Blue Buffalo donates food and treats to dogs and cats in need
Premium dog treats provided by Michigan Animal Adoption Network (MAAN) help keep pet lovers on a fixed income connected with their local animal welfare organizations. For example, the owner of Buddy, a rescued pit bull terrier mix, is on a fixed income and a few years ago MAAN made it possible for Buddy and his person’s cats to be spayed or neutered for free.
MAAN checks in on the family from time to time, to see if their pets need anything to keep them healthy and happy. Recently the organization was one of several to share a windfall of top-shelf pet food and treats with their community members (like Buddy and his family) and with other organizations in the surrounding area — all thanks to a relationship between the Blue Buffalo Company and Best Friends Animal Society.
Premium connections
Lisa Girardot, Best Friends development manager of in-kind partnerships, is continually looking for ways to support partners of the No More Homeless Pets Network, a Best Friends program that works with rescue organizations across the country to end the killing of dogs and cats in shelters. Lisa learned that about eight Blue Buffalo semitrailers full of cat food, dog food and treats would be available to organizations willing to share it with others. “The generosity of Blue Buffalo allows small and large organizations to maximize their resources and help save more lives,” says Lisa.
She arranged for two truckloads of food to go to the Sanctuary and one to the Best Friends Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center in Mission Hills, California, where it was shared with local groups. Lisa also coordinated truck deliveries to Network partners who could distribute the food to groups near them in Wyoming, Kentucky, Virginia and Michigan.
Early Christmas for the cats
“I was absolutely elated, thinking about all the needy animals and families that would benefit from the food,” says Melisa Miller-Piselli, president of the Humane Society of Shenandoah County, in Virginia. “We are rural and have a very active trap/neuter/return program. I was looking to help some of the colony caregivers, who invest a lot of money in cat food.”
Melisa speaks for many of the organizations when she likens the donation to the gift-giving spirit of the holiday season. “One of the cat colony caregivers who feeds approximately 40 cats was so excited,” she says. “It was an early Christmas present for her since it is always a struggle to find enough money to feed her cats.” The humane society has shared the food and treats with 16 other organizations in the surrounding area.
Blue Buffalo's generosity
The donation was huge for a special-needs Corgi named Berry. Black Dog Animal Rescue, Inc., in Wyoming took in the food to help Berry and many other pets. “Berry came to us with untreated diabetes,” says Black Dog Animal Rescue’s Emilee Intlekofer, Berry’s foster mom. “Good nutrition makes all the difference to these dogs. And with this donation we will be able to provide them with that for a long time.”
For MAAN, divvying up the food to people whose pets the organization has spayed or neutered in the past (like Buddy) helps them engage further with the pet-loving community. By staying connected to the folks in need, MAAN helps provide solutions to prevent animals from entering the shelter due to unwanted litters or lack of money for pet food. Pam looks forward to seeing one special dog on her routine local visits. “Buddy is quite the stout guy and the nicest pit bull terrier you could meet,” she says. “Every time he sees me pull up, he comes running out to greet me smiling.”
Get involved
Be a part of the good news by becoming a Best Friends member. You'll be helping our No More Homeless Pets Network partners, too.
Photos by Pam Porteous and courtesy of the Humane Society of Shenandoah County