The Unadoptables

It all started with Papi, a rescue dog with untreated glaucoma who needed his eyes removed.

“We got involved in Papi’s care,” says Chuck Sheldon, a San Francisco products liability attorney who spent his childhood surrounded by critters, as his father was a large animal veterinarian. “And it just grew from there.” 

After working with the organization that rescued Papi, Sheldon and his wife—and law partner—Ingrid Campagne founded Waggin’ Trails Rescue Foundation in 2012. The nonprofit rehomes dogs from shelters in California to states like Oregon and Washington, focusing on those considered unadoptable—such as those with medical needs or whose personality can’t shine through in overcrowded shelters. 

“They’re in jail. They’re obviously not terribly happy to be there, ripped from whatever situation they were in,” says Sheldon. “Although many shelters say they’re no-kill, that’s actually not accurate: It’s ‘no-kill for adoptable dogs.’” 

The couple built relationships with local rescues and shelters in Northern California to grow Waggin’ Trails into what is today. Campagne evaluates the dogs, going into backrooms of shelters to find those who are having a hard time finding homes. If needed, she and Sheldon then spay or neuter the dogs; deliver vaccinations; and take care of any other small medical needs. “We are able to be the middle person, if you will, between a shelter and the rescue,” Sheldon says. “They go from a shelter—where their time is running—to rescues, where their time is not. We provide the pathway so they can get adopted.”

This setup has allowed the Waggin’ Trails to save up to 30-plus dogs per month, as well as many cats—though that number varies by season. Over the years, that adds up to thousands of future pets. “You’re trying to do the best you can; you’re fighting a losing battle. But we’re dealing with the problem we have, not the one we want,” says Sheldon.

“For me, it was looking at this issue and saying, ‘Well, come on, we can fix this,’” he continues. “It’s how you’re hardwired when you’re a litigator, and you deal with so many problems you can’t solve. But that doesn’t mean you stop trying.”

Animals with severe medical needs—too high to ask of a potential adoptive family—have stayed with Sheldon and Campagne. “We call them unadoptables, the misfits,” Sheldon says. “We currently have a group of them here with us.” The misfits often include pregnant dogs who have their puppies in the couple’s spare bathroom. While their puppies are quickly adopted, the moms, often overlooked, have a permanent place at Sheldon’s. 

One unadoptable who holds an especially important place in Sheldon’s heart is Petey, who came to the couple with his Chihuahua daughter. While the daughter was adopted, Petey needed a lot of care—he had terrible teeth, a grade 4 heart murmur and several eye complications. “We decided we needed to keep Petey because you can’t really ask somebody to adopt an old, infirm, and sort-of not-very-nice dog,” Sheldon says. “But I saw a lot of myself in Petey.” 

After veterinarians removed both of Petey’s eyes and all of his teeth, Sheldon says, “He was the happiest little guy you could ever imagine. He reminded me all the time that one needed to be patient. And I just fell in love with him, so we kept him forever.” 

The two had a little over a year together, with Petey always sleeping next to Sheldon in bed. His memory serves as a reminder of the impact Waggin’ Trails has on the dogs the nonprofit had aided throughout the years.

“The law profession takes a lot out of you, and you’re not always the most welcome person everyone wants to see. It’s nice to have something else that makes you feel good about what you do,” Campagne says.

“This is one [issue] that gets us both a little worked up. And without kids, which take up a lot of people’s time and energy, we focus on animals,” adds Sheldon. “We’ve saved a lot of dogs, and we’ve hopefully made the lives of the ones that we can [help] better for however long we have them.”

How to Help Animals in Need

Go to waggintrailsrescue.com to learn more about supporting the nonprofit. If you’re interested in helping shelters or rescues in your area, you can:

• Volunteer
• Foster an animal
• Adopt an animal
• Donate money or supplies