A New Leash on Life

Emily Everett-Nelson’s life changed the day she volunteered to work at a dog shelter. 

On her first day, Everett-Nelson recalls, “They showed me the list of the dogs that were going to be put down. I was like… what do you mean?” She was shocked and utterly disheartened, because the dogs designated to die were all healthy. “I always thought the dogs put down at shelters were super aggressive or really bad medical cases,” Everett-Nelson adds. But that isn’t true in many shelters. Many dogs die because of massive overcrowding – too many dogs come in, and they simply can’t be placed fast enough. 

The numbers of animals euthanized are staggering. Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year, and of those, approximately 1.5 million are euthanized every year. 

Without hesitation, Everett-Nelson adopted one of the dogs. She posted the rest of the death-row dogs on social media and saved them all. 

From that moment on, Everett-Nelson’s life became a “furry flurry.” She volunteered to go to China to help save dogs. There she bore witness to the untold horrors inflicted on man’s best friend – dogs frozen to death on the streets, dogs dying from starvation, dogs sent to die in meat markets. 

Back here in the U.S., there were equally difficult obstacles in saving dogs – as many rescue operations, for example, were only able to help small dogs. Everett-Nelson seized the opportunity and started Atlas Animal Rescue. 

“The first week we opened, we brought 15 dogs from China into the U.S. and got all the dogs adopted. It was a really amazing feat, and it helped give me that ‘oomph’ of ‘I can do this,’” says Everett-Nelson. 

Based in Paso Robles, Atlas rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes abused and neglected dogs, of all sizes, in California and internationally (partnering with Slaughterhouse Survivors in China) and finds them loving homes in the U.S. Typically the dogs come from high-risk shelters (and are on the “kill lists” there), abusive situations, the streets, and internationally from slaughterhouses and off meat trucks.

One of Atlas’ star dogs, Rapunzel, rescued from China, was suffering from a deadly case of starvation and severe mange. Everett-Nelson worked to find her a loving home and now Rapunzel is a healthy, furry, flourishing polar bear of a dog living her best life. The before and after was so astounding, it was featured in a viral video by The Dodo.

Dogs adopted from Atlas are forever a part of their “pack.” As Everett-Nelson says, “Helping save a life brought me more happiness than ever before. And there are so many dogs that need help right now.” Atlas Animal Rescue is their lifeline.