Suppliers at ECRM’s Pet EPPS, held last month in Itasca, Ill. donated their leftover products to The Buddy Foundation, an Arlington heights, Ill.-based nonprofit, no kill, 100 percent volunteer animal shelter.

The Buddy Foundation, which currently houses more than 20 plus dogs and 110 cats, takes animals from local animal control authorities, over crowded high-kill shelters, as well as animal rescues, and places them in homes that will provide them with attention and a high-level of care.

“We don't want to make it easy for people to give up their pets so we only take from owners in cases where we feel it's in the best interest of the pet, not the owner,” said Ron Cohen, a volunteer at the shelter who discussed the foundation during an evening cocktail reception and brought three recently rescued dogs along for photos with attendees (see video and photo gallery below for an overview of the foundation and pictures from the reception).

“When the animals arrive at Buddy they're fully vetted spayed or neutered if necessary, then microchipped and given plenty of love,” added Cohen. “Most are scared, confused, don't know where they are or why they're there. That's where our volunteers really shine. If you could see the amount of love they give to every animal that comes in it really is amazing. Our most important goal is to place our animals in the right home.”

The foundation has strict guidelines as to who can adopt the animals, to best ensure the well-being of the animal in its new home. They require the entire adopting family to be on hand for visits, along with any other pets they may have to ensure that they all get along. “We stress the importance of the decision they're making, that they're adding another member to their family,” said Cohen. “We're not a pet store, we're not looking to make a profit, so our only incentive is to find the right home so our dogs or cats can live a healthy, happy life with lots of love and finally have they're forever family. If for some reason things don't work out as we had hoped it would and they can't keep one of our dogs or cats, it's required in our contracts that they must bring the animal back to Buddy and we will try to find a new home for them.”

At the close of the Pet EPPS, ECRM staff gathered the donated product from supplier rooms, and loaded it on a truck for transport to the shelter.