Known on the streets of Los Angeles simply as “The Dog Lady,” longtime activist Lori Weise has spent decades helping unhoused and low-income families stay united with their pets. Through her nonprofit Downtown Dog Rescue, Weise has reimagined what animal rescue can look like—by putting people, their dignity, and their bond with their pets at the center of the mission.
“I became known as The Dog Lady back in the late ’90s,” Weise recalled. “Most of the people I was helping either couldn’t remember my name or didn’t know it. They just knew, hey, it’s the lady that helps us with the dogs.”
Founded out of necessity after witnessing the suffering of both people and animals on the streets, Downtown Dog Rescue now serves families primarily in South Los Angeles. The organization provides spay and neuter services, vaccinations, microchipping, food, and pet supplies—but above all, it focuses on one thing: keeping people and their pets together.
“The number one thing we always ask is, what are they trying to achieve? If they had endless amounts of money, what would they do right now for their pet?” Weise said. “We get them to the point where the person feels as though they’re actually doing something. They’re not justified as somebody that’s unhoused, that doesn’t have a job. They’re accomplishing something for their pet, for their future.”
That approach has helped build trust among a community that is often misunderstood or stigmatized. Weise and her team don’t lead with charity or pity—they begin with respect.
“One of the challenges we have is gaining people’s trust,” she said. “But if a person is doing the best they can with what they have, we step in and help them reach the standard required by animal control and housing services.”
Weise’s work is deeply entangled with the growing housing crisis in California. As rents continue to rise across Los Angeles, more people are being pushed into unstable living situations—and more families are at risk of being separated from their pets.
“The housing crisis is directly connected to my work,” she said. “As rent has risen so incredibly high, it just makes our work that much more difficult.”
For Weise, compassion extends beyond services. She believes small acts of kindness can change the way society sees—and treats—the unhoused population.
“If you’re walking or driving and you see someone with a pet who’s homeless, just say hello,” she said. “Compliment their pet. Don’t offer to fix them. You don’t know what that person is capable of. A lot of this is generational trauma. And no one person is going to fix another person.”
Through Downtown Dog Rescue, Lori Weise continues to lead with empathy, working not just to rescue dogs—but to restore dignity and hope to the people who love them.
