Happy 21st Birthday to Scooby, the King of the Beagles. Four years ago he was homeless, living on the street and sleeping on sidewalks. Today he lives large and he lives well. And every single day he is Happy and Healthy and Loved.

From life on the street to a life well lived. Life is good!

Happy Birthday Scoobs. Love you today, Love you forever. xoxo

Thank you to Mayor Charlie Hales for honoring Scooby with his own remarkable day.

“Now, therefore, I, Charlie Hales, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the “City of Roses,” do hereby proclaim August 31, 2015, to be Scooby’s Remarkable Birthday in Portland, and encourage all residents to observe this day.”

What a wonderful honor for an extra wonderful Scooby.

Vincent the Third and his Dad have been a team for several years and this team accepts help with a thank you so sincere that you want to help them again just to hear the thank you a second time. But Vincent the Third is not really Vincent the Third. At least that’s what his Dad said. Vincent, aka Vinnie, had no comment.

On their way to a new town to begin a new life and leave behind some bad memories, this duo reminded me that love is everywhere. But back to Vincent the Third not really being Vincent the Third. What’s up with that?

Smiling a smile so big that there was almost a smile within a smile told me that the answer was going to be a good one. And sure enough, Dad explained that there really was no Vincent the First or Vincent the Second. Of course the question must be asked: so why is he named Vincent the Third?

“That’s easy,” he said, “he’s Vincent the Third because he’s three times more awesome than the average dog.” And what makes Vincent the Third so awesome? “Just look at him,” he said. “Can’t you see it?”

And he was right…I could see it. This little bruiser, about the size of an overinflated football, stared at me with such a complete nonchalance that he could not help but be three times more awesome than the average dog. And the best part? He didn’t even care. No ego. No arrogance. It was just who he was. And he was definitely Awesome times 3.

The conversation continued and I learned that this team fought hard to not hit rock bottom even when those around them did. Lots of bumps along the way took their toll. And some of the bumps that Dad shared with me were some of the same bumps that many of us have hit from time to time in our own lives. Think about that. But sometimes some of us are just luckier than others.

For Dad the bumps all hit about the same time that his family was falling apart around him. And when they lost their home Dad and Vincent the Third hit the road with only the most important things.

Each other.

And now they were on their way to a new home in a new town to start fresh. The best part was that Vincent the Third looked great. He was a neutered male, a smaller mixed breed with likely some Chihuahua, some terrier and some dachshund. He was clean and happy and was clearly getting good care. Even his teeth sparkled and when I commented on that, Dad said he brushed them.

I asked if there was anything they needed and Dad said no, that they were fine. He proudly showed me his neatly filled street pack and it looked as if it had been packed by a Marine. Everything was neat and tidy and packed tight and in its place. Vincent the Third’s food and bowl were right on top. And it was a complete surprise when I saw the Pongo label and realized that Vincent the Third’s food was from The Pongo Fund. And I broke into a big smile when I saw that.

I told Dad that Pongo was my dog and he too was awesome. And that I began The Pongo Fund in his memory. And that I stopped to talk because I was worried about them. And how honored I was to find that Vincent the Third was eating pet food given in memory of my own awesome Pongo.

Dad then stepped forward and gave me a giant hug with Vincent the Third now sandwiched between us. He said “Man, it’s really good to hear somebody say that they’re worried about us. Thank you for that and for the food. You make us feel less alone. Sometimes we forget that people really do care.”

I knew in my heart this was a good man. A few moments later we said our goodbyes and I left. But not for long. Because when Dad told me there was nothing they needed, he answered a little too quickly. And my gut told me differently.

Because when Dad showed off his street pack I noticed that the Pongo food was almost gone. I’d also noticed a few other things that needed some quick attention. So I ran back to my car and grabbed a refill bag of Pongo dog food and some treats and ran back.

Dad was truly shocked that I had returned and he thanked me with that special thank you that was so honest and genuine that I wanted to hear it again and again and again. And then he showed the box of treats to Vincent the Third and said in a really high Sesame Street voice “koo-kies.” We again said our goodbyes and I quickly left as Dad put the food in his pack and started to open the box of treats.

And that means I wasn’t there a few moments later when Dad reached inside that box of koo-kies. Because tucked inside was a gift card to a local retailer that I knew would have the very things that they needed. And I added some of my own money for other incidentals like getting a dirty sleeping bag laundered. Even though Dad didn’t tell me, I knew. I also knew he had a belt held together with duct tape. So was part of his shoes. And his Bible.

His own food bowl was caked with rust, but Vincent the Third’s food bowl was spotless. And when he showed me the special dog toothpaste he uses for Vincent the Third, I noticed that his own toothpaste tube was empty. And that gift card? It had just arrived in the mail a few days earlier from a Pongo donor with a note that said “Please give this to someone that needs it more than I do.”

So I did.

Helping people that are facing tough times by feeding the pets they love. And when we can we do even more. As Mother Teresa said, “Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

Since we began in late 2009 The Pongo Fund has provided more than 8 million quality pet food meals to people temporarily unable to keep their own family pets fed. Some of those meals went to Vincent the Third.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

(Note: This look-back story first appeared August 25, 2013. For privacy the picture is not of Vincent the Third, but of another awesome dog that looks similar.)

He said we’d helped him many times back in the day. Then he went back to work and got on his feet again. He saw me on the street one afternoon and went out of his way to say hello. He told me that we had saved his dog’s life. And that meant we saved his life too.

I thanked him for telling me that. And then he looked at his feet and looked back at me and again looked at his feet and without looking up he began to speak. He said he owed me something. And then he said he owed me a thank you.

He said every time he came to The Pongo Fund several of our volunteers greeted him heartily. They asked how he was doing. And they also asked how his dog was doing. And that meant something.

He said he used to get pretty excited as he got close to our building because he knew our volunteers would quickly greet him with a smile and a Good Morning. And he said while that may not seem like much to most people, to him it was.

Because he said those words were likely the first words anyone had spoken to him that day. And he said hearing some words directed toward him, words with kindness and compassion, made him feel human again.

Because he said when you’re homeless you tend to look pretty ragged after sleeping on the sidewalk all night. And a lot of people don’t want to talk to people that look ragged. So he got ignored a lot.

But he said at The Pongo Fund, when our volunteers greeted him, when they smiled at him, when they talked to him, he knew they really were talking to him. With meaning.

Then he described some of the Pongo people that greeted him. The ones he said that made him feel special. It was like he was talking about some of the most important people in his life.

And at that point I was beaming. Because each person he described is someone I know. Each one representing the Best of the Best that Pongo has to offer.

And even though I was deep in conversation with this man, I still didn’t know where the conversation was going. But he searched for his words so carefully that I became lost in the moment.

And then it happened. He said what he needed to say.

He said he felt guilty because we made him feel so good.

This man who was now drenched in tears telling me how badly he felt because we had made him feel so good.

In tears because he felt he had not thanked us enough.

He said we gave him great food. Food that meant the difference every single day. He said there were times we gave him people food too. And he described some of those times.

He told me that The Pongo Fund saved his life because we saved his dog’s life.

And there he stood with tears raining out of his eyes asking me how you thank someone for saving their life?

I told him he just did.

And the dog? The dog we helped feed? He was now 12 years old and doing great.

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou

Saving lives. Two legged and four.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

(Photo is stock image with credit to Kirsten Starcher and used for symbolic reference only)

Scooby Swim. The picture is blurry but the eyes and smile are bright and clear. If I was ever on a swimming relay team I know who I’d want anchoring the last leg. This guy. Because he’s a rocket!

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. Swim. thepongofund.org

Von is a Pongo Dog. One of the tens of thousands of animals that The Pongo Fund has helped. Keeping them safe and well fed and at home with their families. And most importantly, keeping them out of the shelters and free of shelter danger.

“Compassion counts above all else — more than intelligence, wealth, power or prominence. Those who have it, and extend it to all living beings, fully understand its potential to single-handedly change the world.” ~ Brennan Browne

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

They were homeless these past seven months, the parents, kids and their beloved dog. Finally everything came together and just this month they found temporary housing. Then a bad situation turned worse when her husband beat her up and now he’s in jail. Leaving this Mom with kids and a dog in desperate need of help.

These are the moments that catch me off guard. The moments that make me stop and say whoa.

The calls and the emails and the letters and the personal conversationswhen people tell me the difference The Pongo Fund has made. And then here comes another call for help, another single moment in time where someone says something that makes it seem new all over again. Like this:

Scooby channels both Gandhi and the Dalai Lama, happily embracing all concepts and cultures including both Eastern and Western medicine. And it’s clearly working well for this sweet and spiritual guy considering he’s almost 21 years-old.

He is kind and balanced and centered and has undoubtedly found his Chi. He helps me find my Chi too. Exactly why I aspire to be more like Scooby. I really do.

His relaxed and smiling face came during his recent acupuncture treatment. Four needles to start, more next time. A reminder that maybe we all need to slow down and go to acupuncture. Or at least, maybe we all just need to slow down and breathe.

When the stomach hurts so much that a bowl of hope is more important than a bowl of food. What then? When the hunger is greater than what a bag of kibble can fix. How do we help then? Because going to the store and buying a bag of hope just isn’t an easy thing to do.

Caring and nurturing and loving and doing every single thing possible and still it’s not enough. Because sometimes there just isn’t an easy answer. Not in this lifetime, anyway.

When she said she needed food, that sentence alone, was a good thing. Because The Pongo Fund has food. But the other words were less good. Because those words shared both a broken heart and a broken spirit.

It’s a Sunny Saturday in Scoobyville with Scooby’s Summer Breakfast, James Beard style. Fresh. Blueberries. Raspberries. Shitakes. Kale. Bananas. Romaine. Broccoli. Carrots. Tomato. Watermelon. Cantaloupe.