- Case of the Month
- Angel Fund Helps Keep Miss Kallie Healthy
- Angel Fund Supplies Clarity for Dog With Terminal Cancer
- Brazilian Couple Gets Surgery for Dog With Angel Fund’s Help
- Angel Fund Grant Helps Dog Deal With Congenital Problem
- Disabled Woman Turns to Angel Fund for Help With Dog’s Heart Problem
- Cody Returns with Help from Angel Fund
- Angel Fund Helps Give Owner Options for Bulldog With Cancer
- Angel Fund Helps Trojan
- Cat with Heart Problem Helped by Angel Fund
- Angel Fund Provides Grant to Help Terrier Ralph Get Surgery on Hip
- Angel Fund Helps Homeless Man, Chihuahua Attacked by Large Dog
- Help From Angel Fund Puts Max on Road to Better Life
- Surgery Returns Baby Kitty to His Idyllic Outdoor Life
- Sweetheart Fights Cancer With Angel Fund’s Help
- Angel Fund Helps Mango Overcome Chronic Disease
- Young Shepard's Life Saved With Assist From Angel Fund
- With Help From Angel Fund, Lillie Tries to Get Back on Her Feet
- Angel Fund Helps Rescue Joy After Encounter with Foxtails
- Angel Fund Aid Helps Give Rescued Dog a New Life
- Angel Fund Helps Walter Regain His Health After GDV Surgery
- Angel Fund Teams Up With Clinic to Save Pit Bull Named Mitch
- Attacked by 3 Dogs, Lucy Is Rescued by Angel Fund
- Angel Fund Helps Rescue Sabrina, a Bossy Feline
- Tarzan Recovers From Encounter With Car, Thanks to Angel Fund
- Angel Fund Helps Khloe Get New Lease on Life
- Unable to Pay for Dog's Surgery, Family Gets Help from Angel Fund
- Angel Fund Helps Junior Defeat Rapidly Growing Bone Fungus
- Angel Fund Helps Beautiful, Pregnant Boots
- Martha and Angel Fund Save Tuminous, a Very Social Cat
- With Help From Angel Fund, Nichole Saves Her Shih Tzu
- Angel Fund Gives Big Lift to Jack and His Dog, Eula
- Ollie's Injured Knee Repaired With Help From Angel Fund
- Nui Was "Little Big Man" and Loving Companion
- Hit by Car, Husky Leia Lives, with Help from Angel Fund
- Amazing Teddy - Helped by the AHF Angel Fund
- Angel Fund Helps Sick Chihuahua Through Ordeal With Bladder Stone
- Taryn Saves Hershey's Life With Help From Angel Fund
- Love for Daisy
- Critter gets new lease on life with help from AHF's Angel Fund
- Angel Fund Helps Abused Chihuahua Get 2nd Chance
- Angel Fund Helped Porky Get An Extra Year of Life
- Baby of the Family
- Peanut of the Family
- Mommaz Boy
- Sandra's Beloved Family
- Glorious Gabby
- Nena's New Lease on Life
- The Lights of Paris
- Sweet Shane
- Lucky Seven
- Pretty Boy
- Precious Tony
- Sweet Wilma
- A Star Was Born
- A Family's Delight
- Loveable Sassy.
- Hope, Wood and the Angels
- Saving Yoko
- Hope for Daisy
- Clarizcel, Koopa, and the Crenshaw Animal Hospital
- Patching Up Patches
- Heart Warming Support
- Henrietta , Lola and Dr. Mark Nunez
- Scottie, The Fernando Family and Dr. Liz Koskenmaki
- Shelly, Shiloh and Dr. Barry Baum
- A New Life for Jeannie
- David and Kiki Running in the Cove
- View all
Case of the Month
Nena's New Lease on Life

All her life, Melisa has had a deep and abiding love for animals. Her family was the kind of family that took in every stray that passed their doorstep. Each member had a soft spot for seeing animals without homes and would often put food outside to provide meals for any poor creatures that might happen along. Although they loved many dogs, both strays and purebreeds, the entire family shared an especial passion for Argentine Dogs, the fire of which was kindled by Melisa’s parents raising litters of the breed since before Melisa was born. So when Melisa struck out on her own and moved to California to look for work, she decided to pursue fostering Dogs in order to help her beloved breed.
Melisa turned to Craigslist to find an animal to help. She came across an ad from an owner in Rancho Park and went to check out the situation. It wasn’t a pretty one. The female dog she met was in a pitiful condition. The animal had been kept outdoors exclusively, had never been exposed to other animals, and Melisa noticed ominous signs of skin problems. However, Melisa decided to take her to her studio apartment in Venice on the weekends. Melisa promptly started calling her Dog, Nena, (pronounced Nay-nah) and introduced her to all the wonderful energy available right outside their door on the Venice Boardwalk.
As time went on, Melisa noticed Nena’s skin condition worsening. She let Nena’s owners know that Nena needed to visit a vet right away, but from information Melisa gleaned, she ascertained Nena’s owners were not in a financial position to be able to take care of the dog properly. Melisa took matters into her own hands by assuming ownership of Nena with the hopes of giving her animal a new lease on life.
After Melisa took Nena to visit a vet for the first time, Nena’s skin got better, however, the dermatitis soon came back with a vengeance, and, in addition to the return of the skin issues, Nena developed some troubling masses that needed removal. Right on the heels of this bad news, Melisa got into a motorcycle accident resulting in spinal damage. She ended up having to wear a neck brace and had a very difficult time moving around. Having no friends or family around, Melisa turned to Nena for solace and support, and determined to do everything in her power to give Nena the medical care she needed.
Desperate for help Nena turned to Dr. Barry Baum at Center Sinai Animal Hospital. It was there that she learned about the Angel Fund.
“The Angel Fund was responsible for giving me hope that maybe, just maybe, things were going to get better for me and Nena,” said Melisa. “People tried to convince me that since Nena was six years old, I should just put her down, but knowing the breed as I do, there was no way I was going to do that to Nena. The Angel Fund helped me put her back on the road to recovery. Although she’s on long-term meds because of the cancer, she’s nowhere near what she was like when I first brought her to Dr. Baum.”
Melisa is very grateful to still have Nena by her side. “She’s my pick up truck co-pilot, my 100 lb lap dog, and my best friend,” said Melisa.” Without the help of the Angel Fund, we wouldn’t have been able to turn her life around, so that she could still be with me today.”