8 Amazing Companies You Never Knew Helped Animals

Mary Simpson
by Mary Simpson
Forget lending a helping hand – there are some companies that you’d never think of that lend a helping paw to animals in need.


They are the unsung heroes. Those organizations that step outside of their carefully crafted corporate box to help shelters and rescues that may not necessarily fit their brand’s image or customer demographic, but sure do need their help.


While we all expect manufacturers and retailers of pet related products to step up as needed, it’s the unexpected brands and smaller organizations that really stand out as discreet heroes worthy of a special nod.


Related: Pet Products That Do Good For People


Ben & Jerry’s


Did you know that Ben & Jerry’s (yes, the ice cream boys) use their Free Cone Day at a number of their locations as an adoption event to help area shelters find forever homes for pooches in need? And check out their website to read all about their office dogs such as Tilly, Rambo and Madison to name a few (and dubbed the K9to5ers).


Bissell


This iconic vacuum cleaner and stain removal brand has its very own Bissell Pet Foundation that focuses on finding homes for pets in need. Each product purchase results in a donation that goes towards reducing the number of animals in shelters through pet adoption, spay/neuter programs, micro-chipping and foster care.


Related: Homeless Youth Serve Up Gourmet Pet Treats at Lindy & Company


Amazon


Users of Amazon may be familiar with the corporate giant’s AmazonSmile program. Tens of millions of products featured on their website are marked with the “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” and buyers registered in the program can choose from among one million charities – including 2,100 humane societies and rescue organizations – who will receive a portion of their purchase price.


Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co.


We don’t usually associate coffee with canines but the Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. directs a portion of the sales from their fair trade organic, whole bean coffee to support area no kill rescue organizations. In fact, 20 percent of all Grounds & Hounds proceeds are donated to a series of rescue partners such as Chicago’s “One Tail at a Time”, D.C.’s “Lucky Dog” and Brooklyn’s “Badass Animal Rescue”, to name just a few of the many.


IKEA



Sweden’s stylin’ furnishing icon IKEA has long believed the most important place in the world, is home. So no surprise the innovative retailer connected “home” with “pets” and rolled out their Home for Hope campaign that focuses on placing shelter dogs in forever homes. Life-sized cardboard cut-outs of shelter dogs are displayed on their furniture set-ups to “show people what their home would look like with a pet in it”. Each cut-out had a code that can be scanned so customers can track down their shelter döög!


Subaru



Since 2008, automotive leader Subaru has been partnering with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for their month-long Subaru Loves Pets campaign in support of pet adoptions, spay/neutering and micro-chipping programs. Shelter grantees receive funding to host large-scale pet adoption events across the country and in 2015, they saved more than 4,500 lives.


LUSH



Super scented and environmentally conscious cosmetic giant LUSH offers their Charity Pot line of hand and body lotions. One hundred percent of the sale price (minus taxes) is donated to small grassroots organizations that include animal welfare. In fact, one Charity Pot in particular supports the Beagle Freedom Project that re-homes dogs used in lab testing.


Rescue Chocolate



While chocolate and dogs is never a good combo, one entrepreneur out of New York turned our love for both into a fund-raising initiative. Rescue Chocolate creates organic, fair-trade chocolate bars that feature a rescue pooch on their label and include such flavours as “Bananas Foster”, “Peanut Butter Pit Bull” and “Mission Feral Fig” with a portion of proceeds going respectively to support foster homes for dogs, training of pit bulls and Trap, Neuter, Release programs for feral cats.

Mary Simpson
Mary Simpson

Sharing space with three seriously judgy Schnoodles and two felines who prefer to be left alone. #LivingMyBestLife

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