Hugs For Harry Dog Rescue was founded as a non-profit dog rescue sanctuary in the Spring of 2025 by Melonie Jackson and Alexandra Saunders, and named in honor of a dog who changed everything.

Harry was a pit bull rescued from the brutal underworld of dog fighting. When Melonie met him while working in a shelter, his body carried the scars of cruelty. He had been used as a bait dog — discarded, wounded, and deeply traumatized. And yet, even in his brokenness, there was something unextinguished in his eyes.

Melonie chose to see that spark.

Through patience, quiet consistency, and countless hours of gentle care, she earned Harry’s trust. Little by little, he stepped out from the shadows of fear. The dog once defined by violence revealed his true nature: tender, affectionate, deeply loyal. He became a love-bug — a soul so sweet it was impossible not to be transformed by him.

Harry’s life is the heartbeat of this rescue.

Today, Melonie and Alexandra continue his legacy by advocating for and rescuing senior, disabled, and abandoned dogs — the overlooked, the fragile, the ones others pass by. Every dog who walks through our doors carries a story. And like Harry, each one deserves the chance to heal, to be seen, and to be loved beyond their scars.

Hugs For Harry exists because one dog proved that even the most wounded hearts can bloom.