Around 2,000 dogs have been adopted out of Jackie Nipper’s Mission Beach front yard. As the founder of Mission Bay Puppy Rescue, Nipper has dedicated her home for the past 30 years to saving puppies and their moms from kill shelters and unstable living conditions.

What started as an interest in fostering dogs, turned into a full-time commitment to saving recently orphaned dogs and pregnant mothers.

“The other day out of Bakersfield I got seven text messages for moms and puppies. I’m sort of the last place for them,” said Nipper. “If I can’t take them, then the likelihood is that the litter and their mom are going to be put to sleep.”

As a close partner of the San Diego Humane Society and the local dog rescue community, Nipper responds to calls of relinquished dogs or ones unable to find a spot in a shelter. While cities like Bakersfield are home to many high-kill shelters, San Diego is not one of them – this introduces a rising capacity issue in local shelters.

“Fortunately, in San Diego, we don’t have kill shelters. But, because of that, the shelters are full all the time with zero room to relinquish your dog. So, if a person, for whatever reason, needs to relinquish their dog, they are in a bad situation. A lot of times, if they are a puppy or a young adult, I may be able to take it. But I am limited to my space.”

Mission Bay Puppy Rescue – operating as a small nonprofit – funds its fostering through adoption fees. The organization ensures dogs are spayed/neutered, microchipped, and up-to-date on vaccinations. In nature, running a dog rescue results in high expenses and limited space if there are not enough volunteer fosters.

“What I tell people when they are standing out in front of my yard is here are the ways that you can help me and rescues in your own community – like, follow, share, donate, foster,” said Nipper. “Help rescues with their social media and get more people’s eyes on their dogs. Donate funds or goods – goods could be old towels, tennis balls, kennels, and pee pads. Foster – the more fosters that I have, especially within Pacific Beach and Mission Beach, the more dogs I can rescue.”

With a max capacity of 25 dogs in her home, Nipper hopes to expand her foster network to combat the increased need for housing.

“We’re getting to a point now where we are really trying to build our foster community because the more fosters I have, the more puppies and moms I can save. It’s hard for me and I have to wear blinders when I get texts and I have to say no. I look at the pictures of these cute little puppies that I know I could get adopted, but I don’t have a foster or enough room in my home,” said Nipper.

Mission Bay Puppy Rescue does not rush the adoption process and is committed to finding each puppy and mom a forever home – housing them for as long as it takes to find a secure adoption. Those interested in adopting must fill out an application, which will then be reviewed and followed up by a phone interview.
To fill out an adoption or foster application, head to the Mission Bay Puppy Rescue sitio web.

Photo by Kate Pietrzyk