Serendipity in the On-Call Angels Program
July 31st, 2026
By Olivia Carpenter, Membership Coordinator –
RedRover On-Call Angels are the backbone of the RedRover Relief grant program, which helps people afford urgent veterinary care for their pets and temporary boarding for the pets of people fleeing domestic violence. Members of the On-Call Angels (OCA) program give larger grants of $150 or more to individual pets in need regularly (e.g., monthly, quarterly, or biannually), and in return they can learn more about the family they are helping and have access to any pictures the family shares.
When you become an On-Call Angel, you can choose how you’d like to participate in the program, including:
- PREFERENCE: the type of animals you’d like to help
- CASE TYPE: whether you are open to funding Urgent Care and Safe Escape cases
- FREQUENCY: how often you’d like to help an individual animal in need
- SUPPORT: how much you’d like to contribute
Beyond that, the families that On-Call Angels are ready to help when it’s their turn to give are matched by our team, and the range of situations is as varied as the human experience itself. Still, it’s amazing how often we hear from On-Call Angels that the animal they’re helping, or the situation the animal is experiencing, has an incredible unexpected connection to a breed or species they love, a place dear to their heart, or their own lived experience.
SUMMER
One such case involved a five-year-old Pomeranian named Summer, a petite girl who needed surgery to remove bladder stones. Her human mom’s landlord had evicted them in order to rent their place at a much higher rate to a new tenant. Already struggling to come up with first and last month’s rent for a new apartment, Summer’s mom was in no place to afford the surgery Summer needed, so she reached out to RedRover for help. As luck would have it, she was paired with Lucy, an On-Call Angel since 2017 – and an avid Pom lover.
“Pomeranians hold a special place in my heart. I wasn’t familiar with Pomeranians until I dog sat for someone who had one. Shortly thereafter I got my first one. We had many great years [together] but she sadly passed away just before her ninth birthday. It was hard to imagine getting another dog, but later I got Chloe, another Pom. I adore this breed and their characteristic confidence, alertness, affection, and intelligence. I’m happy to help Summer!”
DASH
Then there’s the case of a two-and-a-half-year-old Chihuahua named Dash. His human, a single mom working and going to school full-time, was unable to afford the urgent surgery to remove the kidney stones her little guy had developed. I paired Dash with On-Call Angel Adrianna, who was surprised and delighted when she opened the email with his case details: “Oh my god, it is kismet that you sent Dash’s case my way. I have kidney stones too, and I had surgery last year to remove two of them. The pain from a kidney stone is super intense. Of course I will help!”
Adrianna felt kismet two times over. Six months before being paired with Dash, she was paired with a case for Husky mix named Khloee who needed surgery for a severe uterine infection called pyometra. Khloee’s was short on funds after having moved to the same state as Adrianna, and also shared she was part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I would be honored to help Khloee! When I opened her picture I nearly fell off my couch. The coloring on her face looks very similar to my first Chihuahua, Bubba. I am a huge ally of the LGBTQ+ community and Khloee just moved to [my state], so it is like fate!”
PANTHER and CHIPPY
Another heartfelt moment occurred for an On-Call Angel named Jane. She received a request to help two young kitties, Panther and Chippy. Panther needed dental surgery for a gum infection, and Chippy needed wound care for an injury on his leg. Jane had recently said goodbye to her own beloved cats, eighteen-year-old siblings who had passed away within weeks of each other. She made her gift for Panther and Chippy in their honor, an especially touching gesture that she felt her babies would have appreciated. For Jane, it wasn’t the breeds or the situations that were so impactful – it was the kitties’ young ages and the fact that she was helping a bonded pair.
MAGIC
Lastly, there’s the story of Magic and his On-Call Angel, Ellen. Magic’s situation was awful, and the result of extensive trauma. The four-year-old black shorthair kitty developed severe constipation issues after he was in a fire that displaced his entire family and forced him to be boarded twice. His stress levels were so high that his digestive system began shutting down. When Ellen received his case she replied right away:
“We have a shorthair black cat, Diego, a few years older than Magic, who once had a problem with constipation, so I can really relate here.
“What strikes me is the determination and persistence [pet parents have] to find a way to get help for their pets. With all they’re going through financially, emotionally, medically, and still, they don’t give up, out of love. I know how lucky I am, which is why I want to give something back to those who have not been as lucky as me.”
There is no shortage of difficult situations in the On-Call Angels program, and there’s no shortage of second chances, miracles, and serendipitous connections between people and pets whose paths would otherwise never have crossed. If you’d like to join this special group of caring animal lovers to experience it for yourself, please submit an application on our website or contact me, Olivia Carpenter, the program coordinator, at olivia@RedRover.org.
