Our People, Our Passion

Our Mission:  To help in the fight against dog cruelty and euthanasia.

How we help: By supporting our local shelters and rescue groups:

1. Local Shelters – Shelters do not have the space to take in all the dogs being abandoned daily in the aftermath of the pandemic.  Perfectly adoptable dogs are being euthanized every week because shelters don’t have the required space to board them.

2. Rescue Groups – Rescues groups throughout California are trying to help but they are struggling to keep up with the never-ending demand.  Rescue groups are struggling to stay afloat as they try to do more with less.  They need money and volunteers to continue to stay in the fight.

Why are things so bad? 

1. Irresponsible Dog Breeding: Dog breeding became very profitable during the pandemic as everyone wanted a companion while stuck at home.  When families started going back to work/school, the demand dropped off, but dog breeding supply remained high.  This excess in demand caused irresponsible breeders/owners to abandon their dogs and shelters and on the street.

2. Bad Dog Owners: It’s sad to think that a person would adopt a dog during the pandemic, use that dog to help them get through a tough time, then abandon them as soon as things went back to normal, but that is the case for many dogs who ended up back at the shelter.  Dogs became an inconvenience to individuals/families who went back to work and/or wanted to travel.

3. Housing Market: Bottom line – it is easier to own a dog (especially a large breed dog) when you are a homeowner and not a renter.  Unfortunately, a record number of houses in California are now owned by companies and investment groups looking to get rich on housing rentals.  This means more and more California’s are forced to rent their home, rather than buy, and need permission from their landlord to get/keep a dog.  We feel for our dog loving renters who are stuck in this tough situation due to corporate greed.

4. Economic Recession: Now add an economic recession and inflation on top of everything else, and adding a new 4-legged family member may no longer be feasible for families struggling to get by.  Furthermore, when budgets get tight, public charities like dog rescues struggle to receive the funding they need to operate due to a lack of donations, volunteers, sponsorships, grants, etc.

Combine items 1-4 and we have the perfect storm for a canine epidemic.  Sadly it is our loyal canine companions who are left to suffer the aftermath.

Our Solution: Revolutionize dog rescue fundraising by thinking outside the box and coming up with creative forms of fundraising that allow families/individuals to support dog rescue while receiving the goods and services they are already in the market for.  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.

🐾 SOLAR FOR A STRAY: Connect families looking to save money, and the environment, with our Solar Power partners to raise money to rescue dogs.

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

🐾 EVENTS FOR A STRAY: Set up booths at local community events where the public can help support our rescue mission by PLAYING, SHOPPING, CRAFTING, PARTYING, and DONATING For A Stray!

🐾 ”     ” 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 for The Prevention of 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…