Petco Foundation

April 2018. We are thrilled to be recognized by the Petco Foundation for our lifesaving work! A $5,000 investment has helped us continue to rescue dogs from overcrowded conditions and find loving homes for the dogs in our local community and beyond. We were one of the 9 finalists in the 2018 Innovation Showdown, a collaborative project bringing the nation’s top animal welfare organizations together to invest in lifesaving innovation, and were awarded this grant as a result. This investment was used for our canine transport program, whereby we rescue dogs typically from southern shelters that face overcrowding conditions, often resulting in euthanasia. We worked with multiple animal welfare organizations that arrange the transports and bring the dogs to receiving shelters like Pets Alive. The transport organizations charge a small “pull” fee to help defray the cost of animal transport preparation such as spay/neuter services.

In total, we were able to rescue 78 dogs with this investment and have found homes for most of the animals. A few of the dogs saved – and adopted – are as follows:

Ringo found his way to Pets Alive through our partnership with Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville, NC, who works with various shelters facing overcrowding and arranges the transports to receiving shelters. Fifteen other dogs came to Pets Alive with Ringo in June, 2018. Ringo was adopted in early September and loves his new home! Says Ringo’s mom: “Ringo came home with us this summer. In the five months since he’s joined our family he has given us countless smiles, heartfelt laughter and abundant joy. The joy he brings is not limited to us. It always fills my heart when Ringo happily wags as people pass us on our walks and they smile too. Everyday is better because of him.”

Other dogs that were rescued as a result of this grant include the following:

May 2017. We are honored to be recognized by the Petco Foundation with a $2,000 investment to help us find loving homes for special needs dogs at our shelter.. We initiated the Diamonds in the Ruff program where adoption fees are waived. Specific dogs have been selected to be part of the program to help promote their adoption. Canine candidates for the program have various situations such as their senior age, tenure at the shelter, chronic medical conditions, or need for a specific type home environment such as a home without other pets or children.

“This grant that is helping us find homes for dogs that may otherwise not get adopted,” said Becky Tegze, Executive Director at Pets Alive. “We are incredibly thankful for Petco Foundation’s support in helping us get these wonderful dogs adopted.”

Rocky is a “Diamonds in the Ruff” alumnus. Rocky lived his entire life in a junkyard – exposed to the elements – until being rescued by Pets Alive in 2015. He is a big, 7-year-old dog and was often overlooked because of his size and advanced age. One special couple came along recently and fell in love with Rocky. On November 1, 2017, Rocky went to his forever home and now enjoys all the comforts of home.

About the Petco Foundation

At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we’ve invested more than $230 million in lifesaving animal welfare work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. We partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoptions. So far, we’ve helped more than 5.5 million pets find their new loving families, and we’re just getting started. Visit petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.