In the past few years of volunteering for the Pacific Grove-based Animal Friends Rescue Project (AFRP), Diane Linder of Salinas estimates she has taken in so many cats, “it might make me cry to count them.” Linder and her young daughter Catherine fostered about 40 felines just last summer.

Linder says, almost sheepishly, at one point she had about 19 cats. Some were litters of kittens in “kitten season.” A few weeks ago, she had two sick cats that she adopted permanently. She says that the cats co-exist “pretty well” with her two dogs that she also rescued and a roommate’s rescue dog, creating a full house of fur and a variety of toys and chew-bones. But, at the same time, trying to juggle animals, work, and an adolescent daughter can be exhausting.

“It can be very hard to manage so many animals,” she says, “and I’ve gotten overwhelmed before.”

AFRP, which saves dogs and cats—more than 5,500 since it started in 1998—from shelter prison and near-certain death, is supported almost entirely with volunteers like Linder: kind-hearted souls who take animals into temporary homes, or work at off-site adoption events to advertise the finer points of these “not so perfect” pets. In their work with the group, Linder and her daughter have even donated time to transport rescued animals to a sanctuary in Utah.

Carie Broecker, executive director of AFRP, explains that most of the group’s work could not be done without these community volunteers. AFRP employs only a staff of five, but utilizes 130 volunteers, including 90 foster homes, to pick up the slack when shelters run out of room for strays.

“Animal Friends…takes the dogs and cats [shelters] would otherwise need to euthanize,” she says. AFRP also rescues the sick and injured animals that need extra time for rehabilitation.

Linder’s first rescue dog, Katie, is an injured older Australian Shepard/Border Collie mix. This is generally a hyper combination, but when complicated by blindness and the loss of a leg, Katie’s current use as a therapy dog is amazing.

Linder isn’t so shocked by the dog’s success.

“You know, the thing to remember about rescue animals,” she says, “is if they’re sick, they won’t always be.”

Linder’s second rescue, Jake, is a mixed breed, who she describes as looking like a little fox. Jake was found with a broken pelvis when he was just a pup. After Linder nursed Jake back to health, AFRP found him a permanent home in San Jose.

Some animals that AFRP saves need more help than others. Beck, a gray-striped cat with a white nose and cheeks, was highlighted on the group’s Web site recently, and his cause was championed by a donor named Jane Parks-McKay, of Capitola.

“Beck was found by animal services, injured, diabetic and starving,” she writes. “He couldn’t even stand up. Animal Friends took him from the shelter, stabilized him [with surgery at Carmel Holistic Vet Clinic], but has had a hard time placing him because of his diabetes. Beck is a real heartthrob and deserves to live a nice life.”  

Broecker happily announces that Beck finally has found a home, in Texas.

“We take care of the animals we rescue for as long as it takes,” she says. “We have incredible volunteers, and we’re always looking for more.”

Parks-McKay mentions she has “given a home to countless rescues over the years…I have never seen an organization as well-organized and full of love for their pets-to-be as Animal Friends Rescue Project.”

According to Broecker, the successful adoption rate has doubled each year of ARFP’s existence—from 200 animals adopted in 1998 to around 1,000 last year. They hired a Santa Cruz County coordinator last year and are expanding their efforts there. Adoptable cats can be seen in several pet stores in Pacific Grove and Salinas, and the available dogs can be seen at adoption events or online. The group’s best success is with cats. They are most numerous in shelters and are easier to adopt out togood homes.

“Monterey County has a euthanasia rate of about 40 percent; that’s 5,000 animals each year,” Broecker says. “Animals in shelters do ‘stray time,’ which by law is five days.”

After that, even adoptable animals are likely to be put down. For Diane Linder, animal rescue is important beyond the immediate results.

“I feel that everybody on this planet has a responsibility to help with something,” she says. “Helping animals is my way.”

Animal Friends Rescue Project hosts a Christmas party/auction fundraiser, Dec. 12, at the Hyatt Hotel in Monterey. For party details or to volunteer, visit www.animalfriendsrescue.org or call 333-0722.