Steve and Pepe’s story helped Dogs for Better Lives earn lifesaving funds, now the public can vote for that story to help acquire more shelter dogs.
CENTRAL POINT, OR – Dogs for Better Lives’ (DBL) client Steve’s story about how his former shelter now Hearing Assistance Dog Pepe changed his life has earned a $5,000 Holiday Wishes grant
from the Petco Foundation. Now, DBL is seeking the public’s support to help earn up to an additional $25,000 this holiday season.
The Petco Foundation, in partnership with BOBS from Skechers, invited adopters (“clients” to DBL) to share how their pet has changed their life to give the organization they applied and received from a chance to receive lifesaving grant awards. This year, Steve’s heartwarming story about how his adopted dog, Pepe, was selected as one of 50 national winners from thousands of submissions to help DBL earn $5,000 from the Petco Foundation.
DBL was surprised during a virtual celebration on December 1st. Now animal lovers can help make even more Holiday Wishes come true for Dogs for Better Lives by voting for their story in the People’s Choice competition at petcofoundation.org/vote from Dec. 1 to Dec. 16, noon CST to help them earn up to $25,000 in additional lifesaving funds.
Steve and his Hearing Assistance Dog Pepe, traversing their daily walk.
“We encourage our community of animal lovers to vote for our story! If 2020 has shown us anything it’s that pets change our lives for the better. Your vote can help us earn lifesaving funds so we can bring more pets in need together with loving families,” said Bryan Williams, CEO at Dogs for Better Lives.
People’s Choice Competition:
The Petco Foundation People’s Choice competition invites the public to vote for their favorite adoption story and gives the top five vote recipients the chance to receive additional grant funding from $5,000 to $25,000. The deadline to vote is December 16, 2020, noon CST. Winning organizations will be announced late December. To view all 50 finalist stories and vote for a favorite, visit petcofoundation.org/vote.
Winning Story Background:
“Pepe not only assists me with my hearing loss; he is my constant companion,” states DBL client Steve. “I may live alone, however I am not lonely. Far from it! The best part for me and Pepe is that we are once again ‘traveling,’ so to speak. While sheltering in place [during COVID], we get out to exercise and see new things almost every day, all while being able to avoid contact with others.” To read Steve’s full story, visit here.
Former shelter dog Pepe is now a working Hearing Assistance Dog, bettering Steve’s life every day.
Petco Foundation Holiday Wishes Campaign:
The Petco Foundation selected 50 winning Holiday Wishes stories this year and will distribute a total of $860,000 in grant awards to animal welfare organizations across the country. Winning Holiday Wishes story awards ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, and adopters with winning submissions received a prize pack including a Petco gift card and BOBS from Skechers shoes. Since 2013, the Petco Foundation has awarded over $5.8 million in Holiday Wishes grants to celebrate pet adoption and help hardworking animal welfare organizations during the holiday season and year-round. For more information about the Holiday Wishes campaign, visit petcofoundation.org/holidaywishes and join the conversation on social media using #holidaywishes.
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About Dogs for Better Lives
Dogs for Better Lives (DBL) is a national award-winning 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, focused on professionally training dogs to help people and enhance lives while maintaining a lifelong commitment to all dogs we rescue or breed and the people we serve. DBL currently places dogs in three program areas; Hearing Assistance Dogs, Autism Assistance Dogs, and Facility Dogs. Accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and consistently recognized by Charity Navigator as a top tier 4-star nonprofit, DBL has been rescuing dogs, bettering lives, and providing Assistance Dogs since 1977. To learn more about DBL’s commitment to bettering the lives of others, visit https://dblboarding.wpengine.com/ and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About the Petco Foundation and BOBS from Skechers
At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we’ve invested more than $290 million in lifesaving animal welfare work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. We also partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoptions. So far, we’ve helped more than 6.5 million pets find their new loving families, and we’re just getting started. Visit petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.
BOBS from Skechers’ charitable collection of shoes, apparel and accessories have improved animals’ lives: over the past five years, Skechers has contributed more than $5.6 million to help more than one million shelter pets, including saving more than 709,000 rescued pets in the United States. It all started in 2011, when Skechers launched a movement to support children impacted by natural disasters and poverty – a cause that has helped the Company donate more than 15 million pairs of new pairs of shoes to kids in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about BOBS from Skechers’ commitment to making a difference, visit www.BOBSfromSkechers.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
[Read full news release in PDF here.]
