Four weeks, 17 drop-off locations, a handful of volunteers, and 1 dedicated dog club resulted in an inspiring donation of thousands of blankets, towels, beds, and toys for homeless dogs and cats in the Orange and Los Angeles County shelters.
Stephen and Brandi Terry founded the non-profit, Desperate Paws of Orange County Dog Club, in hopes of bringing dogs and their owners together to experience the best in life and to make a difference in their community. While the group mostly functions as a dog club (getting together for fun dog-friendly activities) it also organizes fundraisers and sponsors adoption events throughout Orange County. As stated as one of the group goals, “The Club advocates for dog welfare and adoption so we can help aid needy dogs in our own community.” That is exactly what the club did this past Saturday, Dec. 16th, for the third time since they started in January 2010. Their first fundraising event, Presents for Paws drive, was last Christmas for which they collected and distributed toys to the homeless dogs in the main Orange County shelter. The club got an even bigger response at their second fundraiser in March when they collected over 40,000 pounds of pet food and relief supplies to send to Japan after those devastating disasters. The Presents for Paws drive this year was the club’s third collection and fundraising event that helped sponsor the 2nd Annual Pawliday Dog Adoption at the O.C. animal shelter. 
The Presents for Paws drive was held for four weeks, from November 7th to December 5th. Nine companies participated, supplying seventeen designated drop-off centers throughout Orange County. While last year’s collection drive was only for toys, O.C. Animal Care asked that this year’s drive include blankets and cat toys as well. While donations were slow in the beginning, they began pouring in as the drive came to a close. Because of the amazing response to the drive, the club decided to split the donations between O.C. Animal Care and the L.A. Department of Animal Care and Control. The donations were plentiful enough that even local dog rescues were given much needed supplies and other organizations received blankets for homeless people. The positive effect this drive had on the community was priceless and it reached much further than anyone had anticipated. 
The club does not only organize events and donation drives; it also sponsors the “Paw It Forward” campaign. “The PAW IT FORWARD campaign supports needy and adoptable dogs in our local community by holding and funding special adoption events as well as our Presents for Paws drive.” The club does this by raising funds and using those funds to reduce adoption fees to help place shelter dogs in a new home. During the Presents for Paws drive the club raised enough money to reduce the adoption fees by $50 for the first 20 dogs adopted at Saturday’s adoption event. The club gave this same donation at last year’s adoption event which inspired the shelter to continue taking $50 off adoption fees for the rest of the day. This year the shelter reduced the adoption fee of cats during the adoption event as well. As if the collection drive and donations weren’t enough, the Paw It Forward campaign teamed up with Betty’s Boot Camp for Dogs and Humans to provide free training classes to all new owners and dogs adopted during the adoption event. This gracious gift from Betty is invaluable to these dogs and their new owners since most dogs end up being returned to the shelter because of behavioral issues.
The impact this relatively small group has had on the community is tremendous, and it is growing. Experience it for yourself. Check out this group either to find new opportunities to go on a fun outing with your pup or to help make a positive change in the community. Who knows, maybe it will inspire you to start your own local dog club, spread the puppy love, and make a difference in another community. Paw it Forward. 
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