Strong Paws Rescue, Inc.

I am running the Valencia Half Marathon to support StrongPaws Rescue

Hi, I'm Lisa!

I have been running for over a decade and I have loved animals all my life! When I lost my soul dog of 18 years, running was a big part of working through my grief, but I still felt like a part of me was missing.

I began searching for a way to give back my time and love to in need dogs. I discovered StrongPaws Rescue, a NY-based, woman-owned and operated all-foster rescue. StrongPaws is a registered 501(c)(3) based in NY, dedicated to saving dogs at risk of euthanasia in overcrowded shelters & found as strays.

They are an all-foster-based rescue, which means every dog is loved and cared for in a home while they wait for their forever home. When I learned that this rescue combines fitness and animal rescue-I knew this was the organization for me! For me, fitness and animals are the 2 things that will absolutely improve your life (and the lives of others)!

Being an all-foster-based rescue means they need to provide transportation, food, medical care, and training to each dog that they rescue. They also spend time and money doing community outreach, like delivering food or supplies to pet owners who are struggling.

In December, I signed up to be a foster parent, and welcomed Koba into my home. He was a skinny, quiet boy with big, soulful eyes, rescued from the streets of Houston, TX. He quickly "pawed" his way into my heart and I became a "foster fail," adopting him in March 2025. While I was fostering, StrongPaws had great communication, and provided me with anything Koba needed.

I am grateful to StrongPaws for matching me with Koba. He has helped bring my smile back and ease my grief. He is a wonderful, emotionally intelligent dog with a playful spirit. I would like to extend my gratitude by helping raise money for them to continue their mission. Without StrongPaws, so many dogs would be left to fend for themselves on the streets, or worse, euthanized without ever being given a second chance in life.

I am running the Valencia Half Marathon (Valencia, Spain) in October 2025 and raising money to show my gratitude for the tireless work that StrongPaws does. I will dedicate one mile each of this half marathon (total of 13.1) to 13 dogs that StrongPaws has saved. I will carry their names with me on my arm, gathering strength from their stories as I run the streets of Valencia, Spain!

I am also running as a tribute to my soul dog, Lambchop, who was the strongest being I ever met, and for Koba, the quiet boy who returned my smile back to me.

To find out more about StrongPaws, to sign up to be a foster or to see adoptable dogs, please visit their website at the following link StrongPaws or follow them on Instagram StrongPaws

Photos: Koba is the brindle/brown dog in the first 2 photos, Lambchop is the white Bichon in the last 2 photos.

Support Immigrant Families and Their Pets in the Bronx

Strong Paws Rescue is launching a vital initiative to support immigrant families and their pets as they navigate life in New York City. Many new arrivals face financial hardship, housing restrictions, and language barriers that put their beloved pets at risk of abandonment. Our goal is to keep families and pets together by providing free pet food, medical care, and temporary foster placements when needed.

With your support, we will:

✅ Provide pet food, medical services, and temporary housing to prevent pet surrenders.

✅ Offer emotional and mental health support by ensuring families can keep their pets.

✅ Prevent animal abandonment through community outreach and foster care.

Who We’ll Help:

We aim to serve 200 migrant families in the Bronx, prioritizing those in shelters that do not allow pets. We will provide multilingual resources and work alongside local organizations to offer integrated support.

Funding Needs ($150,000 Goal):

• Pet food & supplies: $30,000

• Veterinary services: $35,000

• Temporary foster care: $20,000

• Translation services: $10,000

• Outreach & community support: $5,000

• Personnel & admin costs: $50,000

By donating, you’ll directly help families keep their beloved pets through this difficult transition. Please support Strong Paws Rescue!

My name is Meagan and I am the founder of Strong Paws Rescue. I am starting this fundraiser on the behalf of our rescue organization to support our outstanding administrative expenses.

In 2021, we paid an accountant to do our taxes and unfortunately we learned much later it was never filed, resulting in a $4,500 fine from the IRS. We have not been able to pursue legal action as we have been prioritizing our dog’s medical care.

We had to hire a new accountant to reconcile our books from 2021 & 2022, as well as file for 2023, and this resulted in a $12,000 expense. It was a lot of work on their end which we understand.

This is a lot of money and completely unexpected on top of our existing $15,000 medical debt which we have made minimal progress on.

We are struggling to pay this bill and need to do so in order to stay open. If we do not, we risk closing completely.

We have worked so incredibly hard to help our dogs and would hate for more dogs to be at risk and not make it out of the shelter due to this massive error and accounting expense.

Please help us meet this goal, no amount is too small to make a difference. In our 5 years, we have helped over 700 dogs with a team of volunteers from Texas, NC, TN, AR, GA, VA and on the northern end in NY, NJ & CT. We are run 100% on volunteer time and we need your help!

With Gratitude,

Meagan & the Strong Paws Team

Update 9/17: I am only $2000 shy of my goal. Thank you to everyone who has helped! My mechanic has located a used transmission with 18,000 miles on it. He is starting the repair this week. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. I appreciate this more than you know.

Hi all! This is the first time I’ve made one of these for myself, it’s humbling to say the least. I honestly feel guilty creating this because we are fundraising for operation expenses right now and I don’t want to take away from our dogs.

By day, I am a pediatric occupational therapist and I work with children with special needs in the South Bronx. I also run Strong Paws Rescue. This is my passion project and it’s run on volunteer time.

I use my personal vehicle for driving to/from work in the Bronx, and after work and on weekends for dog rescue. I drive our dogs to Foster’s, vet appointments and use it to deliver animal food to families in need.

Today when I was leaving work, my vehicle stopped accelerating on West Tremont. Fortunately I was in a location where two Good Samaritans helped me push it to the side of the road to wait for the tow truck.

It was towed back home to Peekskill & my mechanic confirmed it was the transmission. He said the first option is $3900, and he will follow up with me in the morning with 2 other quotes.

I started this fundraiser to help offset the cost of the rental car and for expenses associated with repairing my vehicle.

Donations are tax deductible! Thank you for considering!

-Meag