Part of each sale through the iHeartDogs store is donated to Greater Good, which helps support various charities. Thanks to customers like you, happy endings, like the one below, are made possible.
What Animal Brigade of Mexico City lacks in donations, they make up for in heart. The impoverished animal shelter is located in a rural area outside the capital city of Mexico, and despite challenges, it’s a well-run organization that does a lot of good for local animals. They do miraculous things with the few resources they have, but they’re determined to do even more.
Before they could move forward with helping more animals, there were a few issues that needed to be addressed.
First, the shelter had a recurring problem of dogs digging under their outdoor kennels and escaping. As a rural shelter with only countryside around them, it usually took days to find the missing dogs–if they found them at all. They needed a better way to keep their homeless dogs safe, and they also wanted to improve the dogs’ living conditions. Without money to pay for dog beds, all the animals were forced to sleep on the ground. These were two problems that needed solutions, but Animal Brigade couldn’t do it on their own. That’s why Rescue Rebuild stepped up to make it happen.
Rescue Rebuild travels the U.S. with teams of volunteers to bring about real change in shelters that desperately need it. They work in big cities and small towns, but an international build posed particular difficulties.
First, the distance meant the Rescue Rebuild truck and trailer full of tools couldn’t make the trip. This meant all the tools the volunteers would need to be either shipped directly to the shelter or purchased once volunteers arrived. Once they figured out the tool situation, there was also the language barrier to worry about. But that wasn’t going to stop them from lending a helping hand.
When it was finally time to get started at the shelter, limited tools, flat tires, and uncooperative weather were no match for the dedicated and hard-working group of volunteers and staff. Over 450 feet of chain link was buried around the kennels to prevent the dogs from digging out. When that was finished, volunteers built raised beds to keep the dogs off the cold ground. After hours of hard work, Animal Brigade was still the exceptional shelter they’ve always been, but their much-needed improvements made a big difference in how they could help the area’s homeless animals.
The shelter was in a better position to do what they do best, but that’s not the end of this happy story. While working on the shelter, one of Rescue Rebuild’s own met a wiry Shepherd/Malinois mix named Copper. It was love at first sight, and the lucky dog from Mexico found himself on a plane headed to San Diego. No more sleeping outside on the ground for this little guy. His life has been forever changed and now with these new improvements to Animal Brigade, many dogs now have similar stories.
Check out iHeartDogs’ line of Rescue Rebuild products, which help fund success stories like this one!
Featured image via Rescue Rebuild
