About Us

Saving Saluda Strays began in 2019 with a six-year-old little girl, a homeless puppy, and a promise.

​

While playing in her front yard in Saluda County, South Carolina, Malani found a stray puppy wandering alone. She named her Wiggles.

​

Not long before that day, Malani had read a book about how to make a difference in the world. She knew she wanted to make a difference… she just didn’t know how yet.

​

Then Wiggles showed up.

​

At the time, Saluda County had no animal shelter and no dedicated Animal Control program, leaving stray and abandoned animals with very few options. For dogs and cats like Wiggles, survival often depended on being lucky enough to wander into the path of someone willing to help.

​

Thankfully, Wiggles wandered into Malani’s yard.

​

When Malani learned how few resources existed for homeless animals in Saluda County, she wasn’t satisfied with simply helping one puppy. She immediately began thinking about how she could help all of Saluda’s strays.

​

Her mom, Brittin, promised to help her do exactly that.

​

With Malani’s huge heart for animals, Brittin’s experience and connections in veterinary medicine, and the support of PetCare of Newberry and its incredible staff, what started with one little stray puppy quickly became something much bigger.

For the next several years, Malani and Brittin stepped in wherever they could… taking in strays, providing veterinary care, finding fosters, arranging adoptions, coordinating rescue placement, and helping animals who otherwise had nowhere to go.

​

Before Saving Saluda Strays was ever formally established, they had already helped more than 50 dogs and cats from Saluda County.

​

But they were doing it largely on their own, absorbing veterinary expenses and helping only as space, time, and personal resources allowed.

​

As the number of homeless animals continued to grow, it became clear that Saluda County needed more than individual rescue efforts. It needed lasting change.

​

On October 26, 2022, Saving Saluda Strays was officially formed with one mission: to give Saluda County’s homeless, abandoned, neglected, and forgotten animals a chance.

​

Since then, Saving Saluda Strays has grown far beyond those first 50 animals. Through rescue, veterinary care, fostering, adoption, transport partnerships, community outreach, advocacy, and countless hours from volunteers and supporters, hundreds of animals have been given help, hope, and a path forward.

​

And the impact has reached beyond the animals we have personally rescued.

​

Through the combined efforts of Saving Saluda Strays, dedicated community members, volunteers, and local leaders, Saluda County now has Animal Control and an animal shelter… resources that simply did not exist when Wiggles wandered into Malani’s yard in 2019.

​

That progress is something we are incredibly proud to have been a part of.

​

There is still work to do. There will always be animals who need someone to speak up, step in, and care.

​

But today, Saluda County’s homeless animals have more hope than they did when this story began.

​

And it all started with one little girl, one stray puppy, and one promise to make a difference.

We may not be able to save them all, but we will never stop trying… one Saluda stray at a time.