My long-time friend John whom I’ve known for over a decade (gosh, I’m getting old…) recently introduced me to his business partner and friend Brian, who is the CEO of LaJollaweb.com. where he develops apps and websites and takes care of his clients’ SEO needs.
K9sOverCoffee's Barbara & ISavedAPuppy's CFO John
But that’s obviously not why John mentioned Brian to me. The reason he did is our shared love of dogs (animals in general, really).
Brian & John
Knowing that one of my favorite pastimes is blogging about the furries in my life, he told me about their nonprofit ISavedAPuppy.org where he serves as CFO (Chief Financial Officer).
Disclaimer: ISavedAPuppy is sponsoring this blog post. Here on K9sOverCoffee, I only share information I take a personal interest in. ISavedAPuppy is not responsible for the content of this blog post.
What Does ISavedAPuppy Do?
ISavedAPuppy was founded in May of this year (2017). Its mission is to feed, provide medical attention, and find loving homes for abandoned animals roaming the streets of Tijuana, Mexico. You may wonder why Mexico? Why not somewhere in the States?
Well, Brian & John are based out of San Diego, CA, which is only about 20 miles away from the border town Tijuana. Brian lived there for 7 years during which he saw many things that didn’t sit right with him, mainly Mexico’s lack of animal control which has lead to an epidemic of millions of abandoned, and stray animals wandering the streets.
An estimated 200-250 dogs are abandoned each week in the streets of Tijuana, but only about 100 dogs are cared for by Tijuana shelters every week.
When I talked to him to get a better understanding of why people are readily abandoning their pets, he told me that many people just can’t afford to feed their four legged companions because of the high cost of pet food (it’s twice as expensive as in the US).
So in order to make a difference, they make a trip to Tijuana once a week and bring along donated food and items such as crates and blankets. Whenever they go, they check the streets for abandoned pets. They rely on donations both from individuals like you and me, and pet retail stores such as PetSmart who recently partnered with ISavedAPuppy.
How To Help
Here’s how our community of pet lovers can pitch in: One option is to donate directly to ISavedAPuppy.org via their website. I went ahead and donated $25 via PayPal. Just click on “Donate” on their website, and you’ll have the option to make a donation in the amount of your choice using either PayPal or a credit/debit card:
I Donated $25
You can also donate via the ISavedAPuppy Facebook page by clicking on the “donate” button there. It essentially redirects you to their website.
If you live in Southern California, another option is to contact Brian about volunteering your personal time, fostering, dropping off basic supplies such as food, crates, blankets, and flea & tick repellents, sponsoring a particular pet, spreading the word about their good cause (hello social media!), and of course adopting one of the many pups or kittens in need!
Who Else Is On The ISavedAPuppy Team?
Besides Brian and John, their friend Mehdi serves as Chief Technical Officer on the board of directors.
They also partner with a local veterinarian hospital in Tijuana, Chapulte Pets. The head veterinarian’s name is Jair.
Meet Fernando one of our rescues that got sicky sicky! He’ll be okay after the antibiotics he has received. A post shared by Brian Bovenzi (@isavedapuppy) on
4 volunteers are currently donating their time towards ISavedAPuppy‘s cause: Sheryl, Alec, Elisa, and Andreina.
How To Contact Brian
You can reach Brian via email or phone, send him a message on social media, or fill out the contact form on the ISavedAPuppy website. Just click on the “contact” tab.
How To Adopt
If you’re interested in adopting a pup from ISavedAPuppy, contact Brian. There’s a $150 adoption fee that covers shots, blood work, medicine, grooming, and transportation.
Additionally, the guys & gals from ISavedAPuppy recently started working with Leslie Ruiz from Surf’s Up Dog Training, a San Diego dog trainer, who provides 2 hours of complimentary dog training for every newly adopted pup and their family. This service is also covered by the adoption fee.
Dog Trainer Leslie Working With Rocky
Pascal Found A Loving New Home
Brian Adopted Rocky, A Little PitBull Puppy Who Had Parvo
Brian ended up adopting this little cutie pie himself and named him Rocky. Rocky had been brought to Chapulte Pets, the veterinarian in Tijuana who partners with ISavedAPuppy, but was never picked up again from there. He ended up surviving his Parvo diagnosis and is now a busy little helper when it comes to picking up food donations 😉
Help our Nonprofit Organization rescue more puppies like this little guy. Please donate to isavedapuppy.org A post shared by Brian Bovenzi (@isavedapuppy) on
What’s In Store For ISavedAPuppy
Brian and his team are planning to open a shelter café near the border lines of Tijuana to make it easier for potential adopters to come out and meet the pets in need of loving forever homes. They’re also working on an online pet supply store which will be accessible under the link USavedAPuppy.com soon – the projected opening date is January 12 (2018). 100% of the proceeds will go towards opening the shelter café! How about that?! What’s special about the brands that will be featured in the online store is that the suppliers behind them are supporting ISavedAPuppy‘s cause and will be providing their products at wholesale prices. They also started accepting gently used clothing and toys for local Tijuana kids in need.
Bottom Line
Remember that donations are tax deductible, so if you find it in your hearts and wallets to donate a few $$$, do print out the confirmation email you’ll receive once you made the donation and file it with your tax paperwork. You can follow ISavedAPuppy on Facebook and/or Instagram. They are very good about updating their social media accounts on a regular basis with tons of fresh footage of adoptable pets, food donations, behind the scenes vet work, and donation drives.
Join us with your pups this Saturday as we collect donations not just for the dogs and cats in Tijuana, but also for the children in impoverished neighborhoods and orphanages. We gladly accept dog/cat food, and treats, dog/cat accessories (leash, collar, etc.), dog/cat hygiene items (flea/tick spray, pet wipes,etc.). We also accept children’s clothes and toys in new or used (and clean) conditions. We recommend soccer balls, the kids really love them. If you have adult clothing that you either don’t want anymore or don’t use, we assure you that your donations will go to a family in need. We will also accept blankets and towels in new or slightly used (and clean) conditions. With the oncoming cold temperatures, there is a dire need for warm clothing. Anything and everything helps. A post shared by Brian Bovenzi (@isavedapuppy) on
Can you help make a difference in the lives of Tijuana’s abandoned pets? As always, we’d love to hear from you in our comment section!
