Friday Sniff: Helping L.A.

It remains urgent, for dogs and people alike.

The L.A. wildfires are still top of mind and top of news, and I’m hoping the national attention and fundraising continues well beyond this news cycle. Once the shock of what has happened wears off, the real work of rebuilding will begin. This will be a generational trauma for many people, but one thing is for sure – people are resilient and even more so with dogs by their side.

I am proud to say that we’ve already raised over $200k – far eclipsing our original goal of $50k. It’s been some time since I’ve heard the fundraising rally-cry (pack-woof?) of The Dogist community, but boy, is it strong as ever! It’s inspiring to know that so many people care about others going through a tragedy and know the importance of keeping their pets through it. We are still running our GoFundMe fundraiser, which will benefit not only dogs and cats affected by the fire, but first responders as well. And there are a number of other ways to help, as well: here’s a list of the top-rated charities.

Next week, I’ll get back to discussing other topical dog matters — the inauguration, for example, has a big dog-related subplot. This week, I want to keep LA in our hearts and minds, and say a prayer (or however you wish to connect) for the animals that are going through a very uncertain time as well.

In the meantime, here’s a photo of a Russo, a Husky whose family had to relinquish their dogs while evacuating from the fires. Luckily, their neighbor offered to foster Russo and his sister Raya.