C O M M U N I T Y
Saving the Lives of Animals
Pup Culture Rescue is a foster-based rescue that helps dogs find their forever homes By Haley Beyer ictoria Shaffer, CEO and founder of Pup Culture Rescue, has been working in animal rescue for 10 years. She previously wrote the book, “Pup Culture: Stories, Tips and the Importance of Adopting a Dog,” which teaches first-time dog owners how to care for their new pet. It also inspired the name for her rescue organization. Shaffer grew up in Manhattan, New York, but decided to make the move to Los Angeles four years ago. Pup Culture Rescue spends lots of time on the Westside because two of the main veterinarians they work with are there. The organization also partners with Morpheus, a boutique on Venice Boulevard, to hold special events. Most recently they participated in Mar Vista’s Venice Lovefest, where they had an adoption booth. All the dogs and puppies they brought to the event were adopted, and Shaffer said it’s one of the best ways to highlight animals who need a home because potential adopters can meet the dogs in person and see the animal’s character. Shaffer started Pup Culture in October 2021. She was working for another rescue located in San Diego, but decided to start her own and created one of the only foster-based rescues. “I’ve been passionate about rescue since I was 12 years old when my family found our first dog in a dumpster,” Shaffer said. “Later when I was in college, I coincidentally found yet another dog in a dumpster and kept it.” Helping these two dogs by giving them a home, loving and rehabilitating them from the trauma they had endured were the first stepping stones to opening Pup Culture Rescue. Shaffer’s organization is a nonprofit animal rescue that is dedicated to saving dogs. She spends a lot of her time educating the community about the importance of adoption specifically through fostering, a unique quality for a rescue. Typically when potential adopters visit a rescue, the animals are in cages and they
PHOTOS CREDIT: COURTESY OF PUP CULTURE
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Pup Culture Rescue is a foster-based rescue that takes in dogs and finds them forever homes after giving them the medical attention they need and rehabilitating them into an animal who trusts humans again and is confident in the life ahead of them.
PAGE 8 THE ARGONAUT APRIL 14, 2022
spend a brief amount of time together in a room before deciding if they want to take them home. Pup Culture works through fostering, where people bring an animal into their home to see how it reacts to the environment, their family members and other animals, then they decide whether it’s a good fit. The organization rescues homeless, mistreated and overlooked animals, both locally and internationally. The Pup Culture team has connections to shelters and rescuers all the way from LA to Mexico, who reach out when they find a dog that has either needed a home for a while, is about to be euthanized, or needs extra help finding its forever owner. Currently they only work with dogs, but could potentially expand to cats once the organization is big enough to manage that many animals. Because Pup Culture is a foster-to-adopt system, an extra step is put into place to guarantee a more successful adoption. Once a dog is taken in by the team, they post its picture along with a description of its characteristics on social media to find someone who can foster it. For someone to foster and eventually adopt a dog through Pup Culture, they must create a profile and apply for the kind of dog they want, which makes it easier for the team members to find perfect matches between dogs and adopters. For example, if someone wants a small dog with low energy, Pup Culture is only going to consider that applicant for dogs who fit those characteristics to increase the chances of them keeping the dog and to minimize the number of fosters a dog must go through before finding its forever home. Applicants must also agree to a virtual home check to make sure it is a safe and healthy environment for a dog to live. “There is a dog for everyone, the application process makes it so much easier for us to find the perfect match,” Shaffer said. While a dog goes through the foster process, Pup Culture provides it with any necessary medical care it may need. A
