Today we’d like to introduce you to Cailin Williams.
Hi Cailin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Underdog Rescue Ranch is a 501c3 foster-based dog rescue committed to providing a safe haven for homeless, neglected, and abused dogs in need of a second chance at life. We protect and advocate for every dog in our care, provide animal welfare education and awareness to the community. A group of women saw the need to start a rescue seeing overcrowded shelters, abused, and neglected dogs. In less than three years, we have saved over 600 dogs.
Our goal is to open a sanctuary where dogs can live their days with dignity, comfort, and love—room to run, socialize, and get the care they need. A place where we invite the community to come spend time with the dogs and meet their new family member. Every donation, every share, every word of support brings us one paw closer to making this a reality.
We recently purchased a trailer to help assist owners with their pets. Our new mobile outreach program designed to bring pet resources directly to the communities that need them most. Thanks to the recent purchase of our wellness trailer, we will soon be offering services such as pet food assistance, wellness clinics, microchipping events, adoption outreach, and educational resources for pet owners. Keeping pets with their people is one of the many ways to reduce the amount of dogs entering the shelters. Together, we can remove barriers to pet care, keep families together, and give more animals the support they deserve.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road. Every day brings a new challenge, and in rescue, you never really know what the next phone call or message will bring. There is always another dog that needs saving, but unfortunately, wanting to save them isn’t always enough.
One of our biggest challenges is having the resources to say “yes.” We may see a dog in desperate need, but we have to find a foster home willing and able to take them. Without fosters, we simply don’t have a place for these dogs to go. At the same time, the dogs already in our care may face unexpected medical emergencies, behavioral challenges, or need more time and resources than we originally anticipated.
Funding is another constant struggle. Veterinary care can quickly cost thousands of dollars, especially when we take in dogs who have experienced severe neglect, injuries, heartworm, or other medical conditions. We’ve had dogs require emergency surgeries, hospitalization, extensive rehabilitation, and ongoing specialty care. Those expenses don’t stop just because donations are slow.
There are also the emotional challenges that come with rescue. You can’t save every dog, no matter how badly you want to. We’ve celebrated incredible recoveries and adoptions, but we’ve also experienced heartbreaking losses despite doing everything we could. Balancing those highs and lows while continuing to show up for the next dog can be incredibly difficult.
As our rescue has grown, we’ve also had to learn how to build stronger systems, recruit and support volunteers and fosters, coordinate medical care, organize fundraising and events, educate our community, and find new ways to help pets and their families. There is always another challenge to solve, but each dog who gets a second chance reminds us why we keep going.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Our rescue is entirely volunteer-run, which means everything we accomplish happens because people are willing to give their time outside of their everyday responsibilities. For me, that means balancing a full-time job, fostering dogs for the rescue, caring for my own animals, and dedicating a significant amount of my free time to helping Underdog grow.
I originally joined Underdog as the Events Coordinator, where I plan and coordinate everything from adoption events and puppy yoga to fundraisers and our annual golf outing. I also help coordinate our involvement in two of our largest fundraising events, the Fur Ball and Bowl-4-Animal-Rescue, where Underdog is fortunate to be a beneficiary.
Eventually, I was recruited to join the Board of Directors, and that gave me an entirely different perspective on rescue. I began to see how much work happens behind the scenes and how many opportunities there were to make our organization stronger, more efficient, and more sustainable.
Since then, a large part of my focus has been finding ways to help Underdog grow and streamline how we operate. I’m constantly looking for better systems and processes, creating resources for our team, improving communication, and finding new ways to engage and support our fosters, volunteers, adopters, donors, and community.
There is always something that can be improved or something new we can do to further our mission. What started as volunteering to coordinate events has grown into wanting to help build an organization that can continue expanding its impact and ultimately save and support more dogs.
I am most proud of having the opportunity to be a part of a team that shares the same values and goals. Without this, none of what we do would be possible. It takes a team of people who are equally passionate about giving dogs a second chance, supporting one another, and constantly working toward making a greater impact in our community.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think the future of animal rescue needs to shift from simply responding to the problem to helping prevent it in the first place. Rescue will always be important, but if we truly want to create lasting change, we have to address some of the reasons animals end up in shelters or rescue situations to begin with.
That is a big part of why we purchased our Wellness on Wheels trailer. The goal is to bring accessible wellness resources, preventive care, education, and support directly into communities and help people keep their pets healthy and at home. Sometimes families love their animals deeply but may lack access to affordable veterinary care, pet food, preventive resources, or even basic information about caring for their pets. Providing those resources before a situation becomes a crisis can make a huge difference.
I hope to see more rescues expanding beyond traditional rescue and adoption and focusing on community-based programs, education, prevention, and pet retention. We need to work toward a future where fewer animals are surrendered, abandoned, neglected, or entering already overcrowded shelters.
Ultimately, the goal of rescue should be to create a world where we are needed less. I hope that in the next 5–10 years, we see fewer neglected animals, fewer overcrowded shelters, more educated and supported pet owners, and more pets able to stay with the people who love them. Success isn’t just measured by how many animals we save; it’s also measured by how many never need saving in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.underdogrescueranch.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underdog_rescue_ranch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556132190228
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@underdogrescueranch
- Other: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/43218b92-a08a-41f9-bd69-5a3ea778eee6
