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The Pongo Fund Helping keep pets and people together, during the toughest of times.
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28/08/2026

A few years ago a woman died and the note on her refrigerator said to call The Pongo Fund. She had a small dog. The note said we’d know what to do next.

Well, that really wasn’t the case, since we didn’t know anything about this woman or her dog. But it was not the first time someone had left our name on a note on their refrigerator, and we’ve met some awesome dogs and cats that way.

I went to the house to see how we could help, but there was a hiccup in the mix. The woman’s daughter decided she would take the dog.

But that was great.

To be able to have this sweet little doggo stay with family was as close to perfect as we could hope for.

The dog was 10 or 11.

She was a little thing, and the moment we met her we could tell she was one of a kind. There were more than a few quirks.

And that just made us fall in love with her even more.

She didn’t walk as much as she sashayed. It was as if maybe one leg was a tad shorter than the others. Or maybe, that’s just how she liked to walk. Let’s not judge. If it worked for her, then it worked.

Her ears needed some help and her mouth needed some help. Basic stuff.

When I picked her up to see how she did when being held, she quickly tried to give me a kiss but she missed my face entirely, so we knew there were some eye issues too.

The point was, it’s all how you look at things like that.

Some might see a lot of problems, but we just saw a lot of things that made her extra special.

The daughter had some questions.

Would The Pongo Fund pay for the dental?

Yes we would.

Would The Pongo Fund provide food?

Yes we would.

Would The Pongo Fund pay to have her boarded when the daughter went on vacation?

Would The Pongo Fund pay for ongoing vet care?

Would The Pongo Fund provide her with a monthly stipend to pay for other expenses.

She had a lot of questions and that was ok. But at that moment, there was no reason to keep answering.

Because something didn’t feel right.

But she was the daughter and she had the pole position. The Pongo Fund was just the backup plan.

This sweet little dog friend had a lot of well-loved toys. They had been chewed on and slobbered on and dragged outside many a time. They were not dirty, but they were stained.

Like I said, they were well loved.

Same with her little bed. It was clean, but it did not look like the dog bed that would be featured on “Dog Beds of the Rich & Famous.”

Let’s just say, it also had many stories to tell.

The daughter told me she could not take the dog right then, but would need a few days to prepare. OK, that made sense. I said this little Muppet could come home with us for a few days and we could reconnect with her later in the week.

I began to gather up the little bed and all the toys. Her dog bowl, her leash, they were old and well-loved too.

I was talking to the dog and telling her we would love her forever. And that maybe on the way home, she would tell me some of her favorite stories about her Mom, who had just passed away.

Right about that moment, the daughter told me to not take the toys or the bed, or the leash and the bowl.

I got kind of excited, thinking that the next thing she would say is how hard this was, that she had just lost her Mom and how lucky she felt to be there for this wonderful little dog. And that she would take those things with her right then to make sure they were not lost.

But that’s not what she said.

No.

Not even close.

What she said was the toys and the bed were ugly and dirty and she did not want them in her house. That she would want The Pongo Fund to buy all new toys, beds, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re all about new toys and beds.

But this stellar collection of toys was the entire history this little dog had. This little dog who was being so brave as she got ready to start a whole new life. Having “her things” was super important. Because they smelled like her Mom.

Those things were priceless.

And yet, the daughter felt differently.

I looked at her and realized that this was not a woman who had ever stepped barefoot into fresh p*e or pooh at 2am.

And I looked at the little dog, and I had a feeling she might be quite good at 2am p*e and pooh.

So I broached that subject.

And before the woman could ask me if I would someday pay to recarpet her house, I asked if maybe she would consider letting The Pongo Fund include this dog as part of our pack.

In the blink of an eye, she said yes.

She said she never really liked that dog anyway.

Don’t get me wrong.

These conversations are not terribly uncommon.

But they need to be had.

And much better to find out in advance, when a plan might not be the right one.

And that’s what we learned.

There was no judgment or anger. Nope, not at all. I think it was a moment of blessings. How lucky we were to get to work on a new plan.

And please, this is not a time to criticize. Because it all worked out.

Every so often I get a call from this little girl’s new Mom to let me know how she is doing. I look forward to those calls.

She called a few days ago.

She told me how thankful she still was that all those years ago we thought of her to welcome this little dog into their home. Then she paused.

She started to cry as she described their day...

For it was, they decided, the little dog's 16th birthday.

And all of them, including her three dog siblings, all decided a party was the right way to celebrate.

She wanted to tell me more but she had answer the door, because the dog masseuse had arrived early so it was time to get the party started.

Four dogs getting massages.

Now that’s a party!

Being a Helper.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
Portland, OR.

The cars are not parked. They’re just waiting.It may not look like much. But it is.Because each one of those vehicles is...
26/08/2026

The cars are not parked. They’re just waiting.

It may not look like much.

But it is.

Because each one of those vehicles is driven by a Kibble Courier, with some of them arriving hours before they need to. But those people say they enjoy being at the front of the line.

They read.

They knit.

They meditate.

They drink coffee and watch the trains.

They Saturday.

Happy people representing local human food banks and other groups that rely on great food from The Pongo Fund. Because hungry people have hungry pets.

And even though they could be spending their time doing something else, they find comfort here, with us, creating a little traffic jam filled with LOVE.

In the lower right corner, that’s Arno, our 6-year-old traffic coordinator. Don’t worry, he’s got years of training. In fact, he’s been volunteering with The Pongo Fund for years, so he’s one of our best.

His sister, Liesel, she’s 9. She was inside managing one of our Kibble Pack Teams. She’s been volunteering with us a long time too.

Being a Kibble Courier is a pretty special role. In fact, we have some folks that have been doing this work with us with us for more than 10 years. Waiting in line, getting loaded up, and then heading back to where they started, to unload the kibble that will be requested by thousands of clients with hungry dogs and cats throughout the community.

The only problem?

There is never enough kibble.

Because no matter what we do, the need is always more.

And we’re working on that.

But for now, please enjoy a moment that doesn’t make sense to anyone driving by who sees this lineup. Sometimes they stop and ask and we tell them what’s going on. And in many cases, they still don’t understand.

But if you’re a Pongo Kibble Courier, you know exactly what’s going on as soon as you turn the corner.

Because you are part of the team that makes it happen.

Thank you to all of our Kibble Packers, Kibble Couriers, Kibble Assistants, and friends like you who support us in all the different ways.

We could not do this work without you.

Because everything we do, we do together.

With Kindness.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
Portland, OR.

14/08/2026

Kindness.

It comes in many forms.

Sometimes it’s the kindness The Pongo Fund delivers. A big bag of dog or cat food for an animal going hungry.

Sometimes it’s the thank you someone gives us, when they receive that food. Words spoken. Smiles shared. Wagging tails and happy purrs.

But sometimes it’s the kindness we never see coming.

From someone who might have forgotten about kindness. But then there it is. Out of the blue.

The thank you in that moment of gratitude, that goes beyond words.

They were a small group of homeless men we’d visit every now and then. They were a happy and soft spoken group, and always quick with their gratitude. Sometimes a special rock they had found, sometimes an extra candy bar. Could be any number of things.

But they always had something for us, along with a thank you.

There was a new man in the group. He was younger. He had an older Lab/Husky mix. The dog was not his per se, but belonged to another man spending a few days in the hospital. The man caring for the dog was not on our radar, but we had an extra bag of food with us and were happy to share.

One of the older men there had told him it’s important to thank us. That we raise money to buy the food we share, and we lug it a few hundred feet to get it to where they are. The older man told the younger man we deserve a good thank you.

The younger man did one better.

He handed us a small envelope.

We asked him what it was. He used a word we did not understand.

But it was drugs.

Of all the things this man had, which were not many, the drugs were probably the most vital to his being. And there he was, sharing them with us, as a thank you.

We explained it was not something we could use. He said that was probably a good idea. But he didn’t have any money or anything else to give us, as he tried to turn his pocket inside out to show us it was empty.

In that moment he offered us something with all the sincerity he had, albeit something we could not accept. But our thank you to him, for something we could not use, was still just as sincere as if he’d given us his last cold drink on a hot day. He was being kind, the most kind he could.

And we wanted him to know it was appreciated.

I don’t know anything about drugs. But I wanted to know why this man would offer us something that was so important to him.

So I asked.

He said he couldn’t use it right then. It would totally mess him up. And he needed to not be messed us for the next few days.

I asked him why.

He pointed at the dog.

He said he was all she had for the next week or so. And he loved her already.

That he wanted to take the best care of her that he could.

And he needed to be clean to do that.

Maybe that week clean will lead to another. And another. And another.

We don’t know how it will go.

But we hope it goes well.

With Kindness.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
Portland, OR.

13/08/2026

Until that day we'd never known either of them.

But she said we saved his life.

Because without The Pongo Fund, he had nowhere else to go.

And she said that meant we saved her life, too.

She called him Dog.

The call started simply enough. She didn't say anything at the start, except she didn't know who else to call.

The Pongo Fund phone number was on the bag of dog food that Dog loved. She thought how we’d always been there for them before, so maybe we could be there for them again.

Because she said if it wasn’t for The Pongo Fund, she never could have kept Dog. She said that would have been the worst, because he had nowhere else to go.

And now, he was her whole life.

Her neighbor found him as a tiny puppy scrapping around the trash cans out back. Without any intention to have a dog, she now had one. That was many years ago.

The two neighbors doted on Dog. He went between the little houses like they were both his. And that’s why when the one woman passed away, Dog moved next door. There was never a question. Neither one of these women had any money, but that made it easier.

They led with love.

And a lot of food and other care from The Pongo Fund.

We never knew.

Because we never know most of the people and animals we help.

She said Dog might have died. She didn’t know for sure, she hoped he was sleeping. Her own mobility made it hard for her to get on the floor to check his breathing. She said if she got down, she might not be able to get back up.

She called The Pongo Fund.

There was more to the call. All of it tied together in the love filled words she spoke about a little dog that saved her life many a time. Even as he got older and needed extra care, she said she was the lucky one.

Just to be with him.

That was the dream.

She lived in a tiny place smaller than a two car garage. It was not a fancy part of town. Her living room was filled with things that looked like they came from the free pile. But they didn’t.

They were just her things.

And everything had a story.

The rug was a large carpet square. Some stains and holes, but it was still doing the job 30 years later. I got to know that rug pretty well.

Dog was a fluffy little guy in a fluffy little bed.

And yes, he was gone.

In the middle of his nap, then waking up across The Rainbow Bridge.

I laid on the floor next to him as she told me stories. She knew pain and hardship but didn’t focus on it. A kind woman who loved life and loved Dog.

She asked what the next steps were. She said growing up they buried their critters in the field behind their house. She had a small backyard with lots of old flower beds and soft dirt. She asked if Dog could go there. He’d be surrounded by all the places he already knew.

She said it was his brushing and bath day and now he was gone. She scolded herself for not doing it sooner.

I said we still could.

And that’s how I came to lay on that rug and brush this sweet little guy who was in the deepest slumber. And we gave him a little bath too, because she said he loved his baths and so we did.

We dug a small hole in soft dirt and lined it with leaves and flowers. Then we lowered him inside, placing him ever so gently in that special place.

More leaves. More flowers.

We said Schweitzer’s Prayer for the Animals. We said it for Dog and for all the animals.

She said she was sorry she didn’t have something to offer, coffee, cookies, something like that.

She had no idea how much she had already given us, just by letting us help.

For Dog and for all the animals…

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
Portland, OR.

21/05/2026

He needed $45. But that’s not why he called The Pongo Fund.

He was too proud for that.

He could have asked us for the money. But that wasn’t his way.

He was a Veteran who lived proudly. Asking for money was not in the plan.

But when you don’t have $45, it takes a long time to get $45.

The thing is, it wasn’t even for him.

His neighbor was getting infusions. Something about her port got damaged. The supplies needed to fix it cost $45. For some reason this fell outside of insurance.

We don't know the backstory, nor do we need to know. We just know that he helped. He gave her the money.

And that meant he was $45 short for his rent at a building that did not include patience as part of their rental agreement.

But he had a dog. A sweet old girl that he was not going to let live on the street.

They had been there before, years earlier. They were both younger then. But not now. And he said she didn’t deserve that life again.

The thing was, he didn’t either. He paused at his age, but it was on the mid side of 70. So no, neither one of them deserved to be sleeping on the street.

He asked us if we could look after his girl. But he didn’t ask us to look after her for a few days or weeks.

It was forever.

He had hit a point in life where he started to worry that what was left was not going to be the best. But he said she deserved better. He knew The Pongo Fund from using our food from time to time. That's why he called.

He said his girl, she was the best dog in the world.

Except for a few things that were important to note.

Anyone who adopted her would need to be ok with a lot of white fur that seemed to get everywhere. And even though she was about 50 pounds, she thought of herself as a lap dog, so someone would have to be ok with a 50 pound ball of white fur on their lap.

And sometimes at night she would expel gas. It was done very softly, he said, but it might bother some people.

And he said sometimes when they were walking, she would just sit down and take it all in. It was like wherever they were in that moment, it was the best place ever. And she just wanted to have a few extra minutes to enjoy it.

He said when she did that you just needed to be ok with it. Rain or shine. There was no moving her along, until she was ready to move along.

Those few things. He said those were her flaws. And he wanted us to know.

He’d already made the decision when he called us. He wanted her to have the best life for however long that might be. He would be in a tent. But he wanted her to be in a soft bed.

All because his neighbor needed help.

He said this was his problem and he needed us to accept that. He did not want to be coddled.

He was asking us to do one thing only.

To make sure his dog would be safe.

He asked us if we could help him do that. We told him yes.

But it was really no. There was no way we were going to help him.

Not with that plan.

Because we had a better one.

The Pongo Fund helps a lot of Veterans. And in turn, we know a few Veterans who help us.

We called one of them.

And just like that he paid a visit to that man’s apartment building and worked out some sort of arrangement with the manager to make sure that past due amounts like $45 will never lead to eviction. From what I understand, the conversation included others too, not just the man with the dog.

The best part? The man will never know. I don’t know all the details, but this much I do know.

The man called us again and told us he no longer needed to rehome his dog.

He said it was the strangest thing...

And we left it there.

To each one of you reading these words now, who answer the call when I ask you to help us do something strange. These are those moments.

We never know what the next phone call will be. But we are thankful to be here, to help when we can. Win or lose.

And on behalf of all those we help, both two-legged and four, I thank you.

Being a Helper.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
Portland, OR.

We started getting the calls shortly after the story broke. One woman called on behalf of her daughter, who was too nerv...
24/03/2026

We started getting the calls shortly after the story broke. One woman called on behalf of her daughter, who was too nervous to ask for help herself. Another man used his dog’s name, when we asked his name. He was embarrassed. His dog’s name was Duke.

The callers apologized. They were afraid to ask for help. They knew things would be ok in a few weeks. But they didn’t know when. And they had hungry dogs and cats now. Could we help?

Yes we could.

The Pongo Fund has been here before. Many times. When federal workers went unpaid, The Pongo Fund was there. When teachers went unpaid, The Pongo Fund was there. When nurses went unpaid, The Pongo Fund was there.

The list goes on. But it’s more of the same.

When the call comes, The Pongo Fund is there.

We don’t have a marketing or PR team. Most people don’t have a clue the work we do behind the scenes. Sometimes we don’t even know. And then it happens.

We are such a tiny group. A bunch of kind hearted folks doing all we can to make sure people don’t need to give up their beloved animals when times are tough.

This load of dog and cat food was delivered directly to the Portland International Airport for the emergency TSA food bank. Just a small part of the dog and cat food The Pongo Fund has provided for many unpaid TSA workers. Dog and cat food were two of the most requested items. And now they have both.

Thank you to everyone who steps up to help us so we can help others.

We are grateful for you.

Because hungry people have hungry pets.

As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

If you’d like to help us, please click here: https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/

Being a Helper.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
Portland, OR.

Yesterday was my Birthday. Although a day late, here are my Wishes…“Today is my birthday. And my birthday gift to me is ...
21/03/2026

Yesterday was my Birthday. Although a day late, here are my Wishes…

“Today is my birthday. And my birthday gift to me is taking this moment to say thank you to you. To each and every one of you. Thank you for caring about the animals. Thank you for loving the animals. Thank you for being the voice for the animals. For they too deserve to be heard.

My birthday wish is to see the end of animal abuse. End it forever. Finished. Kaput. Done. To stop any and all animal suffering. To end the agony that these majestic friends far too frequently endure when people choose to do bad things. Or simply, when people do not take the time to understand.

May we someday find a way to educate those who bring harm so they can learn what they have done is wrong. So that someday, they too can celebrate and enjoy the unconditional love of an animal friend.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -- Mohandas Gandhi

For my birthday, this is my wish. Because the animals deserve that wish. For each and every one of them. Whatever they are. Wherever they are. For they deserve better. Especially for those already gone at the hands of abuse. That have suffered. That have known pain.

May they rest in peace. Running on rainbows. Sleeping in clouds. May they know the smiles they brought. May they know they were loved. And that they will not be forgotten.

Please know that every wish I wish for the animals I wish for the people too. Adults and kids alike. Because we share this fine earth together. Even for those who bring harm and may not seemingly deserve that wish, I still wish it. Because that wish brings hope.

And with that wish, I hope today will bring a better day for all. For all animals. For all creatures. For all people. For all beings. For all living things great and small. That is my birthday wish.

“You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” -- Mohandas Gandhi

On my birthday I thank every single person who fuels The Pongo Fund forward. Getting up and showing up time and time and time again to make a difference for those less fortunate. There are far too many names to mention here, but please know you are important and appreciated and loved.

And at our core, you are the heart and soul of The Pongo Fund.

The dedicated souls who have defied the odds and proven that impossible is possible. And I thank you.

Because everything we do, we do together.

“Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” ~ Muhammad Ali

On my birthday I thank 21 year-old Pongo for being who he was. The grand spirit of life who knew it was all about love, kindness and joy. And great food. He lived large and he lived long and against impossible odds he thrived, outliving his years many times over. Always with zest and gusto and love. He blessed my life for many years. But the 19 years we had together were still not enough. And I miss him.

And I thank Scooby, my 22 year-old beagle buddy, for the love and friendship he brought that went beyond anything I could have ever dreamed. The love and friendship that he still brings today. Because he’s here. Not the way you think. But I know he is, and I know you understand.

He is my compass. My guide. No matter where he sleeps at night he still is all that he was, and he will continue to be. My Dalai Lama. My Gandhi. My Buddha.

And I thank Lola, for her love and patience in teaching me Lola’s Way. Especially for the birthday kisses she greeted me with this morning when she decided it was time to get up. The sky was dark with a soft drizzle. We danced under the morning sky and said blessings on this first day of Spring. Lola will soon be celebrating her 18th birthday, and I look forward to that.

"If the only prayer you say in life is thank you, that would suffice." -- Meister Eckhart

With complete gratitude to each one of you, I have the honor and privilege of doing the work that many only dream of. I am truly blessed.

And with you as the wind, together we have provided more than 40 million meals and saved the lives of more than 244,000 beloved animals, keeping them safe and healthy and out of the shelters. Please think about that.

We have fed them with great food, we have healed them with lifesaving medical care. And each time we have helped the animals, we have helped their people too.

Because hungry people have hungry pets. And because we are all connected.

This isn’t about us or them; this is about doing what’s right. And if by helping one we are able to help all, then by all means, that is what we shall do.

“Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen

For my next year and each of the many to follow, my wish for myself is that I will ring more bells. That I will be more understanding. More compassionate. More patient. More forgiving. And that I will always err on the side of kindness.

If nothing else I hope that I will bring the same kind of love and kindness that our animal friends bring. Because if I can do that, I will have done well.

“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, I can do or any kindness that I can show… let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.” -- Stephen Grillet

And one more thing. You are loved!

~ Larry Chusid, The Pongo Fund, March 20, 2026.

PS: I've learned over the years that many people have reposted my words as their own. I appreciate the compliment, but they are my words and if reposted please include my name and The Pongo Fund name as the writer in the posting. Because the words mean far less without the heart behind them. Thank you."

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
Portland, OR

Finally -- We have a Cleo Update.And it’s good news.We learned that Cleo’s urgent surgery last week went well and the me...
19/03/2026

Finally --

We have a Cleo Update.

And it’s good news.

We learned that Cleo’s urgent surgery last week went well and the medical team was able to remove the very large and many bladder stones, and they were hopeful for a quick recovery.

I was hoping for more details, but Cleo’s Mom has not replied with any other information.

Sometimes that’s how it goes.

We do what we can to save a life, and we hope for the best moving forward.

Thank you again to everyone for being there for sweet Cleo.

You really did save her life.

Being a Helper.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
The Pongo Fund / Portland, OR

The Pongo Fund has many Kibble Packs each year. The Clara Kelly Miller Kibble Pack is our most special one.When Clara’s ...
14/03/2026

The Pongo Fund has many Kibble Packs each year.

The Clara Kelly Miller Kibble Pack is our most special one.

When Clara’s big extended family gathers with us to celebrate and remember this sweet girl who lives across the Rainbow Bridge, spreading her joy every single day.

This will be our 10th Clara Kelly Miller Kibble Pack. What you see is the prep moment, with some of the dozens of totes waiting and ready to go. Totes that are filled and refilled thousands of times each year, bringing forth dinner for hungry animals near and far.

Today, they will be filled for Clara.

None of us know everything. But for those of us who Kibble with Clara, one thing we do know is that she is right there with us. And we love her very much.

Kibbling With Clara.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
The Pongo Fund / Portland, OR

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