Pup Culture Rescue was the answer to a disappointing animal volunteering experience that brought Veronica Lily Shaffer and Riley O’Day together. The CEO and co-founder met after getting heavily involved as volunteers at a large local animal shelter in Los Angeles. Through the shelter, which the two choose not to name, they co-fostered a litter of 10 puppies. They say the experience “motivated them to do better,” and from these frustrations Pup Culture was born.
When Shaffer and O’Day began their six month process of starting a rescue, they did not know what to expect. “Nobody knows how to start a non-profit, there isn’t a handbook,” said Shaffer. The co-founders had little luck applying for grants through the state but found guidance and knowledge through other non-profits. Pup Culture financially struggled in its early years, forcing Shaffer to use her personal expenses towards the rescue, “but we have always found our way out from under it,” she said.
For the beginning of Pup Culture’s existence, the non-profit was foster based, meaning there was no permanent location to take in dogs. “It was definitely a lot of pressure on me because Riley was in vet-tech school in Chicago and anytime a foster bailed, the dog ended up at my house,” the CEO explained, “there were times I had 25 dogs.” Shaffer loved the experience but struggled to find division and balance between her personal life and rescue life.
Nearly two and a half years after the non-profit’s birth, the permanent location in Pasadena opened on June 1, 2024. The lot had been vacant for two years, and it was pretty disheveled. “I was here some days like 15 hours a day, painting all day long, people coming in and out and we did have to get a pretty large cleaning crew in here to deep, deep, deep clean before we could put dogs here,” she said.
Pup Culture is now able to take in dogs in more pressing needs that they wouldn’t have been able to without the permanent location. “We have these two dogs right now, Max and Ruby, and over the Fourth of July weekend they were ‘euth’ listed at a shelter and we were able to pull them because we had a spot to put them here,” said O’Day.
On average, the rescue cared for about 30 dogs at a time while finding them a home before the opening, and now they are able to provide shelter for about 50 at once, nearly doubling their intake. However, O’Day said “I think the impact of fostering is still so key. Even though we have this space, we would always prefer a dog be in a home just so they can get the attention they need.” She explained the worries people have with fostering and growing too attached but that “it’s not about you, this is about helping a dog. It’s so worth it to be a little heart broken when it leaves.”
Shaffer and O’Day have saved 853 dogs since beginning this journey in October 2021, but they have big plans to do more in the future. Through these goals, they hope to educate people and mitigate the problems that come with accidental puppy litters.
With Riley O’Day’s vet-tech degree and the rescue’s new permit, the co-founders want to convert the front room of the new space into a spay/neuter vaccine clinic, but that comes at an $80,000 fee. “What we can do for the time being is take it day by day and then we get hit with a double knee surgery today and our goal gets further down the line” said Shaffer. The non-profit will need a lot of fundraising to achieve this goal along with many others.
The group has co-hosted events at stores like STAUD in West Hollywood which gets dogs out in the public’s eye and promotes the rescue to future adopters which in turn makes Pup Culture a profit through adoption fees.
The women both had aspirations in the entertainment industry, so their marketing abilities shine through their social media and outreach. They feel fortunate that companies have reached out to support Pup Culture, but said they have not had additional time to find grants through larger organizations like Purina Pet Food. “It’s hard to apply,” O’Day said, “you would not think it is so complicated but it is nearly impossible. They make it so hard.”
Shaffer and O’Day along with their volunteers are all navigating this process for the first time, so it comes with a learning curve. O’Day said, “getting really big fundraisers is something that we are still kind of learning to navigate.”
For more information on Pup Culture Rescue and how to foster or adopt a pet, visit www.pupculturerescue.org
