In my opinion, the best companies are the ones that give back to their communities. The residents of the Oak Forrest neighborhood of Houston, Texas agree, and that’s why they appreciate Jamie Cupps so much. She owns Paws Pet Resort, and her name is recommended time and time again when someone in the area is looking for doggy daycare, boarding, or help with a rescue situation.
Those three things don’t always go together, but Cupps cares as much about her community and all the dogs in it as she does about her own clients. Her passion for animals is what has made her one of the most trusted names in pet care and rescue in Houston. In a city of over 2 million people, that’s saying a lot!
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Paws Pet Resort is a for-profit facility, but Cupps donates a portion of her boarding space to resuce organizations in the area for a reduced fee. She also hosts a Dog Days of Sumer pet portrait event every year. It is set to be held on September 19th. Cupps has held the event every year since she opened her doors in 2012.
Each year the proceeds go to a different shelter or rescue, and this year’s recipient will be Adore Houston, an animal welfare organization that is dedicated to providing rescue services, foster care, vet services and adoptive placement to stray and abandoned dogs. Dogs come to the organization from many sources including owner surrenders, local animal shelters and the streets of Houston.
The idea came together at Cupps’ grand opening party where she met Kevin Falcon of Falcon Photography. After they met the pair knew they wanted to put something together, and Falcon enjoys doing animal photography, so pet portraits seemed like a natural fit. The pair split the proceeds with their chosen charity, and they also make a large food donation to the organization on top of the money. Most rescue organizations need food donations and money more than any other supplies.
Sessions for the event are by appointment only and are held right at Paws Pet Resort, which is located at 3425 Couch Street in Houston. It costs $35 for a 10 minute mini-session, plus you have to donate a 33-pound or larger bag of dog food. The event information specifies that they will take any brand, but no Beneful.
That is probably because of the legal issues surrounding Purina right now because of reports that their Beneful brand is making some dogs sick. You can find information about it from this news article.
Customers will get one 5X7 print included in the price, and Falcon offers pet owners a discount on any additional prints they order at the Dog Days of Summer pet portrait event.
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Adore Houston founder and director, Angela Madeshko, is hoping that in addition to raising a lot of funds, the event will also shine some light on Houston’s growing stray animal problem. She says the organization currently has over 100 animals in its program. Since the program is foster based, they can only take in as many animals as they have foster families for.
Madeshko says that the local government has taken some initiatives to address the problem, but since it is so large these efforts aren’t enough. Even with out of state rescues, she still describes the rescue system in the Houston area as “maxed out.” She says that the lack of foster families is a huge issue as well.
Hopefully this program will raise a lot of money and pet food for this great cause, but I also hope it sheds light on the stray situation in Houston. Many areas are dealing with overcrowded shelters and it would be great if more pet businesses would think outside the box like Cupps and find a way to give back while also trying to pique the interest of the community.
