I started out with my own herd of guinea pigs that quickly went from two….to 10! I started an Instagram page for them (@thekitchenherd) and quickly became entranced with these creatures. Along with the love and adoration, I also quickly saw the ugly side to pet ownership. Through sister rescues in neighboring states, I saw as rescues struggled with people surrendering their pets, hoarding them in unsafe situations and even abandoning them in parks, bushes and in the driveway of rescues.

Seeing that there was no rescue exclusive to guinea pigs here in Las Vegas, I started a community Facebook page for guinea pig lovers. From there, I put out the feelers for people wanting to foster guinea pigs and help our community. So then the rescue was born.

My hopes for the rescue is to of course, save and help as many animals as possible. The priority is to take in animals that have been abandoned or at high risk of euthanasia, abandonment or in dangerous conditions. The second priority intake will be owner surrenders, if space allows.

The other mission of the rescue is to provide education and knowledge of guinea pig care. Vegas Friends GPR will hold monthly events that will consist of health checks for your guinea pig- by donation only. This will include nail trimming, inspection and boar cleaning if applicable (yes, that is a necessary evil if you have a male). This service is available to all our foster parents as well as to anyone in the community.

Mission #3 is to help other local and neighboring rescues. Pet store sales coupled with the pandemic has brought a new wave of unwanted and abandoned animals never seen before. My favorite say is “It takes a Village.” And it truly does. From Las Vegas, to Southern California, from Arizona and beyond, Vegas Friends of GPR is here to help however we can with our sister rescues!