Two years ago today this sweet little girl found her forever home. You may remember her. She was the dog living inside a box inside a shopping cart on a bridge onramp. And with her inside that box were her four six-week old pups.

Puppies far too young to be away from their Momma. But those puppies were for sale, right there, in that box.

And to top it off this doting Momma was still just a puppy herself, barely 14 months old.

The story before the story was not pretty. She was family to a young street couple. Two more reminders of the harsh life that awaits far too many of our young kids. But we got lucky.

Because those two doted on this girl, making sure that she had a clean coat and blankets and food. Even when they did not have that themselves.

But before I continue please understand something. This posting is not about the homeless or about the frustration that you might have for a young couple living on the street that is simply trying to survive while they also fight for the survival of their puppies. This is not a time to judge or share politics or rhetoric or criticisms.

It’s a time to be thankful. And to celebrate.

Because despite it all this little doggie knew love. Love from the young couple. And love from me the moment we met.

I returned to visit several times those next few days. Respectfully asking them each time to consider letting me please take that box of dogs to ensure they could find a life beyond the box.

And finally they agreed.

Thanks to great help from some other groups, this little family of five stayed together long enough to finish nursing. Then all were spayed and vaccinated and each one of those puppies found a new home.

But what about Mom?

There was just something about her from the moment we met. I fell in love with her. And I knew the perfect home was with a friend of mine. We still visit often.

The Pongo Fund is a pet food bank. We help keep hungry dogs and cats from ending up in shelters when their own families cannot afford to keep them fed.

And as of this day we’ve provided more than 8,000,000 nutritious meals for more than 80,000 beloved family pets.

But sometimes even 8,000,000 meals are not enough. Because when there’s five dogs living inside a box in a shopping cart on a bridge onramp, it is more than a bowl of kibble that is needed.

And maybe that’s why we were there. Because we brought the kibble. And we also brought the hope.

To everyone who has fostered or rescued or climbed over a fence to save the life of an innocent animal that had no hope except for you, I thank you. I thank you for being bold and brave and going above and beyond because it was the right thing to do.

Because you knew you would not sleep another moment unless you helped. So you did.

And that’s why my friends who rescue are among the people that I admire the most.

This one was saved. Her puppies too. But there are millions more waiting. So won’t you please join all of us at The Pongo Fund in not turning away when the need is clear?

It doesn’t mean there’s always an easy solution. But it means at least taking a moment to try. To try and save a life that deserves to be saved. To try and bring hope.

“Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.” ― Rumi

We did it for Scooby. And we did it for this girl too. And we did it for Bill and Max and Camelia and Thumper and Kenny and Basil and CoCo and Lady and Sarge.

About 100 rescues and adoptions since we began. All happy and well today because we were there for them when they needed us most.

To our beloved Pongo donors, please know that your donations are not used for our small rescue efforts. Because we are not that kind of rescue group.

But we are a group that cares.

And thankfully some of our donors earmark their generous gifts to use beyond the kibble to help in those moments when additional help is needed.

To each of you that loves the animals, I thank you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I thank you on behalf of each and every one of them that made it another day. Because you made it possible. Because you were their lifeboat.

Being there for the dogs inside the box. Then and now.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. You Make It Possible. thepongofund.org

If you would like to help, please donate here: https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/