Pasadena Humane Beneficiary of $10,000 Grant from American Rescue Dog Show

Pasadena Humane has received a $10,000 grant after Tully, an energetic border collie, won the prize in the Best in Fetching category at ABC’s 2022 American Rescue Dog Show. Her owner, Susan Gan, decided to generously award the grant money to the Pasadena-based animal shelter as the beneficiary organization.

“We rely on the generosity of the community and donors to help with the care and adoption of our shelter, animals, and so much more. We provide humane education to children, we do wildlife rehabilitation,” Dia DuVernet, President and CEO of Pasadena Humane, said. “We really are a resource for animals and the people who love them in the community and that’s thanks to generous donors like Ms. Gan.”

Six years ago, Gan began volunteering at her local shelter and fostering animals in need, where she was introduced to her dog, Athalie (Tully), a black and white border collie.

“Athalie had a rough beginning. She was re-homed twice and her vocal cords are permanently damaged,” Gan told Pasadena Humane. “But I became very interested in border collies because I had another one two years prior to Athalie. I was very eager to learn more about their temperament.”

The pup “bounces off the walls” and needs to be entertained at all times, added Gan. 

Gan said that Tully first started competing in frisbee and dog diving at five months old. In May, Tully competed in the American Rescue Dog Show and won first place in fetching

“I am so happy that we were given the opportunity to help Pasadena Humane,” shared Gan. 

The donation will help Pasadena Humane continue its work of caring for the animals in their shelter and preparing most of them for adoption. Pasadena Humane also assists pet owners in crisis so they can keep their pets instead of having to relinquish them to a shelter. 

Aside from Tully’s Best in Fetching prize which went to Pasadena Humane, six other animal welfare organizations were awarded $10,000 grants as a result of canine contenders in the categories of Best in Belly Rubs, Couch Potato, Ears, Talking, and Underbite. The grants will be used to help other dogs in need at organizations throughout the country. 

The show, with celebrity judges Paula Abdul, Leslie Jordan and Yvette Nicole Brown, aired last May, and the prize money was provided by Petco Love, a national non-profit organization that empowers animal welfare organizations by investing in adoption and other lifesaving efforts.

“Without those contributions, our life saving work would not be possible,” DuVernet said. “We also love our monthly donors who sign up for automatic monthly contributions and really help to sustain us on an ongoing basis. We also have a large legacy society of people who have included us in their estate plans. That’s a way to make a planned gift to ensure that the organization continues to have support even beyond your lifetime.”

Apart from the cash donations, Pasadena Humane also welcomes other help that people in the community can provide, including volunteering to care for the animals in the shelter, manning a wildlife helpline at the shelter to answer questions from the community, and helping at some of the fundraising events planned for the year. 

Coming up on Sept. 18 is Pasadena Humane’s 24th annual Wiggle Waggle Walk and Run, the organization’s biggest fundraiser, at Brookside Park near the Rose Bowl, which will feature vendor booths, food trucks, demonstrations, agility course, doggy costume contest, and lots of fundraising prizes. 

A big part of Pasadena Humane’s work involves encouraging foster families that are willing to take pets in for the meantime as the animals wait for their permanent homes.  

“We especially need right now to foster families that are willing to take young kittens into their homes and care for them until they’re old enough to be spayed or neutered, and then adopted,” DuVernet said. “We’re also looking for more families who might be willing to foster large dogs who sometimes take a little bit longer for us to find adoptive homes. And so if we can keep them in a foster home while we’re looking for a good match in a permanent home that can be so helpful.”

For more information, visit www.pasadenahumane.org or call (626) 792-7151. 

Pasadena Humane is at 361 S. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena.