Table of contents:

1. June by the Numbers
2. Summer Has Arrived
3. The Water Stations
4. Buddy
5. Where Your Support Went in June
6. From the Field
7. Into July: The Hardest Weeks Ahead

June Feeding Recap: Hotter Days, More Water, and the Dogs Who Keep Waiting

July 2, 2026

June 2026 | Saving The Paws

June is when summer stops being something on the calendar and becomes something the dogs can feel.

The pavement gets hot.

The shade disappears earlier than you'd expect.

Water bowls that were full in the morning can be empty by afternoon.

And the dogs we've been feeding all year don't have anywhere else to go.

So our volunteers adjusted.

Earlier feeding runs. More water stations. Longer drives. More welfare checks.

June was one of our busiest months yet.

Here's what happened.

June by the Numbers

• 15,420 abandoned and stray dogs fed across our US and Canada network
• 1,186 feeding runs completed and photo-documented
• 18 states and 4 Canadian provinces with active volunteer coverage
• 7 new water stations installed across high-heat routes
• 12 emergency welfare checks completed following extreme heat alerts
• Buddy update: he finally stopped running when he saw the feeding truck

We'll come back to Buddy.

Summer Has Arrived

We talked about the heat coming in our May update.

In June, it arrived.

Our teams in Arizona, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Southern California shifted nearly every route to earlier morning or later evening hours.

The reason is simple.

Food is important.

But during extreme heat, water can become just as urgent.

In Phoenix, one of our regular locations had 14 dogs showing up consistently by the second week of June. Volunteers began leaving additional water containers alongside the normal feeding station.

By the end of the month, that location was going through more than 40 gallons of water every week.

And the dogs noticed.

One volunteer told us that the dogs began waiting beside the water station before the car even arrived.

They weren't waiting for food.

They were waiting for water.

The Water Stations

This month, we expanded our summer water program significantly.

Seven permanent water stations were installed in locations where our teams consistently see large numbers of free-roaming dogs.

They're simple.

Large-capacity containers.

Shaded when possible.

Checked, cleaned, and refilled by volunteers on scheduled routes.

Nothing complicated.

But sometimes the simplest things matter most.

One station outside San Antonio became so heavily used that our volunteer team added a second container within a week.

The first morning after the second container was installed, a volunteer watched from the car as five dogs approached.

One drank.

Then another.

Then another.

The last dog stood beside the empty bowl for several seconds before looking toward the road.

As if he was waiting for the person who had promised to come back.

She did.

Buddy

Buddy first appeared on our route in southern Missouri in April.

At the time, he wouldn't come anywhere near the volunteers.

He'd wait until the food was placed down, watch the volunteer return to the truck, and only then approach.

Every single time.

For weeks.

In June, something changed.

It happened during an evening run.

The volunteer pulled into the usual location and opened the truck door.

Buddy was already there.

Instead of running away, he walked toward her.

Not all the way.

Just a few feet.

She placed the food down and stepped back.

Buddy ate.

Then he looked up.

She waited.

He took another step.

Then another.

Eventually, he stood close enough that she could see the small scar across his nose.

She didn't reach for him.

She didn't try to touch him.

She just sat on the ground.

Buddy stayed.

For nearly ten minutes.

That's progress.

Not the kind that makes for a dramatic rescue video.

The quieter kind.

The kind that tells us a dog is starting to believe that maybe we're not leaving.

Where Your Support Went in June

• 7 new water stations installed in high-heat locations
• Additional water supplies delivered to 12 existing feeding routes
• Emergency welfare visits following several extreme heat alerts
• Earlier and extended feeding runs across Southern and Southwestern routes
• Fuel and mileage support for volunteers covering longer distances
• Additional food supplies for locations experiencing increased summer turnout

The Hero VIP Club played an important role in making these changes possible.

Monthly support gives our field teams something incredibly valuable:

the ability to act before an emergency becomes a crisis.

When temperatures suddenly rise, we don't have to wait for the next fundraiser to buy water.

When a route suddenly has twice as many dogs, we can send more food.

When a volunteer needs to make an extra trip, we can help cover the mileage.

That consistency matters more than people realize.

From the Field

"Buddy used to disappear the second I opened the truck door. This month he stayed. I didn't touch him. I didn't need to. He stayed, and that was enough."

— Volunteer Team, Southern Missouri

"The water station is becoming the first thing we check now. We used to think of feeding as the main job. In June, we learned that keeping them hydrated can be just as important."

— Field Team, Phoenix, AZ

"There are dogs that have never known what it feels like to have someone come back tomorrow. That's what we're trying to change."

— Volunteer Team, San Antonio, TX

Into July: The Hardest Weeks Ahead

July is typically one of the most demanding months of the year for our field teams.

Temperatures will continue climbing across many of our routes.

Water consumption will increase.

Volunteers will be making longer, more frequent runs.

And the dogs will keep waiting.

We're preparing now.

More water supplies are being ordered. Additional routes are being evaluated. Teams in the highest-risk areas are coordinating earlier visits and emergency checks.

And we need this community with us.

If you've been considering joining the Hero VIP Club, this is exactly what consistent monthly support makes possible.

Your $29.99/month membership helps fund feeding runs, water stations, emergency welfare visits, and the everyday costs of keeping these routes operating.

And you'll continue receiving photo documentation from the field so you can see where that support goes.

Buddy is still cautious.

The dogs in Phoenix are still waiting by the water station.

The new routes are still growing.

And tomorrow morning, our volunteers will show up again.

Because that's what they promised.

With gratitude that never gets old,

Rachel, Robert & the Saving The Paws volunteer family 🐾

Follow our monthly field updates and feeding recaps on our blog. Every dog documented. Every run counted. Every supporter seen.