Snoopy. I met this giant love bug the day he was adopted 10 years ago. He ran around my back yard leaping like a gazelle. A non-stop smile on his face the entire time. He went to live on a large property with a family that loved him tight. He had it all.

A mass was detected this past Saturday. He was in surgery on Monday. Thankfully they got the mass, all 5.5 lbs of it. But while in recovery he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Snoopy was one of the best friends anyone could ever hope for. And now he runs on rainbows and sleeps in clouds frolicking with all of the other great friends that have gone before him.

But here’s the weird thing. I know of several animal friends that crossed the Rainbow Bridge these past few days. It’s been a busy time. And that’s the real story.

Because that means something big was going on and each of these beloved souls was needed to help someone else through their tough times. And because each one of those that left was one of the best and had already earned their wings, of course it was time for them to move on.

It doesn’t mean it was easy. But they knew they were loved. Always, always, always loved. It was you that made that happen. And because of your love, they know they will never be forgotten.

This is for all of them:

“A Prayer for the Animals” by Albert Schweitzer:

Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals,
especially for animals who are suffering;
for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put to death.
We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them
we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words.
Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals
and so to share the blessings of the merciful.”

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. Missing Them All. thepongofund.org

The woman from Kitty Cat Village said it wasn’t really a village. Just the apartment building where she lived. But she and some of the other seniors living there decided that Kitty Cat Village sounded more fun so that’s what they called it.

But besides her and a few neighbors, no one else knew. Because what they were doing was illegal. Yes, they were lawbreakers. And Kitty Cat Village must remain a secret.

That’s because they were caring for a few more cats than they were supposed to have. But she said they could not say no. Since they all had cats already, adding a few more was easy to do.

So they decided to adopt the oldest shelter cats that no one else wanted so they could live out their years with comfort and grace.

But then a series of things happened all at once. It was, as she called it, just a load of poop. And suddenly Kitty Cat Village was about out of food and money was tight and they knew it would be a struggle for the next few months. And that’s why they were reaching out now.

They knew The Pongo Fund was not anywhere near where they were. But they were hopeful.

Kitty Cat Village sounds like a wonderful place. And we wish there was a Kitty Cat Village in every apartment building. But helping places like Kitty Cat Village is not really the direct focus of The Pongo Fund. Our focus is Oregon and Washington. The states where we’ve provided the bulk of our more than 8,000,000 high-quality meals and helped keep tens of thousands of hungry family pets safe at home and out of the shelters.

But still. Could we? How?

Because the bigger problem was that Kitty Cat Village was in New York. Thousands of miles away.

Shipping bags of cat food is expensive. Really expensive. And that just wouldn’t work. So I mentioned to a friend that I sure wish we had a truckload of something shipping to New York so we could add some cat food too.

Well, he told someone who told someone else and all of a sudden a guy that was shipping several pallets to New York said he had a little extra room. Would we like to include some cat food?

And that’s how the cat food meowed its way to Kitty Cat Village. Thanks to our newest Kibble Courier.

But that’s not all.

Because the bigger story was not the delivery. It was the cat food itself. Because sometimes things just make sense. And that’s why we knew that some of the cat food we had in Oregon needed to be in New York.

How did we know that? It was almost as if a Great Spirit Cat was watching over us, purring in our ear so we knew what to do. Really.

And who was that Great Spirit Cat?

That was Baby the Cat. He was BTC to me. His Mom is my friend. And he was a New York cat. We lost him almost one year ago on July 25, 2014. And when that happened a very special friend of BTC donated a chunk of money to buy cat food in his memory so that other cat friends would not go hungry.

As the first anniversary of Baby’s passing came closer, The Pongo Fund was once again surprised by the news of a special cat food donation in memory of Baby. And just like that, as if it were meant to be, here were the Kitty Cat Grandmas of Kitty Cat Village, asking if we could help.

Although Baby the Cat had crossed the Rainbow Bridge one year ago, we knew he still stayed busy in New York keeping an eye on his Mom and family. He’s a cool cat like that.

So it just made sense. Some of this food donated in memory of a New York kitty needed to make its way back home to help other New York kitties. So it did.

Tummies are full at Kitty Cat Village. But don’t tell anyone, because it’s a secret.

In memory of Baby the Cat. What a handsome man he was. Just look at those photos. He left peacefully and pain free. The bravest cat you’ll ever know. He fought every battle with courage and grace. Greeting each day with love. A kind soul. An old soul. Loved by all. And always giving so much love in return. Purrs of love to you always, Sweet Baby. Purrs of love to you always.

Baby the Cat. He’s everywhere. And Always in a New York State of Mind.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. BTC Forever. thepongofund.org

When I tiptoe through the door because I know The Scoobs is sleeping. When I close the door ever-so-quietly and softly place my keys on the counter so as to not make a sound. I know that any moment Scooby will see me through his nose. Maybe I’m in his dreams right now. I hope so.

I’m sitting just across the room typing this very moment, in real time. Watching this almost 21-year-old Angel sleep. Looking at that face that I so much want to kiss but will not because that will startle him.

They Came. They Kibbled. They Conquered. They Left. But in-between the Tripwire Kibble-Pack All Stars took on the challenge of repackaging an entire ton of super-high quality dog food in record time. And they did it short-handed when part of their team was unable to bring their kibble fingers along to help.

But here’s the best part. Not that they packaged the food so that more hungry animals get to have dinner. No. The best part is the cycle of giving that took place.

You see, that one ton of food was donated thanks to Green Dog Pet Supply and their generous customers. And when the Tripwire Team was finished, they announced they would be making a very generous contribution so that they could provide the food for the next Kibble Pack event.

A few weeks ago a little dog broke loose from his yard. Truly just a tiny guy. But he got spooked and found a way out and kept going. This dog, this giant of a little man, belongs to a veterinarian friend of The Pongo Fund. And along with everyone else, we too were heartbroken. Hours turned into days turned into weeks. Still gone. Hope remained only because this tiny tot was spotted running along freeways and other busy areas. But no one could get close.

Four weeks went by. An entire month. And then it happened. Someone was able to get close enough to catch this dog. And he is now home. Safe. In good shape. And not wanting to go back outside.

It was about two years ago. We helped Jerry, Eileen and Sammy. They thanked us many times. Real thanks. Sincere thanks. And that was enough. But now they thanked us again. A sweet note with $20 from each one of them.

We know their times have not really improved. But it was time, as they said, to thank us again so that another family could be helped.

A look back to helping Jerry, Eileen and Sammy. Proud but hungry. But never complaining.

Gray days are even grayer when you have no money for life’s basics. Like food. Even if you had the money, no car means a bus ride. And with the nearest grocery store a few miles and two bus transfers away, it’s not an easy trip when your bad leg is acting up. So what do you do?

Stay home and turn on the heat and curl up with a good book and try to forget your hunger? But there is no heat. Watch TV? There is no TV.

This is the situation faced by Jerry and Eileen, two 60 somethings that said they remember better days. And even the worst of them was better than what they’re facing now. Their story is not unique. But for them it is. Both are college graduates, hampered by a combination of work, personal, family, health and other life issues that remind us nothing is guaranteed.

And counting on their adult son turned out to be a big mistake. “Huge mistake,” Eileen said. “Huge.” Supporting him for too long meant little left for them, but she said they’d likely do it again. “He’s our son. What do we tell him? Leave?” Followed by a knowing look between Jerry and Eileen that said maybe they wish they had. Obviously there was far more to the story but that was not the story we were there for.

Because what The Pongo Fund Emergency Kibble Response Team needed to focus on was Sammy, a 12 year-old mix of terrier, boxer, poodle, labrador, golden retriever, pit bull and every other dog imaginable. The point is no one knows for sure what breed Sammy is. But he’s family.

They ran out of food for Sammy when a payday for a week of hard work did not come. But like many they did not want to ask for help because so many others have it far worse. So they decided to wait it out. To all eat less together for a few days. “We can all stand to lose a little weight,” Eileen said with raspy chuckle compliments of a nasty cold.

But then the next payday did not arrive as promised either. Meaning they needed to ask for help now, that they could wait no longer. Luckily their local food pantry is one of the many food pantries that The Pongo Fund keeps supplied with dog and cat food. But Sammy needed a special diet due to nasty allergies so they called us.

The good news is that we had exactly what Sammy needed. It was a brand new bag of food that one of our Pongo Friends had just donated a few days earlier. A bag of food that was a kind of food we rarely have. And when the donor gave it to us, she said it was the very same food that her dog ate. And that her dog, for his birthday, had decided to donate a bag to The Pongo Fund instead of getting a bag of treats for himself. Dogs donating food for other dogs that have none. Her dog also donated a bag of birthday cat food too. Because he loves the kitties. How cool is that?

And as life so often does, it brought together a series of random moments. Both broken-hearted and heart-healing, blending them together into one beautiful moment that meant Sammy got a big bag of the exact food he needed. And that meant he would eat well for the entire month. No matter what, Sammy had food. And Jerry and Eileen said that knowing Sammy had food made them feel like they had food too. We knew what they meant. That their hearts were full. But we knew their stomachs were still empty.

Mother Teresa said “If you cannot feed 100, then feed just one.” But in this case it was just three. So our Emergency Kibble Response Team did what they knew needed to be done.

It was the very thing they’ve done before. They went shopping. Digging into their own pockets to pay the bill that would mean far more than those dollars could ever mean being spent on something else.

Even picking up a small scented candle with a fragrance that Eileen had casually mentioned always brought her good memories from when she was a child. And for Jerry a copy of Sports Illustrated. He’s a huge college football fan and his well-worn Ducks shirt told us he might have gone to U of O. But without TV he doesn’t get to watch any games so he tries to keep up by reading magazines at the library. Now he had the current issue. And a bag of his favorite peanuts.

Being on the Emergency Kibble Response Team is not always easy. We never know what we will find. On the best of days we find hope, love and gratitude. On the best of days we find Jerry, Eileen and Sammy. Fiercely proud and still smiling despite some tough times.

Acts of kindness, however small – a smile, a compliment, a helping hand – plant seeds of hope, love, and beauty. For Jerry, Eileen and Sammy, we hope their garden blooms.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

It is as it was. Tonight, like last night. Happily, the best kind of repeat. Scooby and I will toast the evening Fourth of July sky together. No crowds. No parties. Just a comfortable lawn busy with honey bees and butterflies dancing the night away. We watch. We discuss. We eat blueberries and sip chardonnay. We drip watermelon juice from eating chunks too big. His smiling face that says it all. Because when Scooby smiles, I smile too.

I do not spend my Fourth of July eves at home with almost 21-year-old Scooby to protect him from fireworks. Because of all the years he spent living on the streets such loud noises do not startle him. I spend my eves with him because I love him.

Friday night on a Fourth of July weekend and I’m at home. At home with the Scoobs. I was invited to a handful of picnics and bbq’s, a couple of blues river cruises, a few days in Sonoma and a beautiful weekend in the Columbia River Gorge. But I stayed home. People are often perplexed that this is how I spend my time. At home. Nothing fancy. A bloody mary on my left. And a Scooby on my right.

This goofball of a dog just ran around the yard three times. He was a firecracker! When he finished he gave me three loud barks and then he threw himself on his back and sashayed himself about 20 feet across the lawn. Giving himself the best back scratch ever. No easy task, mind you. But it’s those moments that tell me he’s feeling good. That he’s The Scoobs!

Sometimes the hardest part of helping the animals has nothing to do with the animals. It’s the people. The people who ask for help but respond with anger and arrogance and anxiety and never ending criticism. Why? Because they can. Because they need to. Sometimes its the only way they know.

Giving it a name won’t help. This is more than just mental illness. More than just anger management. More than just being rude. It really goes much deeper. It has to. Because why would someone act this way? Is it really what they mean to do? I don’t think so.

For some it could be reaction to a lifetime of abuse. Abuse they suffered. Or abuse they delivered. For others, maybe we’re their only conversation for the day. So they may seek the spotlight of intentional conflict. The joy of fighting back against anyone that tells them no.

Or someone may be scared out of their wits and uncharacteristically lash out at those close by, the very ones trying to help. Then again, maybe it’s something altogether different?

For example, maybe we’re the first ones to ever be there for them and their pets. And maybe they don’t know how to respond. Struggling to find their balance of pride and gratitude. But I’m not sure. And I’m not sure it matters.

Because this post is not about classifying anyone. And its not meant to diagnose why someone may act as they do. Because we know there could be any number of reasons. And I’m not judging any of them.

This post is really much simpler than that. All I’m saying is, no matter the reason, it always hurts.

The man whose dog received vet care but after the exam he complained that he didn’t like the results. He knew the vet was wrong and demanded a second opinion. So for his dog’s benefit we sent him to a second vet. He complained about that one too. He also didn’t like that the second vet kept him waiting 15 minutes past his appointment time. He said he felt disrespected there, that they did not value his time.

Mind you, this is the same man who kept us waiting 30 minutes when we picked him up for the first vet appointment.

The woman who said she needed to have her dog spayed right away because she was going camping. We appreciated her forethought and pulled every string to set that appointment. And then she was a no show. When we called to follow up she laughed and said “well, life happens.”

But she still wanted her dog spayed. So we set up another appointment. But this time when she got to the vet she decided to add on a long list of non-essential services that were not part of the spay surgery. And when we said we could not cover those items she became outraged, telling us that our job was to give her whatever she wanted. We did not.

The woman who said her dogs were out of food and she needed help quickly. Luckily she lives just across the street from a human food pantry that The Pongo Fund supplies with high-quality dog food. But she refused to go there because someone who works at that pantry wears a perfume that she does not like. When we asked if the perfume caused a medical or allergic reaction, she said no. She just didn’t like it. And she also didn’t like someone else’s hairstyle there either.

So instead of going across the street for dog food she instead demanded to come directly to The Pongo Fund. When we told her we were not open at that time she grew incredulous, threatening to “get rid” of her dogs if we did not help.

So we sent someone to meet her at The Pongo Fund. Because that’s what was needed to help the animals. But when she arrived she proceeded to complain about each of the 20 different foods we offered. Explaining that she was an expert in pet nutrition and we did not know what we were doing.

After about 30 minutes she began laughing. Telling us that we were just another group that did not care. She finally agreed to take a bag of one of the best foods we had but later complained that her dogs did not like it. And she added, if we really cared about her dogs, we would have known that.

The man who called asking for services that we did not provide. So I offered him three other organizations to call because those groups could help. But he refused to make those calls. Instead he spent the next several moments letting me know how he felt about me, The Pongo Fund and my Mother. None of which, according to him, were worth anything. His unchecked anger became a river of caustic words, simply because we did not have what he wanted.

The man whose puppy had an injured leg but refused to let us help because he feared someone at the veterinarian would keep his dog because she was so cute. We assured him that was not the case and told him he would be there the entire time during the exam. He said that would be ok, but he was also going to bring his big knife “and use it if he had to.” We did not treat his dog.

And then there’s the one that just happened a couple of days ago. The woman we rolled out the red carpet to help. That one still stings fresh. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.

Luckily these stories are just a small number of the tens of thousands of good Pongo stories. And we remain proud to Pongo. But those few stories still hurt.

We are one small group. Doing something that no one else does. Making an impact never thought possible. But we do not have six layers of paid staff to handle calls like these. When you complain to us you are complaining directly to one of the people that gives their own time to keep Pongo Pongoing. We are there because we care. No matter what. We still care.

We’re not perfect. I’m not perfect. No one is. But calling my Mom names doesn’t help. She knew me better than anyone and she’d be the first to agree I’m not perfect. But she would not use nasty language to make her point.

None of this is a complaint. And I ask you to please not read it that way. And please do not judge any of the people or episodes described above. Because none of us walk in anyone else’s shoes.

This post is simply a reminder. A reminder that at the beginning of the day and the end of the day, no matter what, we’re still all in this together.

Together for the animals. And for the people who love them. Anger. Arrogance. Anxiety. Criticism. We’ve all been there and we’ll all be there again. Because that’s life. But.

We get it. You’re stressed. You hurt. You care. We do too. But to use your words to beat us up doesn’t help. And the truth is there may well be a day when you look back on those moments with regret. Because you know you could have handled it better. Us too. That is called being human.

Scooby doesn’t shout. He doesn’t criticize. He doesn’t use nasty language. He brings the good. He finds the good. He helps others find the good too. Your own pets probably do the same.

Maybe we can let them be our guides?

Today is another day. We will Pongo On. Helping when and where we can. Both the good and the bad.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. We’re all in this together. thepongofund.org

We see the good. We see the bad. We see the in-between too. Sometimes we understand. Sometimes we don’t. But every now and then someone does or says something with complete clarity. Their words may be many, or just a few.

But they speak them in a way that leaves no question as to what they mean. What they’re feeling. Those moments touch us quickly because everything that needs to be said gets said right then.

David rides the bus several miles to get food for his four cats. Each one of them has been spayed and neutered. He’s no longer a young man and he lives on a budget that would make you blush. He’s also suffered some hearing loss, so he asked us to speak a bit louder when we talk with him.