Aloha Animal Sanctuary

We’re at a critical crossroads—and we need your help.

Our 100% volunteer-run, nonprofit farmed animal sanctuary on O‘ahu is in danger of closing its gates forever if we don't turn things around.

We believe in miracles—and in the kindness of our community. Right now, our animals need both.

We care for over 40 rescued animals, including pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, a turkey and cat—many with special needs— who rely on us for daily care, food, and medical attention. But rising costs and fundraising challenges have depleted our reserves. If we don’t raise emergency funds soon, we may be forced to shut down within the year.

Every dollar goes directly to animal care—no staff salaries, all volunteer effort.

We’ve already paused new rescues and projects, tightened spending, and built a team to rebuild—but we can’t do it alone.

Please help us keep our promise to these animals:

a safe, loving forever home.

To learn more about our mission and our residents, please visit our website here.

Donate, share, and be part of the rescue.

You can make a life-saving difference today.

Aloha all,

We humbly ask for your assistance fundraising for this sweet angel, Princess. Her veterinarian bills are over $13,000 now, even with our non-profit discount. We have financial sponsors, Melissa and John Burns, who have stepped in to cover approximately $7,600. We are asking for your help with covering the remaining $5,400. All donations are tax-deductible, as we are a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit. We are entirely volunteer-run and do not have any employees.

HOW YOUR DONATIONS WILL BE USED:

We know these costs are exceptionally high, but we believe every dollar was worth it. Princess' story is quite long, but we promise it is worth the read! We hope you will come to the same conclusion as you learn about our sweet baby Princess and all she has endured.

(Princess post-surgery)

Over the past four years since we started the sanctuary, we have prioritized developing a friendly rapport with our community surrounding the sanctuary. Princess was being cared for by one of these community members, and we immediately noticed that she spent most of her time, about 17 years, tethered on her chain outdoors. To provide the most compassion we could in this situation, we would bring Princess treats and different harnesses, and offer to take her on walks. Unfortunately, our offers were mostly declined. In Hawai'i, it is acceptable and common to keep a dog tethered. The law requires that they have food, water, and shelter, and Princess did have those things.

See more about these laws here:

https://www.humanesociety.org/news/hawaiian-legislature-passes-animal-protection-measures

A few weeks ago, it came to our attention that Princess had developed a horrific wound to her ear. We can't visit Princess regularly, so Princess was likely suffering from this painful wound for a couple of months. Our hearts break to think of the suffering she endured during this time. When we saw Princess, we noticed her legs were covered in blood from itching her wound. She appeared very uncomfortable, and we knew we had to intervene immediately.

(Princess at her home of 17+ years)

One of our directors who had a good relationship with Princess's first owners approached them and offered to take Princess to the vet. Princess’s owners were grateful but understandably very worried about the cost. Our director assured them the sanctuary would cover the appointment's cost, so they agreed to have Princess brought in. We brought her to VCA Kaneohe, the closest vet to the sanctuary.

(Princess on her way to the vet for the first time)

At the vet's office, Princess couldn't stop racing around. It was the first time we had ever seen her off her chain. She was immediately diagnosed with a UTI, peeing well over ten times within the first hour of being at the vet. She was so happy to have a new place to explore, but we could see that she was scratching her ear on everything she could. It was precious to see her able to run around so much, but heart-wrenching at the same time to see her suffering. The employees at the vet's office were so kind, and they spoiled Princess with treats and love.

(Princess at the vet)

Very quickly, the vet diagnosed Princess with mammary cancer. This cancer is best prevented by spaying, but in all of Princess' seventeen years of life, she had never been spayed. Princess was also diagnosed with a Mast Cell Tumor on her ear. The veterinarians recommended immediate surgery or euthanasia, but there were no other options. The tumor was so large and developed that it would not be humane to allow Princess to live longer without its removal. We were quoted a cost of approximately $4,000-$5,000. Even with surgery, we were told that Princess could have about six months to live (possibly more) because of her cancer diagnosis. At this point, we didn't know if we could get Princess surrendered to the sanctuary, as she was still under the custody of her previous owners. The vets at VCA were so kind and supportive and educated us thoroughly so we could bring all the information back to them.

We brought Princess back, and we shared the news with Princess's first owners. We told them we could take Princess into our care and cover her medical costs. They then made the compassionate and selfless decision to surrender Princess to the sanctuary. We were all ecstatic and beyond grateful. We immediately brought her back to the Sanctuary. Our volunteers cut the zip-tied chain from her neck, bathed her, and took her on her first walk.

At this point, we were a bit apprehensive about funding all of Princess' medical care. $5,000 is quite costly for a small non-profit like ours. Within hours of sharing her story with our volunteer community, our incredible volunteers, John and Melissa Burns, offered to cover all of Princess' financial costs. We secured a foster mama for our girl and were ready to proceed with the surgery.

(Princess in her foster home, day one after the first vet visit)

The original vet that saw Princess, unfortunately, could not get her in for surgery for about ten days. Princess' sponsors, Melissa and John, were very concerned and wanted her to get care ASAP, so they brought her to the emergency vet VERC. They knew the cost would be higher to have her seen urgently, but this is another example of their incredible compassion and generosity for Princess. The vets at VERC are experts in treating dogs with cancer. VERC wanted Princess to stay multiple days in a row at the hospital because of how advanced her condition had become. The tumor's location encompassed her eye and ear and would be much more difficult to remove than initially assessed. Princess had to have CT scans, biopsies, wound care, and many unexpected medical interventions. At the end of her stay at VERC, her bills were $7,650 pre-surgery. Still, Melissa and John covered these costs, and Princess was finally ready for surgery.

(Princess after her first vet stay)

We are happy to report that today, Princess is recovering from her life-saving surgery on day two! She is now in the loving care of her adoptive mom and sanctuary volunteer, Leslie. Since surgery, Princess has been able to visit the park, go on walks all over, get frisky with her new toys, and cuddles her mom all night. She is the best little girl and we are so happy for her!

(Princess sleeps cuddled up like a baby every night now)

Princess' surgery cost approximately $5,424, which Aloha Animal Sanctuary has taken responsibility for. Princess still has chemotherapy she will have to complete, but the vets have told us the side effects will be minimal and she shouldn't experience much discomfort. Even with her chemotherapy treatment, the vets estimate Princess only has about six months to live. She could live longer or shorter, but we don't know yet.

Some might ask, why proceed with treatment if she only has such a short time? We provide care and love daily to our animal rescues without knowing how long they will be with us. We do this because it is the right thing to do. Princess, in particular, spent nearly her entire life living on concrete and chained. We knew we could give Princess months of joy, love, and happiness--things she had spent years and years without. That is why we decided to proceed with the surgery.

(Princess in her new home with her new sister Mae, post-surgery)

Thank you so much for your consideration and support of sweet Princess. We will continue to post updates and happy photos of Princess living her best life. As always, a very special mahalo to those of you who make space in your hearts for animals.

(Princess at the beach for her first time!)

Receipt of Princess' Medical care (zoom in to enlarge):

More information about Aloha Animal Sanctuary:

Aloha Animal Sanctuary is Oahu's first 501(c)(3) non-profit sanctuary for farmed animals. Our mission is to provide a lifetime of sanctuary for neglected, abused, and/or abandoned animals and to promote compassion towards these animals through public engagement and education.

We provide sanctuary to special needs, old, and farmed animals who have no other place to go. And show the world their light and how deserving they are of love.

Please visit our website for more information: www.alohasanctuary.org