FAQs

  • Fallon, NV. We have dogs on the rescue/sanctuary property as well as in foster homes in the Reno/Tahoe/Carson areas.

  • We are not a public facility. We are off-grid on a pretty crappy 2.5 mile road and, especially during inclement weather, it’s not easy to drive. We do have volunteer days, we do offer boarding & training, and you can “schedule” a visit. Scheduling is absolutely necessary. We have working dogs and behavior cases on the property. Showing up unexpected could be detrimental to our structured process and the safety of the dogs. Short answer—by appointment only.

  • We are currently closed for intake as we build and modify the rescue property/sanctuary and the road.

    We get an overwhelming amount of requests to take in dogs and we just don’t have the capacity at this time.

    When we are open for owner-admission (owners wanting to surrender their dogs to us). It’s a case-by-case basis and we require a minimum $1000 donation to the rescue. This goes toward the care of your dog for however long it may be with us.

  • We have several dogs, all with unique temperaments. We try to match each dog with their ideal home, and that isn’t always a “9-5, home owning, 15’ fence, professional dog trainer”.

    Some dogs don’t need fenced yards (they’d probably jump the fence anyways). Some dogs would love to live on the road with a truck driver. Some dogs just want to live that lazy indoor life, and some of the dogs DO need 15’ fences, 5-mile runs twice a day…etc…

    What we really ask is that adopters/fosters be able to provide plenty of physical and mental stimulation, be willing to join us for training lessons, be dedicated and patient and understanding.

    Some of our best adopters work 10 hour days and drive an hour to and from work… it just depends on if you can offer that particular dog the life they need.

  • We request a minimum $300 donation to the rescue. Each dog comes spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. We provide reduced boarding for all adopters and FREE training lessons (private, group, video) for the entire life of any dog adopted through us. A spay alone costs us $225, vaccines $150, microchip $10. We do not make any money off of adoption fees—we always wind up losing money and that’s ok.

  • The short version? We’re kind of the little rescue that could. We’re a Nevada 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We originally were in Lake Tahoe, but bought the 40-acre Nevada raw land with the idea of building the facility and then moving.

    Unfortunately, during the caldor fire, we had to evacuate Tahoe to the rescue property and while we were evacuated, our landlord sold the building we had been renting for several years. The new owners wanted us out and after looking for suitable temporary locations, we had no choice but to make the raw land work.

    We house 23 dogs in 5 trailers. We have outdoor kennels and yards, haul in water (no well, no city water), and we run everything off of solar, propane and gas (no utilities whatsoever).

    As we closed out our first year on the property we we’re piecing things together as quickly as we could. We found that heating during the winter months absolutely eats through our funding.

    We're happy to say that we've acclimated to the high desert and love it. Our volunteers, donors, and organization board members are stellar individuals who help us tremendously.

  • We mostly take in Malinois, German Shepherds, and Dutch Shepherds—dogs that are harder for most shelters and rescues to handle. We take in a lot of medical cases and sometimes a behavior case.

  • Usually high-kill shelters but sometimes owner-surrenders.

  • Who who, who who? A very small group of very crazy dog-people volunteers. Everything we do is for/about the dogs so you’re not going to hear much about the humans. If you want to meet us, come to a volunteer day sometime!

  • OOOOh, this is a good one. We don’t always get great service, so email/text is best but you may need to reach out multiple times. We’re not ignoring you, we’re pretty constantly busy and responding slips my mind. It’s a personal issue and I try to do better. Here is our Contact Page.

  • We will be making an Amazon wishlist for these items called “always in need”.

    • Shade tarps (mesh, not an actual tarp-they just shred in the wind)

    • Odoban (cleaner)

    • Fabuloso (cleaner)

    • Bleach

    • Stuffed bones

    • Laundry soap and softener

    • 40” and LARGER crates

    • Blankets

    • Towels

    • Water buckets [metal]

    • Collars and leashes

    • Outdoor dog kennels

  • Yes, but….

    You have to come meet the dog here. We still do an in-person home check which means you’ll have to cover our travel expenses (regular adoption fee will just be included in what it takes to get the dog to you). We do not fly our dogs and if it doesn’t work out for any reason you are responsible for the costs of getting the dog back to us.

    Any dog that is adopted through us and it doesn’t work out for any reason, must be returned to us and only us no matter what. Even 5-10 years after the fact, once a dog comes into our rescue, we have their backs *forever*.

  • Yes, please! We run solely on donations and whatever falls short, we personally use our paychecks to cover.

    Venmo (business)- @hslk9

    PayPal- hslk9@highsierralifeline.org

    Zelle- hslk9@highsierralifeline.org

    Website- zeffy

    Mailing (mailing/packages ONLY! NOT OUR PHYSICAL ADDRESS- the property does not have a physical address yet):
    High Sierra Lifeline K9 Rescue
    1435 Willomonte Rd
    Reno, NV 89521
    United States

    Tax ID is 83-2076095

  • Tax ID is 83-2076095

  • Great question!

    We are High Sierra LIFELINE (I often refer to us as HSLK9). There is another wonderful rescue called High Sierra Animal Rescue (high Sierra rescue). We have VERY similar names so I can definitely see how we’d get confused with each other.

    If we don’t have the dog you applied for in our care (I don’t know why Adopt-A-Pet would have you fill out our application for their dogs, that’s above my pay grade), you’re probably looking at one of their dogs. Reach out to them—that doggo deserves its chance at furever too!

  • WE ARE NOT TAKING SURRENDERS AT THIS TIME.