Shelter Spotlight: Bow Wow Buddies Foundation for Sick and Injured Dog

Diana Faria
by Diana Faria
Unexpected accidents and illnesses happen. But what happens if you can’t afford the vet bill? Bow Wow Buddies Foundation helps pet parents and their dogs get back on the road to a happy life.


Nothing hurts a pet parent’s heart more than knowing your best friend is sick, in urgent need of treatment, and not being able to give it to them because you cannot afford it. Seeing your dog suffer, day after day, while knowing there is help is absolutely heartbreaking when you financially cannot do anything about it. Sometimes, owners must surrender their dog because they cannot afford to help them. Worst case scenario, dogs live out the rest of their days in pain and pass away due to lack of medical treatment. But in every case, it is a sad, dark path to go down.


Camp Bow Wow’s “ Bow Wow Buddies Foundation” aims to help injured and sick dogs whose owners cannot afford to treat their injured animal. By paying for their procedure or treatment, the foundation not only helps the dog regain their lives but also prevents the pet owner from going through an immense loss would negatively affect the rest of their lives.


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The Foundation offers grants up to $2,500 for necessary treatments across North America. Some of the ailments covered for pooches include cancer, parvovirus, enucleation, broken bones, heart worm, and several other health problems.


To see how this foundation has bettered lives, one doesn’t have to look much further than the case of Chester and Jansen Young. Young’s boyfriend was killed in the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting, and her registered therapy dog, Chester, was suffering from a slipped disk and spinal infection. Chester had devoted more than 130 hours of service to help the survivors of the horrific shooting and became the first recipient of a Bow Wow Buddies Foundation grant. Thanks to the foundation, Chester can continue to help humans who need therapy to live happier lives.


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The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, founded in 2003, is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and stretches out across North America with over 152 franchises in 38 states (and one in Canada). The grant offered not only helps individual dogs from homes, but can also be granted to dogs awaiting adoption from a shelter pending veterinary care, making adopting injured animals that much easier for those wanting to help hurt dogs.


The Foundation’s mission is straight-forward and sincere: no animal should be hurt or sick because their owners or shelter/rescuers cannot afford to help them. Erin Askeland, Training and Communication Manager for the foundation, said that for the owners facing this troublesome time, the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation is “a lifeline that can ease the financial burdens of treating their sick or injured dog”. They understand that families can be going through a rough financial patch in their lives and the last thing they need to happen is bid farewell to their loveable pooch.


If your dog is in dire need of assistance, simply fill out a grant application and submit it to the Foundation with your Veterinarian’s signature, an estimate/invoice of the treatment cost, as well as a family photo with your furry friend. Should the grant be issued, it will be paid to the veterinarian/clinic to make sure that your dog receives the treatment as quickly as possible.


In order to help as many dogs as they can, the Foundation is accepting donations to keep dogs (and their owners) happy and healthy. To make a donation, please visit the Bow Wow Buddies website and make a difference in a dog’s – and pet parent’s – life!

Diana Faria
Diana Faria

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