Due to the influx of rescued dogs from the wildfires, room was running out in the Palmdale Shelter in Lancaster, California, meaning time was ticking for Jackie, Pepper and Homer.
“A lot of the time at that shelter at Palmdale, a lot of dogs, if they’re not out in two to three weeks, get euthanized,” Skylar Bayer said. “Not all of them, but a lot of them. It’s already crammed — and then you put the fires on top of that.”
Bayer, a Juneau resident who adopted a dog from Lancaster in 2023, went down again recently because she tracks dogs online. Bayer belongs to a social media networking group that lets people know what dogs are available for adoption. She also makes spreadsheets so people can follow which dogs have euthanasia notices.
“Both Jackie and Pepper had euthanasia notices, so they had a good chance of getting euthanized,” she said. “There are so many great dogs that get euthanized down there for no reason other than there’s just too many of them.”
She brought the three dogs to Juneau Animal Rescue on Saturday. The shelter in Palmdale has one of the highest euthanasia rates in LA County due to the incredibly high volume of animals they receive.
Rick Driscoll, the executive director of JAR, said he was open to sheltering the dogs if Bayer could get them here. He said JAR only euthanizes for behavioral and medical reasons. Driscoll said JAR has an approximately 90% adoption success rate.
Bayer and her husband fronted the costs, which covered flights, gas money, crates, and food and water bowls. Bayer donated her flight miles for part of her ticket, and JAR covered the costs of the health certificates required for Pepper and Jackie.
Bayer’s GoFundMe successfully raised $1,500 in just two days to recoup her and the dogs’ travel costs.
“I’m just really grateful that JAR is such an amazing rescue and I felt like it was a really good place to bring dogs, even though we didn’t have homes lined up for them,” she said. “But I just feel so good about Juneau and JAR that I knew they would be OK if I brought them here.”
It didn’t take long for Homer, a 2-year-old chihuahua mix, to find his home. On Wednesday, he was adopted.
“He was my travel buddy in carry-on and he charmed everyone that we met,” Bayer said.
Rick Driscoll, executive director of Juneau Animal Rescue, spends time with Homer in a dog visiting room on Jan. 28, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Pepper and Homer were visited by Thom Young, Bayer’s husband, on Tuesday, the same day the couple’s GoFundMe goal was reached.
Jackie, a 3-year-old German Shepherd, was put into a foster home shortly after arriving in Juneau. Bayer let JAR know that due to Jackie’s timid nature she would benefit from being fostered until she finds a forever home.
“Jackie is a very sweet, but very scared girl,” Bayer said. “She was probably used for breeding based on what she looks like and she is going to need a lot of TLC (Tender Loving Care), but she’s super sweet and after a couple days with her fosters in LA she started opening up to them. But she’s just going to require some patience and gentleness with whoever adopts her.”
Pepper, a 2-year-old Catahoula Leopard Hound and Alaskan Husky mix, used to share the same pen with Jackie in LA. Driscoll said the dogs bonded there and it would be nice if they were adopted together, but it’s not a requirement. Pepper is also known to be good with children and cats. Pepper and Jackie were still available for adoption as of Wednesday evening.
People can meet the dogs during the shelter’s visiting hours.
“What’s important is they find a home,” Driscoll said while holding Homer, who he said became a quick favorite among shelter employees.
Thom Young and Pepper spend time together at the Juneau Animal Rescue dog visiting room on Jan. 28, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Bayer and Young have four dogs of their own. On Tuesday, Young rested against Pepper’s forehead and thanked her for the kisses. She sat patiently in JAR’s visiting room while Homer stood on his hind legs for a treat.
Young said Pepper was surrendered to Palmdale Shelter because she was “a bit of an escape artist”— she hopped a fence.
“She’s a good dog,” he said, scratching Pepper behind her flecked ears. She showed no sign of going anywhere. Content, she laid down and rolled over for a belly rub.
“These are three dogs, but there’s so many more,” Bayer said.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz.garrett@juneauempire.com or (907) 723-9356.
Skylar Bayer holds Pepper on their way to Juneau. (Photo courtesy of Skylar Bayer)
