Canine Nonprofit Highlights: April 2025
If you have a canine companion, then you understand the lifelong connection between dog and human. It’s priceless, unique, and something worth protecting and cherishing. We’ve rounded up just a handful of the countless nonprofits and charities who embody these values and strive to create a better world for dogs.
Street Dog Hero
In 2017, Marianne Cox brought home a stray Vizsla mix while on a family vacation in Sayulita, Mexico. Within weeks, the newly-named KC found his forever home in Oregon. Cox went on to found Street Dog Hero, an organization that rescues dogs from around the world to find them loving families. From overcrowded shelters in Texas and California to the streets of Puerto Rico, India, China, and Albania — just to name a few — the organization has given new life to hundreds of at-risk dogs.
Aside from these rescue missions, Street Dog Hero partners with local communities around the globe to provide free education and clinics for communities experiencing financial and geographic barriers that prevent them from caring for dogs. From public art and murals portraying dogs as beloved family members, to educational programs on providing care, to free spay and neuter clinics, their outreach spreads awareness and helps curb the number of strays around the world.
Their efforts don’t stop at the local level, either. Oregon residents can participate in monthly adoption events, free dog food drives, free spay/neuter clinics, and even summer camps and volunteer programs for children and youth, who Street Dog Hero aptly call “the next generation of dog lovers.”
From Shelter to Service Dog
As the oldest provider of hearing assistance dogs in the U.S., Dogs for Better Lives has been training and placing canines since 1977. And by partnering with Texas-based Operation Kindness, they were also able to launch From Shelter to Service Dog, a program that rescues and trains Service Dogs for people with disabilities.
The program seeks out rescue dogs and trains them to support hard-of-hearing adults, children diagnosed with autism, and licensed professionals such as therapists, teachers, and child advocates. By opening the door to shelter dogs, it increases the number of available Service Dogs and drastically lowers wait times. These incredible canines provide safety and independence, and create lasting bonds — all with absolutely zero cost to their humans. (This is particularly amazing when you take into account that the average value of a dog from this program is $54,000).
First Nations Vet
First Nations Vet provides free veterinary care to dogs and cats living on Native American Reservations. With the recent addition of their mobile spay/neuter rig, they’re able to bring free clinics to a far-reaching audience.
The organization was founded by Gina Clemmer, a registered member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Clemmer also founded Clinic HQ, a high-volume spay/neuter clinic management software.) First Nations Vet provides clinics for communities such as the Umatilla and Warm Springs Nations in Oregon and the Hopi Nation in Arizona. These areas may not have shelters for unwanted or stray animals, while rehoming dogs is difficult due to a lack of resources — and that’s where First Nations Vet comes in. Their mobile vet clinics are staffed by volunteers, and each one provides free treatment for around 100 dogs and cats, including spaying/neutering, microchipping, vaccinations, and flea and tick prevention.
Wings of Rescue
When shelters experience overcrowding or run out of space, there’s a higher risk of euthanasia. Luckily, charities such as Wings of Rescue offer unique resources and skills to help. Since 2012, Wings of Rescue has flown over 78,000 at-risk animals from overcrowded shelters and disaster areas to shelters with available space — all without displacing any locally sheltered animals. Relocations are done as quickly and safely as possible, often several times a week, and bring dogs from high-risk shelters to areas where they’re much more likely to find forever homes.
And it doesn’t stop with relocating animals. Wings of Rescue adopted a philosophy of “never fly an empty plane,” and on flights to pick up animals from disaster areas, they often deliver humanitarian and veterinarian aid. In doing so, they’ve successfully delivered over 375 tons of disaster relief aid including food, medicine, and other shelter supplies.
15/10 Foundation
If you’ve ever seen a Tell Your Dog I Said Hi™ bumper sticker or t-shirt, then you’re probably familiar with WeRateDogs, the feel-good Instagram account that rates dogs on a 10-point scale (spoiler: pretty much every pup shared receives at least 10 points). Matt Nelson, who started WeRateDogs as a comedy account, has since gone on to create the 15/10 Foundation, named for the highest rating any dog has ever received on the account.
The foundation was founded after Nelson adopted his German shepherd, Doug, who experienced difficulty getting along with other dogs, as well as various health concerns. As Nelson puts it, “[Doug] is an excellent example of an amazing dog whose medical and behavioral issues lessened the likelihood of them ever finding a forever home.” After he adopted Doug and experienced the high cost of pet medical bills, Nelson launched the 15/10 Foundation to sponsor shelter dogs with similar behavioral and medical issues. Aside from raising donor funds for medical care, 15% of proceeds from all Tell Your Dog I Said Hi™ products go to the foundation as well.
