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Thanks To You, Pepper Can’t Stop Smiling!

| April 15, 2020

Part of every sale through theiHeartDogs store is donated to GreaterGood, which helps support various charities like START Rescue. Stories like the one below are made possible with your help! Check out all the animals iHeartDogs fans and shoppers like you have helped save here.

Even though her family surrendered her to the Tulare Shelter in California, Pepper kept smiling. Overcrowded shelters like this one often put healthy dogs on death row to make room. No way that could be this sweet girl’s fate!

A START (Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team) Rescue transport team brought her out of the high-risk area on a transport truck. Pepper was labeled a “shopping dog,” which means START’s receiving organizations had not selected her for transport. Still, the team took her along anyway in the hopes someone would change their mind. Great call on their part!

Luckily, Pepper happens to have a winning smile. The good people at Oregon Dog Rescue melted when they saw it, and they took her in. Oregon Dog Rescue serves the greater Portland area. Simply by being somewhere with less overcrowding, Pepper’s chance of adoption dramatically increased.

Shortly after that, Pepper found her forever home! Her adopters probably saw this picture on the Oregon Dog Rescue Facebook page and absolutely swooned like I did.

Imagine waking up to that face every day. The people who saved this gal can consider themselves very lucky!

The name Pepper perfectly suits this black and white spotted cutie too.

If not for supporters like you and volunteers with START, who knows where Pepper could have ended up. Knowing she’s happy and loved makes me want to crack a big, tongue out smile too!

To quote Pepper’s new family:

“Pepper is one of the sweetest and happiest souls on the planet.”

About START Rescue

START Rescue was founded to combat overcrowding in animal shelters. They do this in two ways: providing transport for animals from high-kill shelters and offering free or low-cost spay and neutering services.

Through The Second Chance Movement, GreaterGood.org provides grants to several benefiting charities that provide both air and ground transports from high-kill shelters. This includes START Rescue. In other words, you can support their important work through iHD!

Your purchases through the iHeartDogs store help the Second Chance Movement provide miles of transport from high-risk shelters to safety for dogs like Pepper. You can view all eligible products at iHeartDogs or make a direct donation here!

Images courtesy of START Rescue, Oregon Dog Rescue.

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