27/11/2025
The food in the photo, then twice that. That’s how much they got. About 1,000 pounds.
They drove about three hours for that food, just to turn around and take it back to their place to do what they did last year but more of it.
They made a donation for the food. They wanted it to be just like we do it. They even took a Kibble Pack Training Class (KPTC), so they knew what to do.
Last year was their first time, and they enjoyed it. Just their family, and Reggie, the sweet old guy who ran back and forth happily picking up every kibble that spilled. He probably also found a few that didn’t spill.
They met Reggie a couple years earlier. He was at their local shelter. He’d been there a while and it seemed like he was invisible to everyone. And then this family walked in. They said he looked at them like “where you been, I’ve been waiting for you.” And that was his last day at the shelter.
The shelter knew quite a bit about Reggie so they had a lot of info on his This Is Reggie Card. One of the things written was to never take away his toys, specifically two of his stuffies. He liked to sleep with them and he was sad without them.
Another thing that was written was how much he liked his food bowl. That came with him too. And one more thing that was written was about his favorite food. It said Pongo.
The shelter knew what that meant because Reggie’s Dad was the one who went to the shelter with him. He was the one who told them about Reggie’s love of the particular food bowl and the stuffies and his favorite food.
He wasn’t Reggie’s first Dad but he thought he might be the last. It didn’t work out that way. That’s why he made the hardest decision to let Reggie have a chance with another family.
It took a while, but then Reggie’s new people walked by. And that was that.
For a small dog, Reggie had big impact. He was pretty much the rock of the family. Like he’d always been there. Somehow he knew things no one else knew.
The new people wanted to know more about Reggie, and they called The Pongo Fund to ask about this food that was apparently Reggie’s favorite. We knew the food, because we knew Reggie.
We’d helped Reggie and his Dad several times with food and other needs. Reggie kept finding his way back to us. We loved it. And we loved him too.
We explained to the new people what food we had provided for Reggie. And we talked about Reggie. They then asked if we knew anything about his special food bowl and stuffies. And that’s when I about fell over.
Because those belonged to Pongo. My Pongo. The Pongo Fund Pongo.
One day I shared them with Reggie and his Dad. Reggie needed food, I put some in one of Pongo’s old food bowls that I had with me, and Reggie ate like a king. After his lunch I pulled out one of Pongo’s old stuffies and Reggie held it in his mouth ever so gently. He laid down with it and took an afternoon nap.
He didn’t want to chase it or play tug. He just wanted to hold it close. I left the second stuffie too and that was what I thought would be the last time I saw Reggie.
Then one day Reggie’s Dad called. They needed some more help, and every few months we started providing them with whatever help we could
The last time we saw them they were moving out of the area. He stopped by for a supply of food and other goodies, and we got to see Reggie again. Both Reggie and his Dad were doing really well and we loved being part of their lives.
We didn’t know that Reggie had been surrendered, but we knew enough about Reggie and his Dad to know that every option would have been considered. Letting Reggie have a chance at a new life had to be the hardest decision.
But considering how much Reggie’s Dad loved Reggie, we know it was the right decision for Reggie. Hard as it was.
We shared everything we knew about Reggie with Reggie’s new family. The idea that when they adopted Reggie he still had Pongo’s food bowl and two stuffies made them love him even more. And they decided they wanted to pack some kibble for The Pongo Fund, as a way to give back for all we had done for Reggie.
They came to Portland and took our Kibble Pack Training Class, and they got some food, took it home and they packed kibble for their local community.
A few weeks ago they called to let us know they wanted to do the same thing again. They had some friends who also wanted to help pack kibble and Thanksgiving was the perfect day for them to do it. But they wanted to pack more kibble this year. And they wanted to make a donation to The Pongo Fund too, for all the food they were getting.
They said it was a donation for the food.
But it was really a donation in memory of Reggie.
He crossed the Rainbow Bridge earlier this year.
So today they will pack kibble while sharing Reggie stories and looking at Reggie’s food bowl and old stuffies on the table next to where Reggie had his favorite bed for afternoon naps. The food bowl and stuffies that once belonged to my Pongo.
They said it may sound weird, but they knew Reggie would be there with them, packing kibble too. And they looked forward to that.
I bet they spilled a few extra kibble just for Reggie.
"The wound is the place where the light enters you.” – Rumi
Being a Helper.
And this is why we Pongo.
Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
The Pongo Fund / Portland, OR