Last month, the catastrophic Pacific Palisades and Eaton wildfires swept through Los Angeles County, California, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. iHeartDogs co-founder Justin Palmer and his small team of local employees are headquartered just 45 minutes north of L.A., close enough to see the smoke on the horizon. Still, they were determined to help in any way they could.
“Being so close to it, we knew pretty quickly that this was going to be a national-level emergency,” Palmer said.
Stepping Up When Disaster Strikes
Palmer is no stranger to disaster relief efforts. iHeartDogs partners with the global non-profit organization Greater Good Charities on everything from medical fundraisers to boots-on-the-ground aid during hurricanes, tornadoes, and catastrophic flooding. They have also teamed up during previous Southern California wildfires in 2018 and 2019.
The Palisades and Eaton fires burned over 97,000 acres and destroyed or damaged more than 18,000 structures, including countless homes and businesses. With total economic damages surpassing $250 billion, they are among the costliest disasters in U.S. history.
But the most devastating losses cannot be counted in acres or dollars. At least 29 people lost their lives, and more than 200,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes. Animal statistics are not available, but many pets were reported lost or killed, and area shelters are still operating far beyond capacity to help the survivors.
With entire families—especially the furry members—at risk, Palmer reached out to Greater Good to see how iHeartDogs could help. Together, the two organizations planned an evacuation flight for January 17, which delivered 50 dogs and cats from L.A.-area shelters to safety in Oregon. Not only did the flight give long-term shelter residents a better chance at adoption, but it also freed up precious kennel space for lost, displaced, and injured pets still in need of rescue.
“If you’ve lost your home or had to evacuate, you often can’t bring your pet,” Palmer said. “Many ended up in shelters, not abandoned, but needing temporary care.”
Greater Good was also searching for a space to collect and distribute donations for impacted people and pets. Palmer gladly volunteered iHeartDogs’ Anaheim warehouse.
“These fires are going to be something that affects the community for years, and this is something we are uniquely able to do because we are so close to the fire,” Palmer said.
Heroes with Big Hearts: iHeartDogs’ Amazing Customers
The iHeartDogs team worked with Greater Good to compile an Amazon wishlist of essential items survivors and their pets would need in the coming weeks. Once the list was shared with iHeartDogs’ 5 million+ followers, donations began to pour in. As of the writing of this article, iHeartDogs readers have gifted more than 75,000 Amazon products to those in need.
Loyal customers also contributed financially to Greater Good Charities’ fire-related fundraisers, ultimately donating more than $140,000 to the relief efforts.
Palmer and company will continue supporting displaced pets and strays affected by the disaster. An upcoming rescue flight is planned for St. Patrick’s Day, and the Amazon wish list is still active if you’d like to donate to either effort.
A Company On A Mission
iHeartDogs was founded on one simple belief: Every Dog Matters. But surprisingly enough, Palmer wasn’t always a dog person. It took a special dog lover (his wife) and a rescued Husky named Splash to win him over and inspire him to start the company. In just over a decade, Palmer and his team of like-minded pet lovers have helped countless dogs, cats, and people with programs such as Pets & Vets, Second Chance Rescue Flights, and the Goods Program, which provides food for shelter pets.
Here’s a look at the incredible charitable impact iHeartDogs has had on their community and beyond:
Whether it’s helping out during a natural disaster or donating a portion of every iHeartDogs and iHeartCats purchase to people and pets in need, giving back is clearly in this company’s DNA.
Since its inception, iHeartDogs has donated more than 38 million meals, 276,000 toys, and 87,000 blankets to shelter dogs awaiting their forever homes. They have also funded $1.6 million to provide service dogs to military veterans, $74,000 for domestic abuse survivors and their pets, and more than 380,000 air miles to fly dogs and cats in high-risk shelters to safety.
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