Ruthless Kindness: Spreading Compassion
As the chosen non-profit for our Summer 2025 grant, we recently had the joy of gathering together, raising a glass, and celebrating the work of Ruthless Kindness. Based right here in Sonoma County, Ruthless Kindness is doing exactly what their name suggests: showing up with relentless compassion for both people and animals in crisis.
Founded by two local veterinarians, Dr. Sarah Reidenbach and Dr. Kate Kuzminski, Ruthless Kindness operates on the powerful belief that the health and safety of people and their pets are deeply connected. Their programs provide free mobile veterinary care, emergency pet boarding, and support services for individuals facing some of life’s toughest situations, including domestic violence, homelessness, and trauma.
Ruthless Kindness runs mobile vet clinics across Sonoma, Napa, and Solano Counties, often partnering with human service agencies to bring care directly to the people who need it most. If someone is fleeing abuse or trying to get back on their feet, having a safe and healthy pet can make all the difference and Ruthless Kindness is there to make sure that happens.
They also help survivors of domestic violence who might otherwise stay in unsafe situations because they can’t leave their animals behind. It’s heartbreaking, but true: up to 50% of survivors won’t leave an unsafe situation if they can’t take their pets. Ruthless Kindness steps in with emergency foster care, veterinary support, and pet-friendly resources to ensure no one has to make that impossible choice.
In the past year alone, Ruthless Kindness has:
Delivered over 430 mobile vet appointments, with the majority serving survivors of violence
Provided over $100,000 in free veterinary care
Supplied more than $16,000 in pet food and supplies
Traveled 3,000+ miles across the region in their mobile unit, affectionately called Clifford the Big Red Bus
Fostered animals for over 760 days, covering 100% of the costs
All of this is made possible by a small, mighty team with huge hearts and a deep commitment to serving our local community.
Our giving circle members were deeply moved by Ruthless Kindness’s mission and their on-the-ground impact here in Sonoma County. Their approach is trauma-informed, inclusive, and rooted in kindness, not only for animals, but for the people who love them. They meet folks where they are, whether it’s a shelter parking lot, a transitional housing site, or a vet clinic on wheels.
We’re incredibly proud to support this vital work. The $5,000 grant we awarded along with a $2,000 additional grant from the Nextdoor Foundation given to us to amplify our impact, will go directly toward helping more people and animals stay together and stay safe right here in our own backyard.
If you’d like to learn more about Ruthless Kindness or support their work, visit www.ruthlesskindness.org.
Santa Rosa Women for Good presenting a check for $5000 to Ruthless Kindness at our August 2025 social mixer.