My name is Rebecca Cunha, and I am the founder and director of Hero’s Legacy Rescue and Transport. We are a 501(c)(3) animal rescue organization focusing on saving dogs and cats from euthanasia in overcrowded municipal shelters. We are based out of Casper, Wyoming but we primarily rescue animals in Oklahoma, where the need is far greater.
Hero, his legacy, and our Mission
Heroes Legacy Rescue and Transport was founded in memory of a very special dog named Hero. Technically, Hero wasn’t my dog, but from the moment we met, we formed a bond that was impossible to explain and impossible to break. He was one of the most incredible dogs I have ever known and we became inseparable. He wasn’t just a dog for anyone. He picked his people.
When I lost him to cancer, the loss changed me forever.
As I grieved, I found myself seeing more and more German Shepherds facing euthanasia. There was one in in particular, not long after losing Hero, that was scheduled for euthanasia in OKC. He was transfer only, meaning only a 501(c)(3) rescue organization could save him. I reached out to several rescues in Oklahoma and Wyoming and couldn’t get anyone to help me, despite agreeing to travel hundreds of miles to get him and take full financial responsibility over his care. However, I couldn’t get any rescue to help. That boy was euthanized because nobody stepped up, though it was not for lack of trying on my part. That’s when I realized I never wanted a dog’s future to depend on whether another organization had space, resources, or availability when I was willing to fight for that dog’s life myself.
That realization became Heroes Legacy Rescue and Transport.
Our mission is to rescue dogs at risk, provide them with the care and advocacy they deserve, and give them the opportunity to find loving, permanent homes. While Hero’s life inspired the beginning of this journey, his legacy lives on in every dog we save, every family we unite, and every second chance we provide.
We believe every dog deserves someone willing to stand up for them when no one else will. For us, that’s what rescue is all about.
Hero may be gone, but his legacy continues with every life we save.
