Located in California’s San Mateo County, Running out of Hay is a sanctuary focused on offering a loving and permanent haven for senior, hospice, special needs, and “unadoptable” guinea pigs & rabbits.

Clare started fostering rabbits and guinea pigs for other local rescues and animal shelters in 2018 and has since fostered over 60 animals. In that time, she developed a soft spot for the seniors and animals with ongoing medical needs. These animals were the hardest to find homes for and were often labeled “unadoptable.“

Most rescues are focused on finding forever homes for the animals in their care. When they take on “unadoptable“ or “sanctuary“ animals it can drain financial resources and take valuable space away from adoptable animals and the mission of finding animals forever homes.

That is where Running out of Hay comes in. Our entire mission is to provide a loving forever home to the animals in our care. Each animal gets individual care and attention each day, and we work closely with an amazing exotic animal veterinarian to ensure that each animal has the best quality of life for as long as possible.

Ms. Tiggy was the first sanctuary guinea pig I adopted. She came into a local animal shelter as a lonely, underweight senior. Twice during her time in care she developed urinary stones that required veterinary intervention to remove. She was still thin and not gaining weight. As a senior with a history of medical problems, she had zero adoption interest. It was decided that if she developed a third urinary stone, she would be euthanized.

I couldn’t stand to think of Ms. Tiggy living the last chapter of her life alone and in a shelter, so I adopted her. Once she was introduced into my guinea pig herd her whole demeanor changed. She was more active and playful, and even gained some weight back! My veterinarian put her on medicine to ease her arthritis symptoms and to prevent the formation of new urinary stones.

Ms. Tiggy only lived for 2 weeks after her adoption. She rapidly declined one day and had to be euthanized. Necropsy showed she had an aggressive cancer on her spleen.

This may sound like a sad story— and yes, I was devastated at the time. However, I do not regret adopting Ms. Tiggy. She was able to live out the last 2 weeks of her life in a large space, with lots of friends, delicious food, and plenty of enrichment.