pup who deserved a caring family as much as any other.

“The dog was the victim here,” McCammon said.

Nicky, a pit bull, was covered in scars and had been shot in the hip when he was rescued by the Animal Assistance League of Orange County. The nonprofit hosts a fundraiser on Sunday.

(courtesy of the Animal Assistance League of Orange County)

Hardly anybody was willing to step up for Nicky when a tumor was discovered in the roof of his mouth. So, the League took on his medical expenses and McCammon became his permanent foster so the white and grey pit bull with a pink nose would have a suitable environment to recover from treatment.

Doing so added more strain to the organization’s shoestring budget. And it was a challenge for McCammon, as well, because she already had other animals and limited space at her home.

But she and the nonprofit she has led since 2006 simply can’t say no to animals in need, even when others might have discarded them. They run a true no-kill shelter and frequently take in pets scheduled for euthanasia.

The Animal Assistance League of Orange County started out as a group of friends in Fountain Valley who got together in the 1970s to spay and neuter stray cats in their community. They wound up opening a help line to assist pet owners who had lost their pets, connect families struggling to afford animal care with resources and to provide advice.

The nonprofit opened its shelter in 1992, which initially had capacity for 20 cats and 20 dogs. They went on to purchase a boarding kennel across the street in 2005, allowing them to house as many as 135 pups, kittens, bunnies, birds or any other creature that might be left with them.

Many of those in their care have been diagnosed with medical conditions that require expensive treatment, making them less desirable for adoption. The league sponsors fosters for those animals, covering their vet bills and other costs. That allows people who have the time and compassion to take in a pet with special needs to do so, even if they might not have been able to afford to otherwise.

The nonprofit also comes to the aid of pet owners who encounter unforeseen expenses or are just struggling to afford food and other essentials. McCammon recalled one family from San Diego who reached out to them after other organizations in their area declined to help them with their sick cat.

A vet diagnosed the cat with an infection causing a life-threatening blockage of his urinary tract. Even though the family was from outside the area the League normally serves, the nonprofit footed the bill for surgery.

“We weren’t going to cut out on them once we figured out what was needed with the surgery,” McCammon said. “I’m not going to tell their children that they’re going to have to lose their cat.”

The League’s charitable work isn’t cheap, and McCammon said the cost of veterinary care has skyrocketed in recent years. She added that the group owes tens of thousands of dollars to local animal hospitals, many of whom have been kind enough to offer some measure of forbearance to the organization because of their reputation of compassion in the community.

The organization’s president said they’re committed to their mission and thankful they’ve rarely ever had to deny assistance to anyone, even if they are running on good will and “fumes.”

Those interested in supporting the Animal Assistance League of Orange County can do so while enjoying a meal alongside a glass of bubbly at the nonprofit’s Annual Holiday Bazaar and Champagne Brunch at the Hacienda Restaurant in Santa Ana on Sunday, Nov. 24. Unique crafts, collectibles and jewelry will be for sale, with all proceeds benefiting the League’s operations.