Sniff Dog Hotel has been a friend of The Pongo Fund since pretty much the beginning. We both started around the same time and with the same goal: to do the best, to help the most.

Sniff runs one of the sweetest Dog Hotels on the Planet. Go in for a visit and you’ll want to stay there too. But sorry, just for dogs.

We get it, really we do. Because we’ve had some of our most special friends stay there and we know what a great place it is.

Dutch, the dog that was rescued from a locked truck on a sunny day when his Dad ended up in the hospital. He stayed there. Lil D, the dog rescued from a van in a hospital parking lot when her Dad needed heart surgery. She stayed there too. And each time, Sniff Dog Hotel ripped up the bill. They said that working with The Pongo Fund was their honor and they could never charge for doing the right thing.

Last December Sniff organized another one of their Kibble For A Cause Pet Food Drives. Teaming up with their customers to sponsor bags of food and then stepping forward to also match donations, they raised enough money to provide 52,000 meals. That’s a lot!

The Pongo Fund is a little group. We’re small, but mighty. We do our best. But it’s each one of you and all of our friends like Sniff Dog Hotel that keep us going. You are the engine that drives us forward.

We do this work with you. We do it because of you. But most importantly, we do it together.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

Sniff Dog Hotel / 1828 NW Raleigh / Portland OR 97209 / 503-208-2366 /www.sniffdoghotel.com

‪#‎sniffdoghotel‬ ‪#‎pongo‬ ‪#‎dogs‬ ‪#‎rescue‬ ‪#‎helping‬ ‪#‎charity‬ ‪#‎portland‬‪#‎animals‬

Because not everyone is so fortunate to have a roof over their head.

The Pongo Fund’s award winning and volunteer driven Pet Food Bank manages a distribution network that strategically places food in many locations throughout the community. And we’ve provided more than 9,000,000 high-quality meals so far. Meaning on any given day someone should be able to find the food they need close to where they are. That’s the goal.

But here’s the even cooler part. It’s the same goal we have with The Pongo Fund’s Emergency Veterinary Care program.

And that’s why last week we were onsite with a Mobile Veterinary Hospital and a team of generous and compassionate volunteer veterinarians providing vital care for some of our community’s most fragile. And we did it right at their door, ready with the ability to run bloodwork, xrays and go into surgery as needed.

Imagine a super sweet 16 year-old Collie with arthritis. Another with IBD. A Chihuahua with nasty worms. Pets facing a variety of ailments including eye infections, allergies, achy joints and more. Lady and Virgil and Baby Girl and Sam were just a few. We were there for them.

All of these animals were awesome! And all of them have people who love them. But they are people who cannot afford even the most limited veterinary care. So together they suffer. Ultimately losing quality of life, then life itself.

Thanks to all of you who donate to our Emergency Veterinary Care Fund, these people and their pets continue to get another chance.

And we’ll be out again and again and again providing this lifesaving veterinary care, visiting them where they are, when they are, because being there for the animals and the people who love them is what we do.

To support our one-of-a-kind Emergency Veterinary Care Fund, please donate here: https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/

We do this work with you. We do it because of you. But most importantly, we do it together.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

‪#‎pongo‬ ‪#‎dogs‬ ‪#‎cats‬ ‪#‎helping‬ ‪#‎charity‬ ‪#‎portland‬ ‪#‎animals‬

They’re not a behemoth. They’re not even a mini-chain. Just one single store. Packed with some of the most knowledgeable folks you can ever hope to meet.

And they have just one focus: Doing what’s best for your pets. That’s it. Pets first. Profits come later. Really!

Walking the talk, Green Dog once again put the profits aside with this December pet food drive. Meaning they sold every single bag at their cost. They did not earn even one single penny of profit. Told you!

They also got their distributor and vendor to donate even more food.

But there’s more.

Because when everything was totaled up, Green Dog again stepped forward and matched the total. Meaning they doubled every single donation. DOUBLED!

There are not enough Green Dog Pet Supply’s in the world. Community Conscious stores that lead by example. Christine and Michael and their team have been part of The Pongo Fund since the beginning. And every single day we are honored to count them among our friends.

Thank you Green Dog Pet Supply for being here for the animals. And congratulations to you, your customers and your suppliers, for once again knocking it out of the park with the BIGGEST single store, premium quality pet food drive in America. You Rock!

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

Green Dog Pet Supply / 4327 NE Fremont / Portland OR 97213 / 503-528-1800 / www.greendogpetsupply.com

‪#‎portland‬ ‪#‎petfooddrive‬ ‪#‎charity‬ ‪#‎animals‬ ‪#‎pongofund‬‪#‎greendogpetsupply‬

That was Scooby.

To be with him comforted my soul. Every leaf, every flower, every scent he sniffed was rewarded with the Beauty of Scooby. He moved at his pace. No rush. Why?

Because moving with time was more fun than racing time.

Oh yes, he ran when he wanted to. When there were treats he was lightning fast. Even with those stout Beagle Bassett legs, he could outrun me. But his daily life was done without haste. He enjoyed. He appreciated. He paused. He respected.

He did that with every single thing. Because he knew that was the way to do it. As Buddha taught him.

Scooby taught me that it’s ok to keep the cards we’re dealt. That it’s ok to not give up at the first sign of trouble. Because if we give the cards back we may find out we were holding the Wildcard.

And Scooby was the Wildcard.

We danced thousands of dances, and then we danced some more. We knew each other’s steps as if they were our own. To see us walk together might not have always made sense. But we did it beautifully. It was our dance.

My first dog was with me for 19 years. Another, about 12. And Pongo was almost 19 when he passed away.

Scooby, although he was 21 ½ human years, graced me for only 4 ½ of those years. But somehow, in that time, he etched himself so deeply into my soul. I often tried to become him, to be The Scoobs. Always My Hero.

There was just something about Scooby. Loving him was just such a great feeling. And that smooshable face. To kiss that nose. To look into those eyes. Oh man, I still see him now.

To sit with him, even for a moment, that was my Paradise. And I’ll miss that.

My one week mourning period is now over. Despite being at a very few activities this past week, I’ve really focused only on remembering. It’s still a foggy place, but this week of reflection has been so very meaningful to me and my soul.

Thank you for your continued show of love and support for me and The Scoobs. Please know that I still plan to reply to each one of you who has commented or reached out to me. There are thousands of messages to return and it will take some time, but please know you are not forgotten.

And most of all, I thank you for loving him too.

With love, Larry

Scooby Chusid: August 31, 1994 – February 14, 2016

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

Scooby’s physical presence has not been alone since he crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Someone was with him all night, keeping him company. And I’m with him now. We will continue this journey together, all of us will.

Last night all of the lights were left on in my home, both indoors and out. It shined bright. Windows and doors were open. Just in case Scooby’s Spirit needed a little extra help finding me for a quick visit. To let me Smoosh that sweet face of his.

For those of you who have asked about French Fry Friday, yes, you bet it will continue. It will be a tiny bit different, but it will be. Just as Scooby and I had discussed.

Thank you again for your love, for your kindness, for joining us on this journey and for sharing your Inner Scooby when we need you the most.

Cards, letters, photos, drawings, paintings, collages or whatever it will be for Scooby can be sent to Larry Chusid, The Pongo Fund, PO Box 8244, Portland, Oregon, 97207.

Some of you may remember this photo, from when Scooby took me to meet Buddha. We were on our walk. Neither one of us could see Buddha, but Scooby still knew he was there. He walked straight to Buddha and kissed him. I know Buddha kissed him back. From one Buddha to another. With love.

–Love, Larry and Scooby

Farewell my friend. Safe travels.

‘til we meet again.

–Love, Larry

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

Yes, Mr. Big Hunk is ready to rock and roll. Well, just as soon as the morphine wears off.

Here’s to you, Big Hunk. You totally won the day. You made that tumor wish it was never born.

Wishing you sweet dreams for a happy, restful, tumor-free night.

With love from your entire care team at VCA East Mill Plain Animal Hospital and from all of us at The Pongo Fund.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

We know this is a big job. But we also know we’ve got each one of you there with us. And for that we are grateful.

We hope Super Bowl Sunday is a Super Good Day for Big Hunk too.

We will update you when we know more. To all of you who have donated to The Pongo Fund for Big Hunk’s care, each of us at The Pongo Fund thanks you. Of course, Big Hunk and his Mom thank you too.

For Big Hunk.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org