Paw Protectors Rescue of Orange County, CA, prevailed in a lawsuit against Orange County Animal Care and their director Jennifer Hawkins for numerous violations of California Hayden Laws regarding the alarming numbers of animal euthanasia specifically the dogs that were being performed at Orange County Animal Care.
A Local newspaper called Orange County Animal Care a deathcamp for decades after Paw Protectors Rescue prevailed in our lawsuit.
The donation you make to Paw Protectors Rescue, is immediately put to use saving lives, and helping animals in need. Donations to our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization are used to provide food, medical care, and shelter.
Our Mission
Saving Animals, Serving the Community
Paw Protectors Rescue was originally founded as a rescue organization dedicated to saving animals in immediate need. Over time, however, the organization evolved in response to the systemic failures within California’s shelter system. What began as direct rescue work grew into a broader mission focused on addressing the root causes that place animals at risk in the first place.
Through successful litigation against Orange County Animal Care and the San Diego Humane Society, Paw Protectors Rescue emerged as a catalyst for shelter reform and legal accountability. These landmark actions highlighted unlawful practices and demonstrated that public shelters must be held to the same legal and ethical standards they are entrusted to uphold.
Paw Protectors Rescue is committed to ensuring California animal shelters comply with state animal protection laws, including the Hayden Act. Following its legal victories, the organization shifted its primary focus from hands-on rescue to systemic reform—using litigation, advocacy, and legislative action to protect shelter animals from unlawful euthanasia, neglect, and lack of transparency.
Today, Paw Protectors Rescue’s mission is to hold animal shelters accountable for violations of the Hayden Act and other animal welfare laws, promote transparency in shelter operations, prevent illegal euthanasia and abandonment, and pursue policy reform through both the courts and the legislature. The organization works to ensure that public agencies responsible for animal care meet their legal obligations and operate with integrity.
Paw Protectors Rescue also advances meaningful animal welfare legislation, educates the public, and drives long-term systemic reform. By focusing on structural change, the organization protects animals statewide and creates lasting improvements where they matter most.
From Rescue to Reform.