La Mesa-based Animal Pad rescue, which retrieves dogs from high-kill shelters as well as the streets of Mexico, and Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. have two weeks left to raise funds through a partnership in which all sales from G&H’s Rescue Roast blend will be donated directly back to the shelter.
Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. Founder Jordan Karcher said the company, which donates a portion of profits from every sale to support animal rescue organizations, chose The Animal Pad for this particular partnership “as most people have no idea what the homeless dog situation looks like just a few hundred miles away” and hopes to shine a spotlight on the homeless pet issue just south of the border while also raising funds.
The Animal Pad Partnerships Director Corina Asher said they originally began by taking in dogs from high-kill shelters but have turned their attention to Mexico in the past few years as there are few rescue facilities available there.
“We often take the dogs no others will take. We get calls from other rescues because they don’t have the bandwidth to take care of all the dogs—our medical bills are roughly $50,000 monthly. For this specific campaign with Grounds and Hounds, funds are specifically going to pregnant dogs,” Asher said, as they often go down on a call for one dog and end up coming back with two or three.
Unfortunately, Asher said, The Animal Pad does not qualify for many grants because they’re not just rescuing American dogs.
“We’re 100% donation funded and actually won a local Best Of award in the San Diego Reader over the Humane Society and Helen Woodward, even though they have paid employees and much more funding. We have some great teams: a medical intake team, a care team, our foster team, an events team. We even have a gratitude team and a reunion department. It’s like a huge family of like minded people,” Asher said.
Karcher said by the time a rescue pup “lands in your lap,” they have likely been through a tremendous amount of pain, stress and abandonment. When the COVID-19 pandemic drove people indoors, Asher said, the rescue had “a ton of people” apply to foster and volunteer with extra free time, a happy benefit of suddenly working from home.
“During the pandemic, people no longer had many reasons standing in the way of getting involved and we had a lot of new volunteers and fosters,” Asher said and although some dogs have come back to them as people head back into the office, homes are being found.
“Our Director of Operations, Lauren (Botticelli) is an amazing human being and coordinates with all the different rescues and people going back to work. We’re always bringing in new dogs and have no problem taking back dogs if necessary,” Asher said.
However, Karcher said the topic is tricky and a concern many people involved with rescue were worried about when adoptions increased dramatically during the first six months of the pandemic.
“I believe it’s up to us, the rescuers, and adopters, to end that cycle through all-out commitment. While I know many people will be returning to the office, that cannot be a reason to abandon a pup who has grown to love you. There are incredible resources for pet sitting, daycare, etcetera to help keep your best friend out of the shelter,” Karcher said.
Sometimes, having a pet means making a few sacrifices, Karcher said, like fewer vacations or late nights out “but having and loving a rescue pup beats all those activities tenfold in my book” and his personal stance is that rescue is forever.
Two things served as his inspiration in 2014 for the concept of a coffee business where part of the proceeds were dedicated to dogs: his rescued dog Molly and the morning routine of coffee and a neighborhood walk.
“The world was not in dire need of another coffee brand at the time, but the world was in need of a company that served to make a difference for rescue pups. Fast forward eight years, and we have maintained that same passion for supporting, championing, and advocating for rescue pups day in and day out,”
Karcher said, while also providing a delicious reason to slow down and enjoy 15 minutes with a “best friend” each morning.
