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.
From Rescue Rebuild:
“The Rescue Rebuild team headed to Wayne, Michigan, to help assist with a big change at First Step, whose mission is to eliminate both domestic and sexual violence and to provide comprehensive services to individuals and families impacted by these crimes. Many shelters are not pet-friendly, so owners are not able to bring their pet with them to this safe environment. Rescue Rebuild strives to provide pet-friendly housing options for at-risk people requiring either temporary emergency or long-term transitional housing with their furry family members. Rescue Rebuild teamed up with RedRover, and together we were able to turn First Step into a pet-friendly domestic violence shelter!
“While it is a relatively new idea, we think it was a good one, as we never want pets left behind or people staying back for their pets. If you are reading this, you know how powerful the relationship is between people and animals and the impact that this relationship has on the health of individuals, families, and communities. RedRover was such a strong partner in this build, as they are a national animal welfare nonprofit that brings animals out of crisis and strengthens the bond between people and animals.
“Thanks to a RedRover donation, First Step already had the ARK “Animals Receiving Kindness” building in place, then Rescue Rebuild came in to design both the indoor kennel layout and the outdoor play yard. The team bundled up to pour sidewalk down so that residents can easily walk from their room to ARK. This took the whole team to be quick on their feet in making sure the concrete didn’t dry up before all of the necessary steps. We screeded the concrete with a board and then used floats to smooth it all out. Then we applied a brushed finish to make sure it wasn’t slippery to walk on – all of this having to be done in a short time frame and on many long sidewalks. Before heading inside, we built a big play yard filled with fun enrichment and regraded the whole property and added topsoil to finish it all off.
“Into the warm heated building, we then went! We added four dog kennels that connect to a dog visitation living room. This cozy living room has a fireplace, couches, and a few coffee tables to make both the human and animal residents feel like they are right at home. We also added a few cute and inspirational decals on the walls to keep spirits up. Don’t worry; we did not forget the cats. We built a cat room with benches, perches, and scratchers. This beautiful, now finished, “ARK” building provides the First Step residents with the ability to spend that quality therapeutic time with their four-legged family members.”
– The Rescue Rebuild Team
Rescue Rebuild is helping build better lives for pets and their people – and you helped! When you buy anything from the Rescue Rebuild collection in the iHeartDogs store, 20% of the proceeds help rebuild a shelter!
Toledo, United States.
