The Dog Is Dead. The Donations Are Not.
How a Rescue Used Shelterluv to Collect Money for a Dog They Euthanized Two Years Ago
There’s a dog named Donte. A beautiful white pit bull mix, wearing a blue bandana in his profile photos. His bio says he’s deaf but full of life, good with kids, and dreaming of plush toys and cuddles. You can visit his page right now on Shelterluv and click “Donate” to help care for him.
There’s just one problem.
Donte has been dead for two years.
On March 22, 2023, Donte was euthanized by Two by Two Rescue, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Helena, Alabama. Yet as of April 2025, his public adoption profile on ShelterLuv remains active, complete with a glowing personality write-up, a $300 adoption fee, and a fully functioning donation button.
I know this because I tested it. I donated $25 to Donte’s profile myself last week.
And I have the receipt. There doesn’t seem to be an option to apply to adopt Donte from this link, to be transparent. However, the link title clearly says “Donte is available for adoption at two by Two Animal Rescue” when I shared the link to my Facebook.
But here's the thing—this isn’t just a one-off mistake. It's part of a pattern I’ve been investigating and exposing on my podcast, Catey Unfiltered.
Who Is Two by Two Rescue?
If you're just joining the story, here's the quick version:
Two by Two Rescue, founded and directed by Sonya King, has long presented itself as a beloved, reputable rescue operation with high-profile donors and glowing social media praise. But behind the scenes? The stories paint a far different picture.
Through interviews, court documents, and firsthand accounts from former employees, volunteers, adopters, and fosters, I’ve exposed:
Donor-driven animal placements, where dogs were taken from foster-to-adopt homes and handed over to people with deeper pockets or social status.
Dogs being shuttled between unlicensed boarding kennels with questionable conditions.
Emotional manipulation of volunteers and adopters—including threats of defamation lawsuits, and even criminal prosecution, if they spoke out.
A revolving door of mistreated staff and volunteers, many of whom now suffer PTSD from the culture inside the organization.
And yes—animals like Donte, whose stories are used to collect money using gross misrepresentations of their health status.
How Shelterluv Works—and How It’s Being Exploited
Shelterluv is a digital platform used by animal shelters and rescues to manage animals, adoptions, and donations. Each animal gets a public-facing profile with a biography, photos, and a donation button.
But here’s the loophole:
Even if an animal is marked as “deceased” internally, their public page on ShelterLuv doesn’t automatically disappear. That’s entirely up to the rescue to manually update or deactivate.
So, if a rescue decides not to remove a deceased animal’s profile—or worse, chooses to leave it up on purpose—they can continue to collect money from donors who have no idea the dog is dead.
That’s what happened with Donte.
The Evidence: Donte’s Still-Accepting Donation Page
Donte’s Shelterluv profile (ID: TBTR-A-4519) is still public (as of the time of this publication). It reads like he’s alive and waiting for a family. It includes tags like “good with children” and “house trained.” It even tells donors that he “can’t wait to hear from you.”
But thanks to a former Two by Two employee, I obtained internal system screenshots confirming that Donte was euthanized on March 22, 2023.
Despite that, his profile continues to collect money.
I donated $25 via the donation link on April 1, 2025. It went through without a hitch. I received a transaction receipt with Shelterluv branding and the Two by Two name, address, telephone number, and website.
That’s not outdated automation. That’s active deception.
Why It Matters
Nonprofit rescue work relies on trust—between donors, fosters, adopters, and the organizations themselves. So when a rescue knowingly keeps a dead dog’s profile online and solicits money through it, that’s not just unethical. It’s fraud.
This isn’t a rescue that made a clerical error. This is a rescue that, when exposed for abuse, manipulation, and mismanagement, threatened whistleblowers with lawsuits and branded concerned adopters as “troublemakers.”
And now? They're taking your money in a dead dog’s name.
The Apologists Have Logged On
After my public Facebook post was shared in a local Facebook group, the damage control brigade showed up—right on schedule. One commenter (repeatedly) insisted she’s “just trying to get to the truth,” while simultaneously:
Claiming the dog isn’t listed for adoption (he is).
Claiming the rescue isn’t accepting donations through his profile (they are).
Claiming I’m the one exploiting the dog (I’m the one who reported the exploitation).
Claiming they don’t control Shelterluv (they do).
Claiming all animal profiles are left up as a routine archive (yet Donte’s still says “Adoption Fee: $300” and doesn’t mention his death at all).
She also said my name should be Oscar Mayer because I’m “full of bologna,” then wished me luck. I told her I don’t need luck—I have documentation.
But what I found especially interesting was her claim that I haven’t corrected or clarified anything. Here’s the thing: nothing I posted needs correcting. Donte’s profile is live. The donation button works. The rescue's internal system confirms he died in 2023. I backed it all up with receipts—literally and figuratively.
If you’re more upset about me exposing the grift than the grift itself, then maybe the problem isn’t my tone. It’s your tolerance.
This Story Is Far From Over
If you're new here, welcome—and buckle up. The bulk of my coverage doesn’t live in these posts alone. You can hear it all in longform on my podcast, Catey Unfiltered, available here on Substack and on Spotify.
Follow me on all platforms here. I am most active on my Meta verified Facebook profile which you can find here.
And trust me—more is coming.
In the pipeline:
A conversation with Two by Two’s former medical coordinator
An explosive interview with the former adoption coordinator
And a series of calls with other former employees and insiders who had front-row seats to the dysfunction
Each conversation? Just as shocking as the last.
Until next time, stay unfiltered, friends.
—Catey
This is shocking and disgusting 💔💔 this rescue needs to be stopped and the animals put into reputable places of shelter 🥺 breaks my heart because it damages other shelters because people have trust issues after such scams /dishonesty 😔