Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals Rescue

In 1979, while driving to Bakersfield, California, Grillo rescued a black Dobermann which had been abandoned in the Angeles National Forest. He named the dog Delta, the first of thousands of animals Grillo made it his mission to save. A few months after rescuing his organization's namesake, Grillo discovered a few dozen more castaways during another outing to the forest. He brought them to his family home, which drew the ire of neighbors. Grillo purchased and renovated a condemned kennel for the animals and moved it to his present site in Acton.

In 1989, Grillo set the first traps in a campaign to remove feral cats that for decades had lived on the beachfront rocks along the promenade outside Holiday Inn in Ventura. He received an endorsement of the move from the state Parks and Recreation Department, which controls San Buenaventura State Beach. Grillo said the two dozen cats he rescued were remnants of a sick and dying colony that at one time numbered about 100.^[11]

The dogs are paired off in hundreds of yards with stucco dwellings, wading pools and shade coverings. Hundreds of feral or previously abused and abandoned felines live in more than 40 indoor/outdoor catteries.^[2]

In association with a physician at UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center, D.E.L.T.A. Rescue established the world's first kidney dialysis center for dogs and cats. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue has a total of two state-of-the-art hospitals that include dog and cat intensive care units, physical therapy and rehabilitation, deep-tissue ultrasound, electrostimulation, treadmill and hydrotherapy. "There are no restrictions on practicing medicine. We treat each animal like a person," said Grillo. "[We keep] them comfortable at all times. Heart disease, geriatrics, cancer, kidney disease and other chronic illness are treated here." D.E.L.T.A. Rescue chief veterinarian Dr. Gaylord Brown says he has no idea how much the medical care costs. "The nice thing about it is, I honestly don't have to worry about that," Brown said. "Leo says, 'You tell me what needs to be done and I'll get out there and see that it happens.'"^[2]

The D.E.L.T.A. Rescue sanctuary is home to Horse Rescue of America, which houses more than 30 previously forsaken horses. It was established in 1988 for the purpose of saving the lives of wild horses and burros slated for wholesale slaughter in North America.^[14]

On August 30, 2009, the safety of the D.E.L.T.A. Rescue sanctuary was threatened when a nearby wildfire became treacherous. The arson fire started in La Cañada-Flintridge. Two firefighters were killed after the blaze moved in three directions. During a broadcast on KNX radio, Leo Grillo pleaded for an air assault. On September 28, 2009, Grillo distributed a nationwide press release, calling for a federal probe into circumstances that led up to the blaze. Grillo blamed a lack of air support for the wildfire, which became the largest blaze in the modern-day history of Los Angeles County.^[15] "[The United States Forest Service] had the golden opportunity to put it out and they didn't," Grillo said.

On 30 September 2009, U.S. Forest Service officials announced a review of the initial multi-agency response to the 160,000-acre (650 km²) Station Fire amid complaints from Grillo and other residents that the early firefighting effort was poor. In a signed statement on this same day, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, applauded the probe.^[16] The United States Forest Service administers the nation's 155 national forests. The Station fire blackened more than 250 square miles (650 km²) of the Angeles National Forest.^[17]

Video shows staff and USFS during this sand fire of 2016

In 2024 a Los Angeles court ruled against D.E.L.T.A. Rescue in a wrongful dismissal and employment discrimination case.^[7] In a deposition Grillo made a number of statements referring to the plaintiff as a “lettuce picker” and a “bimbo” and making statements such as “I don’t speak Mexican.” D.E.L.T.A. Rescue was unsuccessful in suppressing the statements from the trial evidence.^[9] The court assessed $6.7 million in damages to the plaintiff. In 2025, D.E.L.T.A. Rescue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it contested the ruling.^[7]

In March 2026, Leo Grillo was arrested and accused by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of paying for the kidnapping of the plaintiff in the civil case to avoid paying her.^[7][5][8]As of July 2026^[update] he is held at Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles awaiting trial.^[18]

In June 2026, the bankruptcy court approved a compromise settlement between the court-appointed trustee and the former employee paying $5.6 million to the latter.^[9][10] According to the trustee's report, D.E.L.T.A.'s animal rescue facility is run with the assistance of its employees but "donations have trended downward over the past numerous months."^[9]