When an animal arrives with a birth defect, a disability or a medical problem that demands round-the-clock care, the options can run out quickly.

For a lot of those animals, the last open door belongs to Josh and His Critters.

The California 501(c)(3) nonprofit operates as a special needs animal rescue, rehabilitation center and sanctuary for animals that are abandoned, injured, sick, disabled or born with serious challenges.

Its founder, Tina Marie Lythgoe, has built the entire operation around one guiding idea: everything with a heartbeat deserves a chance.

It is not a slogan she keeps on a sign.

It decides who comes through the gate.

The animals she accepts are often the very ones a traditional shelter might turn away or consider for euthanasia because their care is too complicated, too costly or too time-consuming.

According to the organization, other shelters now call her when they face a case they cannot or will not take on.

The rescue's name traces back to one very small dog.

Josh, a West Highland Terrier mix, was just 48 hours old when he landed at a Ventura County shelter with a cleft palate, and the expectation was that he would be put down.

A rescue group reached out to Tina and asked whether she could take him.

She said yes, and within hours the newborn was in her home.

Tina bottle-fed him through those fragile first weeks and guided him through his early medical hurdles until he grew into a healthy, happy dog.

His survival became the proof behind her message: a birth defect does not have to be a death sentence.

Josh went on to become a small celebrity in his own right.

He and Tina appeared on the cover of a national dog magazine in 2015, shared their story on a national radio program called Critter Radio, and inspired a book titled I'm Not Defective: The Story of Josh.

Proceeds from the organization's books go straight back into rescue work.

Tina says she has been rescuing animals for roughly 30 years, and Josh and His Critters has been serving the Antelope Valley community for more than a decade.

She received a humanitarian award in 2011, but she describes rescue less as a job and more as something that has been part of who she is for most of her life.

The word critters in the name is meant literally.

The sanctuary has taken in dogs, cats, rabbits, goats, pigs, chickens, turtles, guinea pigs, rats, mice and gophers, along with pigeons, starlings, sparrows and certain doves.

In short, if an animal can legally be helped, there is a good chance Tina has tried.

Her reach also stretches well beyond the high desert, with the organization saying it has helped people around the world save animals over the phone.

A letter of recommendation shared with us paints a picture of work that goes far beyond running a shelter.

The writer described Tina's patience with frightened animals, her willingness to take on long and difficult rehabilitation, and the change that comes over a neglected animal once it finally receives steady, consistent care.

That may be the best way to understand what happens at this animal sanctuary.

Some arrivals need medical treatment.

Others need rehabilitation, specialized feeding or permanent sanctuary care.

Many simply need someone willing to believe their life still matters.

And time after time, Tina keeps saying yes.

That kind of commitment does not run on goodwill alone.

Josh and His Critters relies on community support to cover food, veterinary bills, rehabilitation, shelter and the daily care its animals require.

Antelope Valley residents can help by donating, following the animals' progress and sharing their stories with friends.

The organization accepts donations by credit card, Zelle, Cash App and Venmo, and it posts videos and rescue updates on its Facebook and Instagram pages.

The sanctuary is located at 4403 Backus Road in Mojave, on the Kern County side of the high desert, and Tina can be reached at (818) 209-6730.

For pet owners and animal lovers across the AV, there is something worth pausing on here.

It is easy to care for an animal that is young, healthy and easy to place.

It takes something different to care for the one everyone else has decided is too injured, too old, too different or simply too much work.

Josh and His Critters exists for exactly those animals.

For the critters who make it through Tina's door, that one chance can change everything.

How to help Josh and His Critters

Donate to the sanctuary to help cover food, veterinary bills and daily care.

Read the rescue's story on the Josh and His Critters website.

Follow the animals' progress on Facebook and Instagram.