If you have ever visited the ranch you have probably met my "girl pack."

They are an integral part of the ranch. Each of these girls is a rescue. Truly was dropped off at the Berkeley Animal Shelter by a group of homeless people. She was sick and full of fox tails so bad she needed two surgeries. Momma and Sophie are typical desert dumps. Momma was dropped off along with her puppies in Mojave where she raised and protected them until I found her. There were four puppies but I was only able to catch two, and though I went back over and over, I never found the other two. Sophie's brother was adopted but Sophie remains leery of people. With some animals, you never know what they went through but each of us has a chance to make a difference in their lives.

This year has been extremely hard on our local rescues. They are bursting at the seams with animals in need of placement. You only have to look at any Facebook lost and found animal page to see how big the problem is.

And so, we want to give you a chance to change a life by announcing our First Annual Adoption Party on May 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is so exciting to think the ranch may play a small part in finding homes for deserving animals and bring the kind of joy that cannot be explained to the people adopting these very worthy dogs and cats. And by the way, there will be other animals available including goats, lambs, pigs, horses and maybe even an emu here at the ranch looking for homes.

Imagine coming to the ranch to visit the critters that live here: zebra, camels, bison, fallow deer, reindeer, water buffalo,...and finding a new member of your family at the same time. We have over a dozen rescues coming to bring you that very special friend. And that's not all. There will be food trucks and vendors with everything from local honey and candles to custom t-shirts and a whole lot more. If your rescue would like to be a part of this event, please contact me at (661) 809-3965. And we still have room for a few more vendors.

I learned a long time ago, you can't save them all, but it matters to the ones you save. Come on out and get kissed by a camel and add a new member to your family. It matters.