S
outh County Tail Waggers
mission statement is
“People Saving Dogs, and
Dogs Saving People Right
Back!” On a cold November
night in 2015, Mickie, a
Miniature Pinscher, cowered behind a garbage
can, alone and frightened. When she was
finally coaxed out, South County Tail Waggers
(Tail Waggers) was born.
At first, Tail Waggers provided support for
animals held by the Gilroy Police Department,
but Tail Waggers wanted to do more. So, they
created a private no-kill shelter for dogs; then,
a foster program; then, their Community
Influence Program. The Community Influence
Program arranges dog visits with incarcerated
minors, seniors, at-risk youth, foster children,
and patients in the hospital. Tail Waggers
offered a free spay and neuter program, and
currently in-the-works is development of a
curriculum to bring animal welfare awareness
to the K-12 classroom. And still they want to
do more.
About 90 percent of the dogs that Tail
Waggers rescues come straight from “death
row.” The other 10 percent come from owner-
surrenders: people who want help finding
their dog a good home.
“We have contacts with a number of shelters
—north, from San Jose to Santa Rosa, south to
L.A., and east to the valley, Modesto and Los
Banos,” Marguerite Murphy said. She is the
Founder and Executive Director of Tail Waggers.
“They contact us if a dog is on death row.”
Tail Waggers’ website reads: “It’s an unfor-
tunate misconception that rescue dogs are
‘broken,’ or that there is something wrong
with them. On the contrary, our Tail Waggers
are some of the most charming, loving and
grateful dogs you will ever be lucky enough
to meet!” All Tail Waggers dogs are carefully
evaluated for temperament, examined by a
licensed veterinarian, vaccinated, spayed/neu-
tered, and micro-chipped.
A small pack of Tail Waggers clients meet
me at the amphitheater in Christmas Hill Park.
They are joined by Marguerite; Kelli Lopez,
Volunteer Coordinator and Board Member;
Ariana Stauble, Secretary, Event Coordinator,
and Board Member; Michelle Manrubia, foster
and dog wrangler. Also, Rusty, a long-legged
Boxer-Lab with dewlaps and a serious expres-
sion; and Reilly, a compact, mellow, black Pit
Bull-mix with “Flying Nun” ears. Rusty is calm
and curious, but when they found him as a
puppy, he was tied to a pole in a backyard.
He howled when they tried to touch him and
pulled on the rope to get as far away as possible.
Marguerite is the leader of the pack, but
she readily admitted, “It’s not me, it’s the team.
We form ideas. They rally around them. They
make it happen. I’m ambitious,” she said, but
quickly added, “we’re ambitious.” Kelli and
Ariana laughed. “No, you are,” she told them.
“We just serve.”
“I have about 250 volunteers on my list,”
Kelli said, “mostly teenagers who need to get
their community service hours. Of course,
they all want to work at the adoption fairs.
Anytime there’s a dog present, the volunteers
fill up in minutes.” Ariana said, “We just need
more volunteers.”
Tail Waggers saves dogs, and as their mis-
sion statement states, it’s also about “dogs
saving people right back.” The benefits of pet
therapy are well documented: lowered blood
pressure, a calming effect from released endor-
phins, an automatic relaxation effect, a lifting
of spirits, lessening of depression, sense of
comfort, and decrease in anxiety. This is why
Tail Waggers take dogs directly to the people.
“We have a close relationship with the San
Martin shelter,” Marguerite said. “Volunteers
pick up dogs and take them to kids at Rebekah’s
Children’s Services, the YMCA, senior centers,
and Merrill Gardens, for example. The shelter
knows where we’re going. They’ll say these
three will be good with Rebekah’s, these two
for seniors, etcetera.”
Tail Waggers doesn’t have a physical loca-
tion. Rescued dogs are kept by fosters who
socialize them in their homes. For some dogs
it’s their first experience of how to live with a
family, follow house rules, and develop a per-
sonal, loving relationship with their caregiv-
ers. The ultimate goal is to find forever homes
for all their rescues.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SPRING 2020
gmhtoday.com
“It wasn’t anything I
planned to do, but it’s
when dogs go to their
forever family, and I get
pictures and updates, that
I get totally transformed.
It’s seeing those updates
that make everything
worthwhile.”
Marguerite Murphy
29