ORLANDO, Fla. — Running an animal rescue has become a labor of love for one Orlando couple.

Nick and Ali Yocca can host up to 20 dogs and 20 cats at a time at Second Chance Animal Rescue & Sanctuary, which they run out of their Orlando home, caring for them with the help of volunteers.

For a handful of animals, the Yoccas’ house is their forever home. They won’t be adopted out because of severe medical needs or behavioral issues.

Running the rescue is a full-time job, except it doesn’t pay the bills — donations and adoption fees only cover about 30% of the rescue's budget, Nick said. He and his wife cover the rest.

“We average about 100 hours per week,” Nick said of the amount of work he and his wife put in to run the rescue.

He said they do freelance work when they can to help make up the difference.

When he and Ali first met, Nick said they knew not loving animals would be a deal-breaker in a relationship. 

“Within an hour of our first date, I asked her if she loved dogs or not,” he said. “And she laughed, because she had four already and I had two, so that quickly became six.”

Some animals they rescue are surrendered by their owners, and others are saved from backyard breeders and dog fighting rings, Nick said.

“Flower has a broken tail,” he said, referencing a puppy from a new litter they took in recently. “She’s got skin issues due to flea bites.”

It's heartbreaking to see the conditions of some of the animals, but they come out of their shells and become whole new animals over time, thanks to socializing, Nick said.

“The wags, all the wiggle butts that we get here, keep us going,” Ali said. “We love that we’re taking care of them and they’re in a safe place.”

Nick said that while he has noticed more people surrendering their animals this year, adoption numbers are down.