Saving families · saving pets
Keep love alive: Saving pets saves their humans.
You’ve been in that room. The vet lays out the number, and maybe you can pay for it. Not every family in that chair can. And that difference can mean everything.
Why this matters this much.
We are one of the few nonprofits in the country that funds this costly level of lifesaving care.
- Elderly people living alone with only a companion animal left.
- Kids with autism or a disability.
- People living with a serious illness, PTSD, anxiety, or depression.
One reader wrote to ERDF about her own father, after her mother died. He’d stopped opening the curtains. The family asked him to take care of their cat, Abercrombie, for a while.
“I feel like that relationship gave me my father back.”
a daughter, in a story shared with ERDF.
More stories like this
Faithful Friends are ALWAYS by your side
Every one of the 675+ loved ones we’ve helped needed someone already in place before the emergency, not after. Become a Faithful Friend, and each month you’ll receive soul-nourishing stories of the pets you’re saving, and invitations to member-only events. Proof arrives because you gave.
Join Faithful FriendsWhat is coming

2026
Better Together 2026 Event
A CELEBRATION OF PETS & THEIR PEOPLE SEPTEMBER 26, 2026 11 am – 3 pm The Pines Pet Cemetery & Cremation Center 764 Riley…

2026
2026 EVENT SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, APRIL 18th BLESSING of the ANIMALS 9:00 am – 10:00 am Faithful Friends Breakfast (exclusive) 9:30 am Doors Open for Photo Shoot, Free…
675+
loved ones helped
$1.3M+
spent on critical care
Families who got the yes
Different emergencies. Different families.
The Love Stories that continue because of you.
Drag, swipe, or use the arrow keys to move through 22 stories.
How it happens
How your gift becomes a yes
Three people make it happen. You can be the third.
The family
The family pays what it can.
Their vet
Their own vet nominates them, and the clinic discounts its rate.
Donors
Donors fund what’s left.
From both sides of the exam room
Be the third.
“Without Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, we would have had to let Diamond go… Not only have you saved me, you have saved OUR FAMILY.”
Diamond’s Mom
100% of donations are spent on veterinary care. Administrative costs are privately funded.
Want to help every month, not just once? Join Faithful Friends.
Reviews
Messages from families our donors have helped
Who We Are
The dog that started it, the vision we’re building toward, and the impact we make.
Ellie’s Story
A few days after Ellie was adopted as a rescue, she was in the ER for what was to be the first of many hospitalizations. It broke her people’s heart to watch families who couldn’t afford treatment leaving with their beloved pets still in pain—or worse. Ellie died in 2021 but her legacy lives on through every pet who gets the emergency or specialty treatment needed and every family who shares their love.
Our Vision
Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund envisions a society that honors the vital role companion animals play in the lives and well-being of humans—where the lack of financial resources needed to provide medical care never threatens to separate humans from their companion animals.
Our Impact
We are the only organization in the area (and one of the few in the nation) that fully funds emergency and specialty vet care– costs that most often result in surrender or economic euthanasia. Pet guardians contribute, vets discount and your donations Save pets; Save families.
“If it weren’t for supporters of Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, people with such love and compassion, I would not be writing this now. You are such blessings. Thank you for saving me from having to say goodbye.”
BobBob’s Mom
In Their Own Words
See the fund at work
Local news, a partner vet, our founder, and the nights that pay for it all.
3:07
What Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund Is All About
WDTN’s Kelley King, with our director and a family whose dog came home.
Our Sponsors
-
Dorothy Lane Market (opens in a new window)
-
Greater Alliance Foundation (opens in a new window)
-
Greene Giving (opens in a new window)
-
My Favorite Muffin, Centerville (opens in a new window)
-
Van Martin Roofing
-
Opens in a new window
-
Ameriprise, Kopeck Wealth Management Group (opens in a new window)
-
CareSource Foundation (opens in a new window)
-
Kroger (opens in a new window)
-
MedVet, Dayton (opens in a new window)
-
Pines Pet Cemetery & Cremation Center (opens in a new window)
-
D&G Roofing & Restoration (opens in a new window)