He said there were two things lying next to him when he woke up. A puddle of his own dried vomit. And his dog. And some of that dried vomit was on his dog. But still, despite being vomited upon, his dog, a big, beautiful German Shepherd, had still pushed close as possible to keep him warm during the frigid cold night.

And it was at that moment in time when he looked at his dog covered in puke that he knew he needed to make changes. And he said that’s what scared him the most.

He said he needed to leave for a few weeks or a few months. He wasn’t sure. But he said he needed to get some things right. He needed to get himself right. But where he was going, he could not take his dog. Could I help?

But I didn’t really know this man or his dog. He told me they had been together for a long time. They were family. And when he said he loved her I knew he meant it. I could see it in his eyes even without hearing the words. And I could see it in her eyes too. 

These were two of the faces I helped when The Pongo Fund was nothing more than the back of my car, two faces among the many folks that lived outdoors, underneath the bridges and the onramps and the moon and the stars.

Their homes were made of cardboard and plastic tarps and sleeping bags. But still they had dignity. They had hope. They had fears. They had dreams. And they knew when they needed to leave for a while to get things right. To get themselves right. And at that moment in time the only thing that was keeping this man from helping himself was the love he had for his dog. This big, beautiful German Shepherd.

Most people don’t know that my Pongo’s best friend was a German Shepherd named Dolly. Although I began The Pongo Fund shortly after Pongo passed away and named it after him, Dolly is every bit The Pongo Fund just as much as Pongo is. She was a true gentle giant. She was a lovely lady. An 85 pound lap dog that loved to give kisses. And when she kissed you, you knew you had been kissed. And I loved her.

Dolly passed away one year before Pongo did. I lost both of my loves within just a few months of each other. And that broken heart is what led to The Pongo Fund. To this day I still struggle to talk about Pongo and Dolly because the hurt is still fresh. Even though it was years ago, the loss is still too great.

So knowing that this man and his Sheppie needed help, I said yes. I said I would make sure she was safe and well and waiting for him when he returned from his few weeks or few months away. Sometime later the man left. I got his dog into a wonderful foster home and she was loved. Sometime later the man returned. They were reunited. And life went on. A better life. A much better life.

This story began several years ago, one of the many stories that I struggle to tell because they hurt. And I tell it now because I ran into this man recently and he reintroduced himself to me. No longer living on the street, he was happy and healthy and had long ago stopped the bad habits that had led him to the street.

And he told me that his sweet girl, the girl that he loved so much that he went away to make himself better so he could be better for her, had died. She died happy and loved. He told me he missed her. And that she left a hole in his heart. I knew what he meant. Because I still have those holes too.

My name is Larry Chusid and I founded The Pongo Fund. And that wonderful photo is my two forever friends, Dolly and Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

One year ago today The Pongo Fund and friend-of-the-animals Erin Bergstrom were just beginning our fight to Save the Howard 22, the Central Oregon herd of 22 starving horses. A summer drought and harsh winter had left frozen ground empty of nourishment. And those horses were literally starving to death one day at a time.

All were covered in ticks. They battled worms. They were suffering. Several of them were pregnant mares. Yet against all odds they fought to survive. Mr. Howard Hedinger, every animal’s best friend, quickly stepped in to lead the way to help save the lives of these majestic creatures.

As time went on there were celebrations of joy. And as is so often the case, there were also tears of loss. But life changed for the better for these horses. Because they were loved. They were fed. They received urgently needed medical care. And many of them found their forever homes. Others still wait, continuing to receive training and treatment. Thank you to everyone at Sound Equine Options for being there for these animals when they needed you most.

Life goes on. It’s a new year. But let us not forget the moments we have had together. The photo shows two of The Howard 22, Heart’s Desire and Glory Belle, enjoying life as it was meant to be enjoyed.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

It was a cold day. The day before her birthday. There was no celebration planned. No gifts. No fancy dinner. Actually, there was no dinner at all. Because she was broke and going hungry. Even worse was that her cat was going hungry too. And her beloved cat was 14 years-old and the only family that she had. 

She could be your Mother. Your Grandmother. Your Auntie. Your neighbor. And when she thought she had nowhere else to turn, she found The Pongo Fund.

Following is the email stream from the moment we received the first email right up until the last email. Exactly as it happened. Exactly as the story unfolded. There are a lot of words here. And as you read these words you will feel the meaning of the words. The heartbreak. The fear. The hunger. The love. The hope. The gratitude. All of it can be felt through the words.

But all of those words together still cannot truly convey the entire meaning of what it feels like to watch your 14 year-old cat going hungry. When you are going hungry too. The only family that you have. On the day before your birthday.

For all of you reading this I thank you. I thank you for giving your time to get better taste of why The Pongo Fund exists. For getting a better taste of the work we do and why we do it.

“Dear Pongo…Please help my kitty! I am down to my last can of cat food! I have no money to get food. No money at all. Please help my kitty not starve, she is all I have and I love her more than anything in this world. If you are within walking distance of me I can come get it or I will give you my address. Please help me with my baby! Thank you!”

And The Pongo Fund emailed back.

“Hi, thank you so much for getting back to me! I don’t currently have a phone. Email or regular mail is my only communication right now. I do receive food stamps and SSI for medical reasons. My kitty is Shady and she is 14 yrs old.”

And The Pongo Fund emailed back for more information.

“Hi, she will eat any kind of can and dry food. She is my only family and I just don’t want her to starve. She eats 2 cans a day and always has dry food. The only response I got on Craig’s list was a mean and nasty email telling me that I was a dumb ass for having a pet if I got food stamps and I had no right asking for help. It hurt me really bad knowing that people can be so cruel and mean. If I had money to buy food or even a bus ticket to go to a food bank to get her food I would. She is very loved and taken care of. She is the only family that I have. Thank you again for your help.”

And The Pongo Fund emailed back and told her we were on the way.

“Thank you so much. I’m at a loss for words because all I can say is thank you. Shady also says thank you. Tomorrow is my birthday and the only present I wanted was cat food for my baby, she is the only family I have and I love her more than anything in the world. Thank you again for your kindness. I will pay it forward and help someone out someday when I can.”

And The Pongo Fund arrived a little bit later. We brought food for Shady. And we brought hope for Kathy.

“Thank you so much for bringing my kitty food. Words cannot express how grateful I am for you kindness. Shady is the only family that I have and I love her more than anything in this world. All of you at Pongo gave me the best birthday present I could ever have asked for, taking care of my baby! I will do something nice for someone else someday and pay it forward and help them like you all have helped me and Shady. Thank you so much for everything. It proves that there are good caring people in this sometimes cruel world. Again, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart and for saving my kitty from going hungry.  Take care! Best wishes, Kathy & Shady”

Being there for others both two-legged and four when they have nowhere else to turn.

And this is why we Pongo.

Wishing you always peace, love and kibble. From all of us at The Pongo Fund.

thepongofund.org

The call started with tears. The kind of tears that rushed out so hard and so fast that they became choking gasps. Then words came. She said “I’ve never had to ask for help before. I’m so embarrassed. Please don’t judge me.” Her name is Bertie. And she was hurting.

She was hurting because she would be out of food tomorrow. And she didn’t know what to do. So with hope in her heart she called The Pongo Fund to help keep her family from starving. Her family that includes two kitties that are more than 14 years old. One has orange and white stripes, the other grey and white stripes. Both are beautiful. And her third cat, a bit younger, is a Siamese. All were rescued from shelters. All have been spayed and neutered.

This is a woman who is doing everything right. But right now, after a bitter cold December, she does not have enough money to pay her heating bill. So she used the cat food money to keep the heat from being shut off.

And now she is on the phone with The Pongo Fund. And she is crying for help. She is crying because she is embarrassed. We told her that everything would be ok. Because we knew it would.

The Pongo Fund receives calls like this almost daily. And when those calls come in, our Emergency Kibble Response Team jumps into action. Today, for Bertie, we turned to one of our Pongo Friends for help. Because what we do takes a village. And today that village includes the good folks at Portland’s own Green Dog Pet Supply.

Green Dog is one of the very best stores anyway. And if you have pets, they will become the best friend for your best friends. And right after Bertie called, we called them. We told them we needed food ASAP for three cats. And without a moment of hesitation they said yes.

And that meant that less than five minutes after Bertie called us, we called her back and told her to catch the next bus and head straight to Green Dog. She cried. She said thank you. And then she cried some more as she hung up the phone.

Thank you Green Dog Pet Supply for helping hungry seniors keep their hungry senior cats fed.  Thank you for being there for others when they have nowhere else to turn. It is an honor to call you friend.

Tonight Bertie’s kitties will have the best dinner ever. And this is why we Pongo!

Peace. Love. Kibble. thepongofund.org

In some ways I began The Pongo Fund decades before I began The Pongo Fund. Back when I was in college many years ago. Although I had no idea at the time. But it was in college that I began spending time helping the hungry, both people and pets alike. Jim is the man in the photo. He had a twin brother, too. And they each had awesome dogs.

Jim’s dog was Bruno, the dog regally lounging on the bottom of the cart in the photo. At this moment I do not remember the name of Jim’s brother or his dog. But my oh my…those dogs were loved!

To this day I remember them all vividly. The men were true gentleman. Soft spoken, patient and kind. And the dogs were out-of-this world incredible. Just take one look at Bruno and you can see. He was such a kind, relaxed, care-free old soul of a dog that never let the world dampen his spirits. They are all long gone now, but I think of them often. And the memories still brighten my days.

The world was a different place then. It was a slower world. It was a kinder world. It was a gentler world. And people like Jim and his brother followed their own song. They never asked me for even a penny. But they were always happy to take time to talk. About dogs. About life. And there were always smiles. Making me want to help them all even more.

Although they faced many daily challenges they were wonderful, outstanding men. And their dogs were always happy and well and impeccably cared for.

To this day, I miss those days. Those days back then. Those kinder, gentler, slower days. I have the memories but I miss those days. Jim and Bruno. Jim’s brother and his dog. They made a difference for me. They made a difference inside of me.

My name is Larry Chusid and I founded The Pongo Fund. And this is why I Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

Every day. Every single day. All of us at The Pongo Fund say a prayer for both people and their pets. Please let them be safe. Please let us all be safe. This is not about individual religious beliefs. This is not meant to offend. This is simply about doing what we know our animals are already doing for us. Because they care. Because that is who they are.  

But right now we must say even more prayers. Because the deadly Arctic Vortex cold weather hitting so many places will take lives. And most of those lives that will be lost will be the animals. For this we mourn.

We know that we cannot fight Mother Nature. But we still mourn. Will you please do all that you can to help those in need? Two and four-legged alike. Bring them inside. Even if just for one night. Please, bring them inside. Because no one deserves to freeze. No one.

Thank you for looking out for others. Because if not you, then who?

My name is Larry Chusid. I am the founder and executive director of The Pongo Fund, Oregon’s Pet Food Bank. And Pongo was my dog. I work for the day when no dog or cat goes hungry because their families are temporarily unable to keep them fed. Thereby preventing the hunger, suffering, abandonment, surrender and loss of the animals they love. We have donated more than five million meals to date throughout Oregon & SW Washington, helping more than 50,000 animals stay at home with their families and out of the shelters. I am honored to do this work.

But in order to love me as a friend or even like me as a person you must understand that animals are the best part of my life. And that my heart is broken time and time and time again for those animals that are not treated with compassion and respect. For those that do not know kind words and gentle hands. For those that are abused. For those that suffer. For those that live in fear. For those that recoil at the sight of a hand reaching out to pet them for fear it will hurt them.

At my core I believe that every animal is deserving of good food, clean water, sincere affection, humane care and a safe and stable environment. Not just occasionally, but always. And I believe that Gandhi was right when he said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Today is January 1st, 2014. The first day of a New Year. A new beginning. A new chapter filled with all of the things that we can do, that we should do, that we must do, to make life better for the animals. And I make a wish that this year will bring each and every one of you a safe, healthy and happy year to come.

And I make that same wish for all of the animals too. Whatever they are, wherever they are. I wish them an abundance of life. I wish for them to be safe and well. I wish for them to know the same love and respect from us that we know from them.

My name is Larry Chusid and I am proud that the animals are my friends. They make my life better. And I wish them always Peace, Love and Kibble.

Happy New Year from all of us at The Pongo Fund. thepongofund.org  

Everything was working well until it wasn’t. But even then it still worked but not as well. Pride kept it going. The job, once a career, now gone. Unemployment, now gone. Food stamp benefits to help, but not nearly enough. And much of those food stamp benefits are used to create a lentil-yam stew from scratch. A special stew for Meiko.

Because this 15 year-old incredibly dignified 100 pound yellow-orange fluffball chow-lab mix has been part of the family for 15 years. And the greatest worry right now is him. He is the soul of the family.

But he got sick and there were vet bills. Many vet bills. And those vet bills needed to be paid now, not later. To help stretch dollars Meiko’s high-quality food was shifted to a lower quality. But now, for the first time ever, the money was gone. And Meiko had only enough kibble for just two more days. But he needed more than just his lentil-yam stew.

There were tears and fears that would not go away. Because an empty food bowl does not fill itself. And then Bronwyn heard about The Pongo Fund. She called and shared her story the day after Christmas. She had done everything right but things still went wrong. But it was the way she spoke about Meiko that told us we needed to help and we needed to help now.

The Pongo Fund Emergency Kibble Response Team kicked into gear and yesterday The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank was opened especially for her. We were hopeful that Meiko would be there too, but his legs no longer allow him to take too many car rides just for fun. But just in case, in the back of the car, is Meiko’s ramp. His ramp. The ramp that provides this noble man the dignity to walk into the car on his own.

Yesterday Bronwyn met The Pongo Fund. She could not have been more friendly or appreciative. The smile on her face was warm and genuine. Her thank you was sincere and she left with a little bounce in her step because she knew that Meiko had the food he needs for many more sunrises to come. And even though he was not there in person, you can see his fuzzy face on the phone. That alone completed the picture for us.

Meiko is now a Pongo dog. He is one of us. We met. We helped. And we will help again as needed. And we know that dinner was good last night. And that lentil-yam stew? That will continue because it is Meiko’s favorite. That, and The Pongo Fund.

A proud woman going hungry so her 15 year-old gentleman of a dog does not. A 15-year-old much loved dog treated with dignity and respect when he needs it most. Yesterday The Pongo Fund was there for both of them. And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

The man on the couch is Howard. He’s the namesake Howard behind The Howard 22, the group of 22 starving horses he stepped up to save in Eastern Oregon earlier this year. And that’s Scooby on the carpet. Two old friends together on a Friday afternoon. Look closely and you’ll see that Howard is petting Scooby with two hands. Meaning that he has no open hands to answer the phone or review email or read a pressing document.

The phone calls…they wait. The email…it waits. The tall stack of important documents on his desk…it waits. It all waits as Howard makes sure that Scooby gets some really good pets. Some soft belly rubs. Some gentle neck scratches. Everything else waits because in this single moment in time all that matters is this meeting between Howard and Scooby.

And when Howard finally stops, Scooby just lays there. Knowing that if he doesn’t move, maybe Howard’s hands will find him again. And they did. Over and over and over again. But finally, when Howard stopped for the last time, Scooby sat up and tried to climb onto Howard’s lap. Remember that he’s almost 19 1/2 years old…yet he’s climbing like a Mountain Goat. Because he knew that Howard had a pocketful of treats waiting just for him. And they shared those treats together. Two old friends. Two at a time.

What you don’t know is that Howard has a business to run. Lots of folks hoping for a moment of his time every single day. Yet here he is, hanging with Scooby. And what you can’t see in this photo is how connected these two really are. It’s as if they’ve known each other forever. They were talking together. They were laughing together. They were smiling together. Exactly as old friends should spend their Friday afternoons.

Howard and Scooby are two of the most kind and gentle souls you could ever have the pleasure of meeting. And I love them both.

My name is Larry Chusid and I founded The Pongo Fund. I have the best job in the world. And this is why I Pongo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Christmas morning, we wish…

For every animal searching in gutters for breakfast,

to find a filled food bowl.

For every animal chained in a frozen yard,

to find a soft, warm bed with a person snoring gently nearby.

For every shelter animal waiting,

to find a forever home and family.

For every puppy or kitten given as a Christmas gift,

to find a loving human who won’t abandon you.

For every ailing pet,

to find a loving family to help heal you.

For every lost pet,

to find a safe and well marked path to lead you home.

For every old and tired friend,

to find a warm fire and soft bed to ease your aches and pains.

And for every beloved animal at the Rainbow Bridge,

to find the comfort of knowing you will be loved forever.

—-Author unknown