A country girl at heart, Leslie Moniot embraced her latest adventure. Selling her longtime California ranch, she and her husband bought 10 acres in rural New Mexico in July and set about fixing up a rat-infested, single-wide trailer outside of Las Vegas, N.M.

College-educated and with a business background, Moniot toyed with the idea of creating an animal-related cottage industry on the property. But she also knew she'd take in dogs as fosters, something she's done for almost a decade.

The property was perfect for the small-scale rescue operation she prefers, so once the trailer was livable, Moniot opened up for business in the September, taking the same name, Canine Canyon Ranch, that she had for her place in the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains. She focused on those dogs at the Las Vegas shelter that were slated for euthanasia, along with dogs whose owners could no longer keep them. Her latest rescue was a dog left abandoned for almost two months on the end of a short chain.

"This is the first time that I've almost exclusively been able to pull dogs from death row," she said. "In California, I got almost 80 percent owner-surrenders, because of the economy or whatever else was going on."

An article in the local paper brought more attention, and Moniot felt things were going in the right direction. But in December, Moniot's dreams were shattered. Her husband left her, and Moniot was left holding the bag.

"It was pretty quiet here at Christmas," she said. "Just me and the dogs."

After a few weeks of deliberation, Moniot said she's made up her mind to relocate to Colorado. She's busy selling her personal belongings, and desperately trying to find permanent homes for the remaining foster dogs — three large dogs and possibly two more on a waiting list.

"I don't want these guys to go to the Santa Fe shelter and take the place of some other dog," she said. "I'd take them, but I don't think I could find a place that I could rent with four dogs."

Like many area small-rescue operations, Moniot's Canine Canyon Ranch plays a vital role in giving critters a second chance. While lack of spaying and neutering lies at the heart of the animal overpopulation, such operations can ease the burden at already over-capacity animal shelters and offer companion animals a homelike environment.

"Small rescues can have a dramatic impact on open-admission shelters and help extend their reach," said Mary Martin, executive director of the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society. "They often are run out of private homes and that's great, because many dogs and cats can't cope with even the best shelters."

There is a lack of such operations in Northern New Mexico, Martin said. At a previous job in New York City, Martin said her shelter had pages and pages of such groups. Here, the list includes only six or seven names.

"We refer to these groups as our 'alternative placement partners,' " Martin said. "This partnership gives our kids more options and more visibility."

Unlike the shelter's foster program, animals transferred to "partners," which are vetted first, assume responsibility for care and adoption.

One recent dog, for example, shut down at the shelter, Martin said. Biscuit, a pit-bull mix, passed all the behavioral tests, but over time wasn't able to handle the shelter environment. Foster homes helped, but when he returned to the shelter, he reacted to other dogs.

Martin transferred the dog to a small rescue group in Arizona, the Animal Rescue Center, where recent reports indicate Biscuit is adapting well. While he still lacks a permanent home, the dog has more exposure to potential adopters and a better chance at finding a family.

Small rescue groups are often private and handle anywhere from one to hundreds of companion animals. The cost associated with creating a nonprofit organization keeps many from obtaining the federal status, which helps in collecting tax-deductible donations.

That's the situation Moniot is in, but, unlike many groups, Moniot has a business license for her operation. She's a firm believer in running a rescue operation like a business.

"Some fosters have too many dogs," Moniot said. "They don't move the dogs and they have the same dogs for a year or so. If you don't run your rescue like a business, you will not survive. Someone told me a long time ago, 'You cannot save every dog, and if you try, you can't save any.' I've used that as my credo."

In Las Vegas, Moniot has been able to find homes for about 10 dogs. But every little bit helps in an area that has limited public help with unwanted animals. Recently, Colfax Pet Rescue closed, and longtime animal advocate Maureen O'Brien has said she will move on.

Moniot, who considers herself a "dog foster mom," said opening up one's home to one or even two dogs would help out.

"Dogs want to please you," she said. "Sure, there are some dogs that are out of control, but it's mostly because no one's ever given them any training."

Moniot plunged into the rescue-foster business almost by accident. She was the kind of person who rescued cats, mainly, but when she left Santa Barbara for more property outside of Bakersfield, it dawned on her that she could finally get a dog.

Her first thought was to foster a dog through the humane society as a way of getting to know what breed she preferred — something she calls doggie auditions. She fostered one, and then just kept going.

She founded Canine Canyon Ranch in 2004 and has since helped adopt out more than 800 dogs, about 125 a year, she said.

"People used to make fun of me because I remembered all their names," she said. "Now I don't remember all their names, but I do remember their faces."

She initially planned to create an animal sanctuary, but said "rescue" operation seemed to serve a greater need. Consider Reece, a pit-bull mix who was left on a chain in a Las Vegas-area neighborhood. The dog was likely left on a chain for more than two months in the yard of an abandoned home.

Moniot freed the dog on Christmas Day, after the person who was leaving the dog food and water went on vacation.

"She asked me if I could look after him, but I couldn't just leave him there," she said. "No one was paying attention to this dog; nobody was doing anything."

The dog, one of three ready for adoption, is a sweetie, Moniot said. Emaciated at first, he's filled out and ready to love. "He's probably 3, and I bet he's never been off that chain his whole life," she said. "And the chain was getting shorter and shorter."

Other dogs in need of homes include, Mindie, an 11-month-old retriever and Shar-Pei-mix who Moniot calls a "spunky and feisty chick," and Colt, a "good-ole boy dog" who weighs close to 100 pounds.

Moniot's waiving the adoption fees as she wants to get the animals settled into new homes as quickly as possible. Check out photos and stories about the dogs at her Web site, caninecanyonranch.org, or call 505-425-3289.

While Moniot is leaving the area, she said she'll likely start fostering again once she's landed on her feet. "I can do rescue anywhere," she said. "It's just a matter of having the right property."