The Rescue Garden is a one-woman powerhouse dedicated to saving guinea pigs and small animals no one else will take. Meg runs the sanctuary full-time, without corporate sponsors or staff — just passion, education, and unshakable love.

She’s a go-to for:

Hospice cases

Medically fragile guinea pigs with genetic or neurological defects

Rabbits like 9lb Nardole recovering from eye surgery

Mice and guinea pigs from shelters, stores, hoarding situations, or dumped in parks

Every animal is seen, named, treated, and loved — until they recover, are adopted, or pass peacefully in loving arms.

EMERGENCY: Overwhelmed but Still Saving Lives

On July 18, 2025, over 400 guinea pigs were discovered in a South Los Angeles hoarding house — pregnant, sick, starving, and terrified. Covered by ABC7 News and spread not only nationally but even to the UK, the story captured a growing crisis in small animal rescue. https://abc7.com/post/400-guinea-pigs-found-south-los-angeles-hoarding-house-profit-says/17206601/

The Rescue Garden — a sanctuary for the most vulnerable and medically complex animals — was asked to help. She did NOT hesitate despite already housing around 45 rescues still waiting for their forever homes alongside 50+ long-term sanctuary rabbits, mice, and guinea pigs, many with disabilities or chronic illness. She stepped up and took in some mothers, newborns, and medical emergencies.

But now… she’s at the edge. Vet bills continue to soar. Meds needs are constant. And she’s still being called on to do more.

Lives You’re Helping Honor — and Continue to Save

The Herd – Over 100 residents call The Rescue Garden home today. Many are medically fragile, permanently disabled, or elderly — but here, they are safe and loved. Each with their own unique story that deserves to be told.

Major – So starved when found in a shelter, he couldn’t walk or lift his head. The shelter believed he wouldn’t survive the night. But under Meg’s care, he gained weight, learned to trust, and lives as a joyful sanctuary pig receiving whatever medical care he will need for his lifetime. A testament to what love and care can do for an animal.

Wachiwi – Born with neurological defects, Wachiwi is a sanctuary sweetheart who’s featured in holiday portraits and enrichment projects, reminding us that every life deserves joy.

Yule - rescued from the euthanization list at a shelter. Yule had an untreated broken arm that had healed wrong, leaving him with a pronounced limp and early onset arthritis. With love and care, this traumatized young guinea pig now thrives on cuddles from "The Mama Person".

In Loving Memory

At The Rescue Garden, no life goes unnoticed. And no passing is without honor.

When one of Meg’s beloved residents crosses the rainbow bridge, they don’t do so nameless or forgotten. Each piggy is given a proper aquamation/cremation — lovingly placed in a personal vessel, honored for the soul they are. Whether they were with her for a year or a single day, they are seen. They are mourned. They are remembered.

Because here, rescue isn’t just about saving lives. It’s about giving every single creature the dignity, care, and love they never had before.

The emotional toll of this work is immense — but Meg shoulders it with grace. Even in grief, she shows up for the next life in need.

Every donation helps her continue this sacred work.

To not just save lives — but to give them meaning.

Recent passings:

Pallas – Born at the rescue. Due to severe genetic defects from bad breeding, at the age of 5 months, he was the size of a 6-week-old and required hand-feeding several times a day. He passed away, still just a baby, but not without knowing warmth, care, and love.

Imogen – Rescued blind and deaf as a baby from a big-box pet store where she was days from death from malnutrition and pneumonia. Meg rushed her to the vet, and she went on to live nearly seven years with periodic oxygen therapy, medications, vitamin supplements, and round-the-clock care. She passed peacefully, surrounded by love as an elderly piggie — her life a testament to what rescue can do.

A newborn baby - from one of the recent "LA 400 Situation" mamas. Born at The Rescue Garden, she passed hours after birth due to genetic weakness from the lack of care and nutrition her mama endured for her entire year of life.

How You Can Help

Donate anything you can - $5 buys a bottle of necessary vitamin supplement; $10 buys 2 boxes of healthy treats; $25 buys 2 days of fresh food for all of the guinea pigs, rabbits, and mice; $36 buys an entire week's worth of hay. And don't forget the vet bills, currently in the thousands of dollars. EVERY dollar helps!

Share this campaign with animal lovers, educators, or rescue groups

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YouTube – Rescue stories & updates- https://www.youtube.com/@therescuegarden38/

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