Our People, Our Passion

Our Mission:  To combat dog cruelty and reduce euthanasia rates.

How We Help: We support local shelters and rescue groups:

Local Shelters: Many shelters lack the space to accommodate the growing number of abandoned dogs since the pandemic began. Tragically, perfectly adoptable dogs are being euthanized weekly because shelters cannot house them.

Rescue Groups: Across California, rescue groups are doing their best to alleviate the situation, but they are overwhelmed by the constant influx of dogs. These groups struggle to keep their operations running and urgently need funding and volunteers to continue their crucial work.

Why Are Things So Bad?

Irresponsible Dog Breeding: During the pandemic, dog breeding became lucrative as more people sought companionship at home. As life returned to normal, the demand for dogs decreased, but breeding continued at high levels. This surplus has led to irresponsible owners abandoning their dogs in shelters and on the streets.

Negligent Dog Owners: It is disheartening to see individuals adopt dogs only to abandon them once life returns to normal. Many dogs have been returned to shelters as people resume work or travel plans that no longer accommodate their pets.

Housing Market Issues: Owning a dog, especially a large breed, is typically easier for homeowners than renters. Yet, rising housing costs mean more Californians rent from corporations focused on profit, often requiring landlords’ permission to have pets. This puts dog-loving renters in a difficult position.

Economic Recession: Add an economic downturn and soaring inflation, and many families find that caring for a new pet is no longer feasible. When budgets tighten, public charities like dog rescues suffer due to decreased donations, volunteers, sponsorships, and grants.

Combining these factors creates a perfect storm leading to a canine crisis, leaving our loyal companions to endure the consequences.

Our Solution: We aim to revolutionize dog rescue fundraising by thinking creatively and offering ways for individuals and families to support rescue efforts while obtaining the goods and services they need. From this idea, the For A Stray Family was born:

🐾 PLAY FOR A STRAY: Host youth sports and activities/events as dog rescue fundraisers.

🐾 SHOP FOR A STRAY:  The first ever non-profit dog store.

🐾 PARTY FOR A STRAY: Offer playdays, birthday parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, corporate parties, and other special events as dog rescue fundraisers.

🐾 CRAFTING FOR A STRAY:  Offer kids & canine arts & crafts projects at local community events to raise money to rescue dogs.

🐾 DONATE FOR A STRAY: Traditional Dog Rescue fundraising including donations and corporate sponsorships.

🐾 ”     ” For A Stray – Have an idea for another For A Stray fundraising division?  Contact us with your idea.

Core Values (P.E.T.S): Our P.E.T.S. core values emphasize Partnerships, Execution, Talent, and Strategy.  At For A Stray we believe in PARTNERING whenever possible with rescues, shelters, and local companies to  maximize the number of dogs we can get out of shelters and into forever homes.  We prioritize and EXECUTE a rescue plan for each dog, assisting with the rescue, transportation, financial assistance, rehabilitation, adoption marketing, and rehoming.  We think everyone has a TALENT that they can use to support our rescue mission by adding their product/service to our ”   ” For A Stray family.  Our management team, board of directors, and fundraising/rescue partners work together to ensure that every project has been STRATEGICALLY planned to maximize our effectiveness and efficiency. 

With For A Stray, rescuing a dog has never been so much fun!

For A Stray is a public charity dedicated to preventing animal cruelty.

All donations are Tax Deductible. 501c3 Tax ID# 86-2391051

Our Founders Story

In 2018 Apollo died at the age of 12. It was at that time that Billy decided he had to get back to his childhood passion of working with dogs and saving animals. He decided to combine his two passions (sports and dogs) into one company, Play For A Stray. The original vision was small. Offer some sports programs to raise money to rescue dogs. From there, Play For A Stray evolved into For A Stray and other fundraising divisions were created including: Shop For A Stray, Party For A Stray, Crafting For A Stray, Solar For A Stray, Events For A Stray and Donations for A Stray.  Billy’s goal is to continue to recruit more companies & individuals to join his fight against dog cruelty and euthanasia by adding their product/service to the For A Stray family.  Our vision is to For A Stray products/services in all 50-states and rescue 5,000 dogs in the process. Stay tuned or become a part of our story…