For those who aren’t familiar, Buffalo is home to many rescue dogs from get this…Colombia! Cartagena Paws was founded by Buffalo native and educator, Maureen Cattieu, who moved to Colombia and saw what terrible circumstances stray dogs were in there, so she made it her mission to help. She became friends with a fellow teacher named Stephanie Brown who was also overwhelmed with what she saw and wanted to do something about it.
“It’s really sad here,” said Brown. “There are hundreds of thousands of stray animals in our city and it’s heartbreaking. People just don’t see it as a problem like we would. It’s part of their culture and they accept it. The animals are sick, people hit them with their car and bikes and don’t stop to help them.”
So Brown teamed up with Cattieu to rescue and foster unwanted and unloved strays, but their mission wouldn’t be an easy one because the majority of these animals would need to fly to America to be adopted. But, being the City of Good Neighbors that Buffalo is, the nonprofit perseveared with selfless fosters and adopters who wanted to help these incredible animals. Brown even went a step further to help! She created her very own pet shop, Reese’s Pets, with a portion of sales going to Cartegena Paws!
The online store is absolutely amazing with beautiful collars, leashes, toys, and shirts that benefit the rescue.
These are some of our favorites!
So if you’re looking for a new accessory for your furry friend and also want to support an amazing cause, Reesie’s Pets is for you! For more information, visit www.reesiespetshop.com/
You can also visit them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/reesiespetshop/
Williamsville native moves to Colombia and starts rescue to help save street dogs