Retired woman runs animal rescue out of her home

POCATELLO — A retired woman has been running a local animal rescue from her home since 2020. Ronna Martinez, of Pocatello, has a goal to protect animals and find them homes.

In her backyard, Kratos and Rosie, brother and sister pit bulls, run through the crisp fall air to Martinez. When the siblings reach her, she gets down to their level and greets them.

The three-year-old dogs are being fostered by Martinez and prepared for their forever home. Martinez, the founder and president of Aiding 2 Adoption (A2A), has overseen the rescue and rehoming of around 1,100 animals.

“That is our end goal, to protect those animals that really don’t have a voice, to the end game which is to find them a home,” Martinez said.

A2A doesn’t operate out of a facility. Instead, it relies on a foster care system, which allows animals to adjust to new living conditions before going on to a permanent home.

Martinez runs the rescue operations out of her home, where she keeps track of over 100 dogs and cats currently in the care of nearly 30 foster families.

The rescue’s numbers have held steady all year, with another animal coming in right after they adopt one out, she said.

An important part of finding new homes for the animals is the socialization they get in foster homes, Martinez said.

It takes more to rescue an animal than removing them from a bad situation, she said. She doesn’t consider an animal safe until their past trauma is dealt with and they’re ready to be a part of a forever home.

“It’s not complete until you can vet an animal, until you can socialize an animal and the animal is truly, truly rescued,” Martinez said.

Martinez said that in her years of running the rescue, she’s come across a few situations that were, “very horrific.”

And more often, she gets animals that people say are too old to be adopted, or too bonded with their previous owner. Despite these difficulties, she’s only once been unable to place an animal with a family. In that extreme case, A2A had to put down an aggressive dog after working with a trainer.

“It’s amazing how resilient animals are and how they adapt,” Martinez said.

A2A holds a live adoption event for dogs and cats on the fourth Saturday of every month at Petsmart, from noon to 4 p.m. Potential adopters can meet the animals as well as their foster parents, who are there to answer any questions.

Those who want to adopt must fill out an application to start the process. After that, they meet with the foster parents. This helps ensure the cat or dog is being rehomed in a stable environment.

Kratos and Rosie are two of A2A’s animals. Martinez is personally fostering them, and they are available for adoption.

While Martinez said they could be split up, she’s trying to find someone to adopt them together. The brother and sister have been together since they were born, and she’d like to keep it that way.

“They are wonderful dogs and they defy any definition of a bully dog,” Martinez said. “They are nothing but big loves, both of them.”