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Oakland, California · since 1999

Giving Them
a Second Chance

Bella Vita Rescue steps in to save horses and extreme medical cases of dogs facing euthanasia. We provide the specialized veterinary care, intense rehabilitation, and dedicated time they need to heal their precious bodies, hearts, and souls. Once they are ready, we connect them with loving foster or forever families to begin their new life’s journey.

Every animal we take in is a promise: that their life is worth saving, and they deserve a beautiful new beginning.

We keep our promises.

DonateMeet the DogsApply to Adopt
Registered
501(c)(3) · EIN 82-3403181
Top-rated · GreatNonprofits
2021 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025

Every one of them
was out of time.

The Journey of a Second Chance

We step into the gaps where hope has run out, guiding vulnerable animals from crisis to safety through an intense, heart-led transformation.

  1. 01

    The Intervention

    We answer the call for horses and dogs with the most critical medical needs who have completely run out of time. These are the forgotten souls facing imminent danger, the ones who desperately need a protector to step forward.

  2. 02

    The Healing

    This is where the true rebuilding begins. Through our trusted, specialized veterinary partners, we carry the financial weight of complex surgeries and advanced treatments. We invest the profound patience required to nurse these animals through their darkest days.

  3. 03

    The Foster & Placement

    Because we are entirely foster-based, our animals heal inside loving, protective homes instead of kennels. We honor every individual timeline, and once they are strong, stable, and ready, we find them the perfect permanent family.

Looking Right Now

The Final Step of Their Journey

See All

Every dog in our care has a unique story, a resilient spirit, and a heart full of hope. Having found safety in our foster homes, they are now healthy, ready, and waiting for the family that will change their world forever.

What the People Who Took One Home Say

Jill rescued sweet Balto when he had been given 72 hours to live and was being held in the back medical room, where no potential adopters could see him.
youknow411adopted Balto
I know her donations are low, but yet we see her at least 3 times a week at our Veterinarian office. She fosters many of them and they are fed home made foods.
caninevetveterinary staff
When we arrived, they had also brought Polar Bear's Mama, Julia. We instantly fell in love with both of them and asked if we could adopt her too.
Kerry Borgenadopted two

Five out of five on GreatNonprofits

Top-rated nonprofit · 2021 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025

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Twenty-Seven Years of This

All 54 Photographs
  • A soaking wet terrier mid-bath after being pulled
  • A litter of newborn puppies asleep in a blanket
  • Sky, a husky sitting among garden greenery
  • A volunteer laughing with a husky mid-groom
  • A soaked scruffy dog grinning through a bath
  • Children sitting with a litter of puppies on the grass
  • A child meeting a black dog inside a pet store
  • An adoption event outside Pet Food Express
  • A rescued white horse standing in a yard
  • Rose, a tan chihuahua mix in a bow tie
  • A young man hugging a rescued husky
  • Puppies nursing on a blanket
  • Tyler, a brown and white dog wearing a bandana
  • A scruffy rescue dog running across a lawn

@bellavitarescue

The Rest of It Is on Instagram

It moves faster than this page does: the pulls, the vet visits, the drives, and the ones who found their people this week.

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@bellavitarescueFollow along

Each photograph opens the original post on Instagram.

Fund a Miracle Today

Our medical rescues depend entirely on your generosity. Your donation directly covers the specialized surgeries, emergency medicine, and critical treatments they need to heal.

Because we use Zeffy, 100% of your donation goes directly to the rescue, with no platform fees deducted.

DonateFoster a Dog