Their motto is "Quality of life for all God's creatures."

And as far as the Animal Agents are concerned, no animal is too sick, too neglected or too disabled to deserve a chance at a happy life.

Animal Agents, a local non-profit group run by a mother-daughter team, is devoted to rescuing hundreds of animals who have been abused, abandoned or just lost. The organization matches the animals with a new owner who will love and care for them as a member of the family.

"We look forward to a day when abuse and neglect of animals will be a thing of the past and we will be forced out of business because there will be no more homeless animals," said Julia Sembrano, president and co-founder of Animal Agents.

Sembrano runs Animal Agents with the help of her mother, Barbara Turk. The women live together on 10 acres out in the country between Kingsburg and Selma. Four of those 10 acres are devoted to providing homes for dogs, cats, goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks, a miniature horse and a giant lamb.

"It's a sanctuary, not a shelter," Sembrano said of their unique organization.

Unlike a pound where dogs can be found lying sadly on cold cement slabs in small caged areas, the dogs at Animal Agents play together in big yards outside of the cabins where they sleep at night. They are grouped together by big dogs, little dogs, senior citizens, and puppies. For the cats, there is a huge caged area for when they want some fresh air, adjacent to an indoor home with cubbies that reach to the ceiling containing soft beds.

The "special needs" dogs are kept in the house. Among them is Willy, who was rescued from a local pound before he was euthanized. His back end is paralyzed, so he wears a diaper and needs a wheelchair to walk.

Although some may have seen Willy as a lost cause, Sembrano and Turk took him in and will keep the little dog throughout his life if no one wants to adopt him.

"My mom and I have a real heart for special-needs dogs," Sembrano said.

Other dogs include Munch, a purebred Pomeranian who was rescued from a breeder. She couldn't be sold because she was blind.

Betty Boop is a little dog whose owner had taken her to the vet to be euthanized because she wouldn't share the food with their other dog. Fortunately for Betty Boop, Turk just happened to be at the vet that day, and took her home. She plays happily in the yard with the other little dogs, and Sembrano said that sharing food hasn't been a problem.

Helen, a huge fluffy dog, was dropped off by the police department. She has a neurological disorder that causes her to walk funny. Sembrano said that because of her disorder, Helen will likely never be adopted. She has a sponsor whose monthly support will allow her to live out her life at Animal Agents.

And then there are the farm animals.

Hugh is a very large lamb who has been living at Animal Agents for the past four years. Sembrano guesses that Hugh was being raised for slaughter when he was separated from his herd. He was picked up and left at a Fresno pound with a bad back leg.

They picked him up and saved him from euthanasia. His bad back leg never healed properly and he also developed arthritis, so he can't walk. But Sembrano said that he eats great and is happy as can be living alongside the chickens.

The day-to-day operations of Animal Agents are an around-the-clock job, but Sembrano also works full-time as an emcee at Table Mountain Casino. Turk is a retired police dispatcher.

Sembrano said that Animal Agents was really started by accident. She started picking up stray dogs here and there and adopting them out, and eventually she started developing a reputation in the area as someone who would take in the animals that no one else wanted.

Sembrano does not make their location public, because she fears people would start dropping unwanted animals over their fence and they would be left with more animals than they could care for.

"We operate at full capacity, so we're limited to what we can take in," she said. "We really want to adopt them out."

Before Animal Agents will adopt out an animal, they conduct a phone interview with the potential "parent" to see if they have an animal that will be a good fit. They also want to ensure that people are looking for a dog or cat that they will take in and love as another member of their family, not just tie them up to a tree as use them as a guard dog.

"We want people to want a family dog," Sembrano said. "We really help people find the right match."

Animal Agents lists pets available for adoption on petfinder.com, and have people come from as far away as the bay area to adopt.

The cost to adopt a dog is $140, and cats are $65. The adoption fee includes spay/neuter, shots, microchip, and a leash and collar. Pets that are available for adoption can be found at petfinder.com, under the zip code 93662.

Sembrano said that most of the dogs that come to them cost $65 right off the bat, because most need a trip to the vet for spay or neuter, vaccinations and health checks. The continued cost of food, housing, transportation, and helpers to care for them adds up.

Sembrano and Turk don't make any money from all the time they contribute, and in fact rely heavily on donations to keep Animal Agents going.

"It's all donations," Sembrano said. "We don't make any money doing this, it doesn't pay me."

Those who would like to help raise money for Animal Agents can host coin drives, bake sales, garage sales, craft fairs, or can collections to support the cause. The organization is in need of funds to build a new medical and recovery building to help special-needs animals like Willy, the dog who uses a wheelchair.

Another way to help is by donating $20 a month to help animals like Hugh, the lamb who can't walk, or Helen, the dog with the neurological disorder. The animals require special care and medications beyond the normal annual food and vet budget, and because they will likely live out their lives at Animal Agents, they need people to help make their lives peaceful and pain free.

Anyone interested in donating to this special program or adopting one of their numerous dogs or cats can call 960-6899, or log onto animalagents.org.