Press Release - June 21, 2021

For Immediate Release | June 21, 2021

Little Trooper Ranch

Sonoma County’s New Non-Profit Animal Rescue Opens Its Doors and Hearts

to Its First Homeless Dogs

Santa Rosa, CA — June 21, 2021 — Little Trooper Ranch – Sonoma County’s newest nonprofit animal rescue – is thrilled to throw open its doors and hearts to welcome its first rescued dogs. 

Some of the ten newly-arrived dogs perfectly exemplify the Ranch’s focus: pups that would be overlooked on the streets and in shelters. Little Trooper Ranch firmly believes that all dogs deserve a safe, caring home and a family to love them – regardless of age, appearance, or

special needs.

This first batch of dogs have been enroute since May. They’ve traveled from a variety of locations, including the streets of La Paz, Mexico. Now safe at Little Trooper Ranch, the pups will receive compassionate care, any needed medical treatments, and spay/neuter procedures. As part of the Ranch’s mission, the dogs will be placed in foster homes where they will learn what love is, before being adopted out to their forever families in the wine country.

As a fledgling rescue, Little Trooper Ranch has gotten off the ground thanks to big dreams, determination, the help of friends, and significant financial contributions from the founder’s own business. As it moves forward in its mission, community support will be crucial to aiding the sweet homeless animals that arrive at its doors.

About Little Trooper Ranch

Odessa Gunn, Founder and President of Little Trooper Ranch, is elated that her lifelong dream of establishing her own non-profit animal rescue has finally come to fruition. Gunn has been a tireless advocate for animal welfare, locally and globally, for decades. She has been active with two Santa Rosa organizations in particular – the Forget-Me-Not Farm and Compassion Without Borders – and, on an international level, with Animal Wellness Action. She has thrown her energy and passion into major fundraising efforts that benefit animal welfare organizations, such as the annual local Levi’s GranFondo cycling event.

“I've been circling the wagons for about 15 years but I finally decided to take the plunge and start my own rescue,” says Gunn. The purchase of property in southeast Santa Rosa was the first decisive step toward her goal of founding Little Trooper Ranch. Since the purchase, Gunn’s limitless energy has been focused on updating and modifying the existing buildings and infrastructure in order to make the property suitable for the intake and triage of homeless

animals. The Ranch is meant to be a temporary stop, where rescued animals will be loved, cared for, readied for life at their foster homes, and – the ultimate goal – adopted out to their forever families.

Gunn’s own heart and Little Trooper Ranch are most passionate about and committed to serving small dogs who may be overlooked by adopters for a variety of reasons. But, because of Gunn’s compassion for all living things, Little Trooper Ranch provides sanctuary for a number of farm animals and is a wildlife release site for Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue.

Gunn’s own company, Odessa’s Essential Health, provides the bulk of financial support required to get the rescue off the ground. Additional support, which Gunn is grateful for, was generously provided by many friends and associates. In particular, Gunn acknowledges the good people of Earthtone Construction in Sebastopol for their support and continued professional assistance. But, in order for the rescue to move forward with its mission, Little Trooper Ranch requires kindness and generosity from the big-hearted people of Sonoma County.