Underdog Animal Rescue & Rehab is the only organization in the state of Utah that exclusively serves the Native American reservations.
In our first 4.5 years the Underdog Rescue team has rescued 1,970+ dogs, and our numbers continue to grow as we establish ourselves as an ally and resource for the Four Corners reservations.
Our Mission
To rescue and rehabilitate companion animals from the Four Corners reservations of the American Southwest, through vet care, spay/neuter, and adoption services, while supporting Native Americans in the care of their animals.
Our Vision
Underdog Rescue envisions a time when all reservation animals have homes and access to food, water, and veterinary care. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the Navajo Nation, Utah and the Western Slope to not only reduce the stray animal population, but to provide education and resources to help the Navajo Nation establish a sustainable pet health care system of their own.
Our Work
Underdog Animal Rescue & Rehab is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on helping the reported 250,000 stray companion animals on the Native American Reservations of the Southwest United States. Through transport, vet care, and adoption services, Underdog Rescue helps to combat the overpopulation of stray and owned dogs of the Four Corners area. Our Rescue Ranch is headquartered in Moab, Utah.
Katy Gullette, Founder and CEO of Underdog Rescue, has been involved in animal welfare for over 30 years. She founded Underdog Rescue in 2017 after experiencing the immense need firsthand during her frequent travels through the Four Corners reservations.
Animal Rescue
Our work is focused mainly on the Navajo Nation, the closest tribal reserve to the Underdog Rescue facility in Moab, Utah, and also the largest reservation in the United States. Underdog Rescue houses most of the rescued dogs at the Moab facility, while utilizing foster homes for animals in need of more care, or socialization.
Giving Back to Communities
Underdog Rescue provides many donations to the Navajo Nation, including thousands of pounds of pet food each year, backpacks, shoes, and clothing for children, hygiene kits, and other items requested from the communities we work with.
Learn more about the Native American communities we work with.
Our Clinics
Our free spay, neuter, and vaccination clinics provide enormous impact. We contract with The Parker Project, a mobile veterinary clinic, to come to the remote areas we work with. These clinics benefit communities directly by providing free spay and neuter surgeries to owned animals to reduce the number of unwanted litters that would otherwise continue to procreate and add to the suffering of already overburdened communities.
I have always had a passion for animal rescue and when I was living in Moab I learned about Underdog Rescue's mission. It is important that they're working with underserved populations that don't have the means to take care of their animals.
It's right in our backyard, but most people don't realize the crisis in our own country with our Indigenous populations. Helping out with Underdog Rescue was a way that I could not only help animals but I could help communities too, and bridge the gap between the non-Indigenous and Indigenous communities.
