With local shelters bursting at the seams, Estrella is one of the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe’s longest-tenured residents longing to finally find her loving furever home.

Maddie’s Fund helps nearly 1,800 pets find their furever homes.

Critter rehab

Critters of all shapes and sizes come calling at the Lake Tahoe Rehabilitation Center. Walk through a day in the life of the busy facility, complete with an appearance by a baby chipmunk and a venerable bald eagle. Reporting and broadcasting by Eve Quesnel, with a minor assist from MI editor Becca Loux.

Dog days with a canine forensics expert

Kayle is an 11-year-old who searches for human remains using her nose. This trained border collie and her owner, John Grebenkemper, have helped add clarity to what is known about famous Donner Party’s campsites. Reporting and broadcasting by Alex Hoeft.

The people of Truckee/North Tahoe find ways to help out in a time of global crisis. From food donations to keeping pets fed to making face masks, residents are stepping it up.

The Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe is one of 50 shelters across the U.S. participating in Cat Pawsitive, a program intended to increase the adoptability of felines.

How many volunteers does it take to run an animal shelter? The answer, it turns out, is more than 400 — and they don’t just help run an animal shelter. They do things like make hospital visits, foster the literacy of young readers, and make possible the adoption of over 600 animals annually.

A depredation (or kill) permit on a Tahoe City bear was carried out by California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, sparking community outrage and response. Part of their dissent? Looks like the DFW got the wrong bear.