By DeVida Johnson | Event and Outreach Manager
As you know, at Project POOCH, Inc., we teach the youth in the program patience, kindness, respect, and compassion for all life. That lesson is not lost on the dogs whose lives they save. One such dog is also making a life-saving difference for pups whose lives hang in the balance….
Fenway is a beloved POOCH alum who visits Project POOCH often. He’s a delightfully energetic and happy dog who hikes with his mom regularly, though he never seems to tire no matter how many miles they log!
Fenway’s future wasn’t always so bright…
…until he was found by Project POOCH.
When our executive director first found Fenway, he was cowering, head down in a corner at an area shelter. She learned he’d been a stray, wandering the streets of a town in Oregon. He was having difficulty being adopted because he was shut down and depressed, but she saw the love and soulfulness in his eyes and knew he’d be a great candidate for our program.
Fenway's confidence grows...
During his stay with us, as he gained his confidence, we realized he was a happy, high energy dog who had difficulty calming down and focusing—behaviors that require patience and time to overcome. The youth worked with Fenway, teaching him his basic commands, helping him to be more focused and calm, and ultimately taking him through the successful completion of his Canine Good Citizen Certification!
We knew, once his mom, a longtime POOCH volunteer, met him, it would be love at first sight! What a great team they make!
Fenway becomes a superhero...
Together, they serve as wonderful ambassadors in the community. So, when his mom told us Fenway had become a doggie blood donor for a local emergency animal hospital, we were not all that surprised, and we were very proud. He’s using everything he learned at Project POOCH about being a well-mannered, loving and trusting pooch, and giving back to other dogs in need. It takes a calm and patient dog to sit for the 30 minutes necessary to donate blood!
There are over a dozen blood group systems recognized for dogs. That makes each doggie blood donor like Fenway even more critical to the success of the hospital’s life-saving efforts.
For the next two years, Fenway and his mom will be making regular visits to donate blood. His life was saved by the staff and youth at Project POOCH, and now he is paying it forward by saving the lives of other pooches.
Fenway is definitely a superhero in our book!
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When you support Project POOCH, your gift goes so much farther than the brick and mortar of our facility. Every day the youth make choices that reflect the lessons of compassion and respect they’ve been taught. Every day, they make the choice to make the world a better, safer, more humane place, and help dogs like Fenway do the same. THANK YOU for showing compassion to these youth and dogs who are striving to build better and brighter futures.
We hope you’ll consider making another life-saving gift to our project, Change the Lives of Troubled Youth & Shelter Dogs, on Wednesday, March 18th, between 6 am and 9 pm Pacific Time during GlobalGiving’s Bonus Day. Gifts will be matched at 30% until the $60,000 in matching funds run out.
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