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Straw For Dogs
Straw For DogsFebruary 9, 2025 12:25pm
All of us at Straw For Dogs send love and prayers to our friends in the Norton Sound Region who have been affected by the Bering Air tragedy.

Bering Air has always been a generous supporter of our mission to help dogs in need. They are truly amazing, kind hearted people who proudly support the communities in rural Alaska everyday.
It is time to offer support to them now.

Thank you to all those wonderful people in the villages who are out meeting the Bering Air planes/pilots to offer love and support as they resume flights to the region.

Prayers for peace and comfort for all those affected.
Straw For Dogs
Straw For DogsFebruary 2, 2025 2:31pm
This good boy is Ballz, he lives in a village in Northwest Alaska. Ballz did not have any shelter at all. When we saw the picture of him lying out in the snow on a frozen blanket we knew this was another emergency situation. We sent an insulated house and bale of straw out for him right away.

With the help of the people at The Nordic Home who did a fund raiser for Straw For Dogs to raise money for shipping costs, a generous discount from Everts Air and a donation from BERING AIR we were able to send this house out for Ballz and 3 others houses for more dogs in need in same village!

Thank you The Nordic Home, Everts Air, and BERING AIR for your support. Thank you from this sweet puppy who no longer has to curl up in the ice.

Ballz' people sent us a picture of him in his new house. They were able to get it set up right before a big snow storm hit. You can see the snow is already up to the doorway, (they may have to shovel soon), but at least Ballz has some shelter now!

We agree with everyone who is going to post that no dog should ever live outside in Alaska without shelter but the fact is that many of them do... and this is what we can do to provide IMMEDIATE help for them. Everything else will take time, education, and support. It takes time to help people understand there are different ways of doing things other than "the way it's always been done."

Thank you to everyone who supports us in our mission. We are so grateful to every person and every business that makes it possible for us to help more dogs who are suffering out in the cold.
Straw For Dogs
Straw For DogsJanuary 31, 2025 3:02pm
In honor of this little guy and others out there like him Straw For Dogs is going to try to add another layer to our mission. We are going to see if we can help provide indoor resources that would allow "outside dogs" to spend some time inside with their families.

A baby gate, and x-pen, a large crate or anything that could be used to provide a safe inside space for dogs to spend time with their families.

Adding this layer will take more funding but it will be worth it if we can help any outside dogs get a little inside time. Please help if you can.
Straw For Dogs
Straw For DogsJanuary 31, 2025 2:56pm
Since we took over 2 years ago, this is the first time this has happened.

We had a dog house bundle that was taken from a rural airport in Northwest Alaska. To be fair the actual recipient did not pick it up in a timely manner, (it is never a good idea to just let something sit for weeks)....BUT it was addressed to someone and when that person finally went to pick it up it was gone. We do know for sure the house did make it to the village it was supposed to go to.

We just wanted to say taking another dog's house is not necessary. IF you need assistance please just ask for help we will always do our best to help everyone as fast as we possibly can.

We just hope this house went to a dog who really needed it. We will be okay knowing that another dog who was out in the cold now has shelter....and we are sending a replacement out to the dog the house was meant to help.
Straw For Dogs
Straw For DogsJanuary 28, 2025 11:53am
This one honestly broke our hearts. This sweet little puppy named Gray was living in northern Alaska with a tote for shelter. His person reached out to Straw For Dogs for a house on 1/10, it was shipped on 1/14, and arrived in Gray's village on 1/24, two days AFTER he passed away.

We knew when we saw the picture of him with a tote for shelter this was an EMERGENCY, we called our builder in Wasilla, told him about the situation and asked for an house to be sent as soon as he possibly could. He built it and had it delivered from Wasilla to the Anchorage airport within a few days. The house left Anchorage right away but got stuck in Kotzebue for over a week due to bad weather/flight cancellations.

Gray's person was bringing him in at night and during the day when she was home. Until he had a proper house she was only putting him outside while she was at work. She knew a house was on the way. She called daily to check the flight status with the airlines. The day he passed, she went home at lunch to check on him and let him off his chain to run around and he seemed fine but when she got home after work Gray had passed away.

She called to give us the sad news and let us know she had given his house to his "cousin" from a previous litter who lived outside with no shelter at all. She even sent us a picture of the "dog cousin" with the house.

Gray's person was heartbroken over the loss of her puppy, we both got pretty choked up as we talked and tried to figure out what could have happened to him.

We are praying Gray did not freeze to death while his house was on the way to him. He may have been sick, or eaten something he shouldn't have when he was off his chain during her lunch break. We will likely never know what happened, but this one hurts.

Weather can always be an issue and to compound the problem once flights are cancelled and freight is backed up, dog houses are not a priority, food and other necessities are. So even when the weather breaks the houses have to wait.

All this to say, this work is truly heartbreaking at times. Also to say it is a process to get a 200 lb house out to the rural communities. It can take weeks depending on our builder and the weather. This house was turned around just about as fast as a house could ever be and it still wasn't fast enough.

It really seemed like Gray was loved and his person was doing the right things for him. We don't know that exposure was what caused him to pass but we don't know that it wasn't either, so this one will stay with us.

So sorry we let you down Gray. šŸ’” Rest in Peace sweet puppy.
Straw For Dogs
Straw For DogsJanuary 23, 2025 9:42am
This sweet boy is Hunter, another BIG PUPPER who lives WAAAYY up north in Alaska! He did not have a house that he could fit into anymore, you can see he was sleeping in little ice bowls he made in the snow. So his people reached out to Straw For Dogs to get a house for him.

His "mom" sent us this "after" picture and said Hunter loves his new house! We were worried he might be a little too big and not fit, but this house was just right for him!

This is another one our friend Ben at Alaska Airlines helped us ship out. Thank you to all our friends and businesses that donate funding, shipping, and other resources to help us help more dogs living out in the cold in Alaska.

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how you can help

We encourage concerned citizens to work with caretakers in order to improve the life of a dog outdoors. Talk to your neighbors, offer support (not judgement) and do what you can, where you are.Ā 

Together we can make a difference!

Straw For Dogs is a 501(c)3 organization that dependsĀ on individual donations to support our mission of providing suppliesĀ and resources for pets outdoors.

Your donation is tax deductible, meaningful and accounted for.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

how we help

NEED ASSISTANCE?

Straw For Dog assists caretakers and concerned citizens with pets outdoors in Alaska.

Do you know a dog who needs a warm, sturdy shelter? Does your own pet spend time outdoors?

We offer free supplies such as doghouses, straw, food, toys, and treats as well as resources including spay/neuter services and training advice to Alaskan residents.

Please fill out our easy, online application form found on ourĀ Application for AssistanceĀ page.

success stories

HOW WE HELP

As of October 2024, Straw For Dogs has distributed 670 doghouses and 884 bales of straw.

Together, we can make a difference!

DOG HOUSES

BALES OF STRAW

See Where We’ve Made a Difference: 500+ Dog Houses Donated Across 48 Alaskan Cities!

Kenai

Kenai was adopted from the Mat Su Animal Shelter. As he had previously been kept outdoors, his caretaker contacted us right away for help setting up a cable run and requested a doghouse to help make him comfortable while transitioning him to time in the home. Ā Kenai...

Niho

Niho's family contacted us for a doghouse, citing a disability in the family. Our volunteer visited and built an insulated house for her along with providing toys, straw and treats. What a cutie!

Buddy

Buddy was found by a Good Samaritan with a badly broken leg. We offered extensive veterinary care and support to this sweet boy and his rescue angel. He has healed up well and is a happy, healthy boy, living with his personal rescue angel and another dog.

Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse came to us from Anchorage Animal Care and Control. He was brought there as a young puppy with a broken leg.  Pit bull type dogs like him have limited options for rescue, so we were happy to be able to help, thanks to his long term foster...

Dozer

Dozer is a lovable lug who was in need of a safe place outdoors. Luckily, his family was open to receiving assistance and in addition to care packages with toys, treats, bowls and a new collar, volunteers were also able to build him a kennel and a warm, insulated...

Butterball and Charlie

Butterball and Charlie enjoy spending time outdoors exploring but were without a shelter. Straw For Dogs worked with their family to provide a shelter with a porch so that these sweet boys have options. We provide care takers with information about using straw instead...