A friend in Arlington, VA, recently gave me the lowdown on the Lost Dog Café, a 25-year-old restaurant whose popularity led to the creation of a pet shelter. Somewhere along the way the owners opened a "sister" restaurant, the Stray Cat Café, to help fund their passion for placing homeless critters. Here's the amazing story, just as it came to me by e-mail. (Note to people who like to forward stuff - This is the kind of thing you ought to be clogging up your contacts' e-mail buffers with!)
Restaurants to the Rescue
The Lost Dog Café has been serving up great pizza, hot sandwiches and beer from around the world in Arlington’s Westover neighborhood since 1985. Well known as a place to get great food at a great price, the café also serves up a hefty slice of compassion with each pizza. Café owners Ross Underwood and Pam McAlwee have been rescuing stray dogs and cats almost as long as they have been in business and the effort continues.
It began with a few “lost” dogs needing a place to stay until they could find new homes of their own. In 2001, thanks largely to the success of the Lost Dog Café, the pair established a non-profit foundation dedicated solely to the cause of helping homeless and abandoned dogs and cats find forever homes. Today the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) places almost 2000 animals per year into permanent, loving homes—each one spayed or neutered prior to adoption. The foundation’s efforts continue to be supported by the Lost Dog Café and its sister restaurant (just a few doors down), the Stray Cat Café.
It’s the compassion that makes the Lost Dog Café more than just a great place to eat—here you can rest assured that you are helping to make a difference—one dog or cat at a time.
To learn more about the foundation’s efforts, to donate, or to volunteer, visit the Lost Dog and Cat rescue foundation website at www.lostdogrescue.org.
It began with a few “lost” dogs needing a place to stay until they could find new homes of their own. In 2001, thanks largely to the success of the Lost Dog Café, the pair established a non-profit foundation dedicated solely to the cause of helping homeless and abandoned dogs and cats find forever homes. Today the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) places almost 2000 animals per year into permanent, loving homes—each one spayed or neutered prior to adoption. The foundation’s efforts continue to be supported by the Lost Dog Café and its sister restaurant (just a few doors down), the Stray Cat Café.
It’s the compassion that makes the Lost Dog Café more than just a great place to eat—here you can rest assured that you are helping to make a difference—one dog or cat at a time.
To learn more about the foundation’s efforts, to donate, or to volunteer, visit the Lost Dog and Cat rescue foundation website at www.lostdogrescue.org.
Be sure to check out the menu, which will have your stomach growling, and also the shelter's website, especially the "You Can Help" link.
3 comments:
Like button!
That sounds like wunna them Facebook-y things, yo.
Thanks for posting! Both the Lost Dog Cafe and Stray Cat Cafe are on facebook - as is Lost Dog and Cat Rescue :) Love the blog, it's adorable!
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