Pleasant Hearts Pet Food Pantry

01/05/2025

🔔IN NEED OF DONATIONS FOR OUR 6TH ANNUAL PETS ARE FAMILY FUNDRAISER🔔

What do we need?
🐾Items from Local Artisans
🐾Gift Baskets
🐾Gift Cards/Certificates
🐾Event or Concert Tickets
🐾Artwork/Jewelry
🐾Memorabilia
🐾Swag Bag Items
🐾Desserts & Sweets
🐾Bottles of Wine
🐾Anything You Can Think Of!!!

We can only hold a successful event with YOUR help! If you have any of the items listed above or anything you’d like to donate, please reach out!

✉️Message us here or
💻 Email us: [email protected]

More info & tickets for our annual event can be found in our bio!

01/05/2025

✨Another snowy but successful distribution day in the books! We welcomed 10 new families & 2 new volunteers to our team, we served 102 families & fed over 300 pets!✨

How, in a very small nutshell: We fill our shelves 2 hours before distribution & by the end, they’re often close to empty or bare! Our volunteers pick up donations in the weeks between distribution days, we receive items off of our wishlists, we purchase items that were low on, & we receive many emails/messages from folks who are in need of assistance or who are hoping to help.

💚We can only continue because of our hugely supportive community!!! THANK YOU from the bottom of our Pleasant Hearts!💚

👇🏾Ways you can help👇🏾
🐾Right on this post
🐾Venmo:
🐾Cashapp: $petpantrygr
🐾PayPal:
🐾Website: www.pleasantheartspetfoodpantry.org
🐾Hold a donation drive
🐾Drop off items at our donation barrels
🐾Shop our online wishlists (links below)
🐾Share our posts

Chewy: chewy.com/g/pleasant-hearts-pet-food-pantry_b66101276
Amazon.com: amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/6SWDS7IEVQ2X/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1

01/05/2025

Outdoor Cat Shelter Tip! Create an outdoor shelter and fill it with straw, not hay! An outdoor cat house filled with straw will keep your feline friends warm and cozy during the chilly winter weather. Straw and hay look similar, but while straw makes for excellent bedding, hay becomes a soggy mess. Hay soaks up moisture, making it cold and uncomfortable. Straw repels moisture, making it the best bedding for outdoor cat shelters.

Learn more about the difference between straw and hay: https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/straw-not-hay-for-outdoor-cat-shelters/

01/04/2025

Love reward stations!

January is National Train Your Dog Month! 🐕

January was first designated as National Train Your Dog Month in 2010 by the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). The month serves as a campaign to promote the importance of dog training and its benefits for both pets and their families.

Let's talk about a simple concept to incorporate into your and your pet's daily life: Reward Stations! 🦴

What are Reward Stations?
Reward stations are small containers placed strategically throughout your house, especially near areas where training is needed most, such as front doors, back doors, and the kitchen. These stations are filled with small, tasty treats that you can easily access to reward your dog's good behavior.

Too often, we focus only on unwanted behaviors while missing countless opportunities to reward good ones. By using reward stations, you can quickly reinforce positive behaviors like:
- Staying calm when guests arrive
- Keeping "four on the floor" (all paws on the ground instead of jumping)
- Following basic cues
- Showing good manners

These stations also enable spontaneous mini training sessions. Take just 1-2 minutes to:
- Practice existing cues or tricks
- Work on new skills
- Provide mental enrichment through quick, fun training interactions

Remember: Reward the behaviors you want to see more of! 🐕

01/04/2025

💚🐾TODAY! Saturday, January 4th!🐾💚

We are open for donation drop off from 10am-2pm and distribution from 12-2pm!

PLEASE NOTE: We are located at 1035 Godfrey SW. The schedule will remain the same, just at a new & much improved location! 👉Swipe to see map!

👇🏿😷👇🏿
*CLIENTS: Please wear a mask if you’re feeling under the weather or unvaccinated.

*Drive safely!*
👆🏿😷 ☝🏿

01/02/2025

🎉 Happiest of birthdays to one of our amazing volunteers, Liz! When she’s not at pantry for distribution or microchip clinics, she is an LVT at CSNIP as well as a volunteer at . She also loves being outdoors with her family & spending time with her new adopted Bulldog Spike! Thank you Liz for always putting a smile on our faces, being so kind, & dedicating your life to animal welfare! 🎉

01/02/2025

#️⃣Check out our 2024 in review! We couldn’t do any of this without YOU! Happy 2025!!! #️⃣

🩵This was one heck of a year of change & growth! We can only continue because of our hugely supportive community!!! THANK YOU from the bottom of our Pleasant Hearts!💙

👇🏾Ways you can help👇🏾
🐾Right on this post
🐾Venmo:
🐾Cashapp: $petpantrygr
🐾PayPal:
🐾Website: www.pleasantheartspetfoodpantry.org
🐾Hold a donation drive
🐾Drop off items at our donation barrels
🐾Shop our online wishlists (links below)
🐾Share our posts

Chewy: chewy.com/g/pleasant-hearts-pet-food-pantry_b66101276
Amazon.com: amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/6SWDS7IEVQ2X/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1

12/31/2024

🩷🩷🩷

12/31/2024

12/31/2024

✨Happy New Years Eve!!! Here are some of our volunteer’s pet’s resolutions. What are YOUR pet’s resolutions for 2025?? ✨

12/30/2024

💥 Are you ready for the new year?? Be sure your pets are too!! Check out this link for more helpful information on how to keep them safe: https://www.aaha.org/resources/preparing-to-celebrate-a-pet-safe-new-years-eve/ 💥

Also, remember to never drive under the influence - your pets are at home waiting for you! 🥂

12/29/2024

❄️It’s been a busy holiday week so we’re a bit late but wanted to share last weekend’s distribution stats! It was our pleasure to make sure families are able to keep their pets home & full to ring in the new year!💜

The holidays are not the easiest time of year for many & we aim to help folks & their pets get through. We can only do that because of our hugely supportive community!!! THANK YOU from the bottom of our Pleasant Hearts!

👇🏾Ways you can help👇🏾
🐾Right on this post
🐾Venmo:
🐾Cashapp: $petpantrygr
🐾PayPal:
🐾Website: www.pleasantheartspetfoodpantry.org
🐾Hold a donation drive
🐾Drop off items at our donation barrels
🐾Shop our online wishlists (links below)
🐾Share our posts

Chewy: chewy.com/g/pleasant-hearts-pet-food-pantry_b66101276
Amazon.com: amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/6SWDS7IEVQ2X/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1

12/28/2024

🛑 Stop Scrolling! 🛑

With fireworks just around the corner, now is the time to register your pets on Petco Love Lost. Should they go missing during or after the New Year celebrations, you can start your search to bring them home with just a click. Register: PetcoLoveLost.org

12/27/2024

Rehome your Pet over Shelter Surrender. This is the best way to rehome your pet and nationwide becoming best practices in Animal Welfare and Sheltering.

The community needs to seek alternatives to shelter surrender with the upcoming renovations at the Kent County Animal Shelter. The shelter will be moving to a much smaller temporary location where they can only house 39 dogs maximum for 3-4 months.

The shelter needs to reserve the very limited space they will have for animals in protective custody, injured animals, cruelty and neglect cases.

If you cannot keep your pet you need to take action on your own to rehome directly.

A reminder that as a community we need to eliminate judgement on individuals who need to rehome their pet and instead be helpful and supportive with resources.

How to Safely Rehome Your Pet:

1. Reach Out to Your Network
Connect with trusted friends, family, and neighbors who might be interested in adopting or know potential adopters. Personal connections often lead to the best outcomes since you already know and trust these individuals.

2. Leverage Online Resources
- Share detailed posts on social media platforms, especially in local community and pet rehoming groups
- Utilize dedicated rehoming websites like Adopt-a-Pet, Home-to-Home, Find Benji
- Include high-quality photos and information about your pet
- Ask your network to share your posts to increase visibility
-Share frequently and update photos and video of your pet
- Links to these Rehoming platforms in the comments

4. Create a Complete Pet Profile
Document essential information including:
- Age, breed, weight and physical characteristics
- Personality traits
- Medical history and vaccination records
- Dietary needs and preferences
- Activity level (Couch potato, Triathlon or somewhere in between)
- Cues they know
- Favorite activities, toys, enrichment
- Behavioral quirks or special needs
- Compatibility with children, other pets, or specific living situations
- Ideal home and environment for your pet

5. Screen Potential Adopters
- Arrange meet-and-greets in a comfortable, neutral setting
- Ask about their pet history
- Discuss their living situation and lifestyle (other pets, children, elderly, busy or quiet and routine home)
- Verify their ability to provide proper care
- Trust your instincts about potential matches

6. Support the Transition
- Provide familiar items (toys, bedding, food) to ease the adjustment
- Share detailed care instructions and routines
- Transfer medical records and microchip information
- Remain available for questions and support during the initial weeks and potentially longer, perhaps you can assist with pet sitting in the future
- Consider a trial period before finalizing the adoption

Key Considerations
- Start soon rather than later 24 hours, a week, even 2 weeks is not enough time to rehome a pet
- Prioritize your pet's well-being over a quick placement
- Be transparent about any behavioral or health challenges
- Document the transfer of ownership in writing (Rehoming platforms such as Rehome by Adopt a Pet provide adoption materials)
- Understand that adjustment periods are normal for pets in new homes

Remember, taking time to find the right match is crucial for both your pet's future happiness and your peace of mind. A thoughtful, thorough rehoming process helps ensure a successful transition to a new loving home.

12/26/2024

Today is a VERY indeed!

🐾The 1️⃣st big thanks goes out to Hurst Mechanical for surprising us with a check for $1,750!!! We don’t know why but we are so very, very grateful!

🐾The 2️⃣nd big thank you goes out to the organizations who chose to hold holiday donation drives for us! We couldn’t do what we do without folks like the ones at Cloud Cannabis Co Cedar Springs, Salon Euphoria, Grand Rapids Community College MTEC, & the finance department of Meijer! Also thanks to Beer City Dog Biscuits for donating boxes of treats just in time for us to hand them out to our clients before Christmas!

🐾The 3️⃣rd huge thank you goes out to the organizations that support us all year round by hosting donation barrels & the folks who fill them up!

The holidays are not the easiest time of year for many & we aim to help folks & their pets get through. We can only do that because of our hugely supportive community!!! THANK YOU from the bottom of our Pleasant Hearts!

We’ve only been able to grow & help more pets stay with their families because of the support of our community - that’s YOU!

👇🏾Ways you can help👇🏾
🐾Right on this post
🐾Venmo:
🐾Cashapp: $petpantrygr
🐾PayPal:
🐾Website: www.pleasantheartspetfoodpantry.org
🐾Hold a donation drive
🐾Drop off items at our donation barrels
🐾Shop our online wishlists (links below)
🐾Share our posts

Chewy: chewy.com/g/pleasant-hearts-pet-food-pantry_b66101276
Amazon.com: amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/6SWDS7IEVQ2X/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1