The Pongo Fund

Good morning from the Land of Pongo.

Please know that I have not yet received any update from Cleo's surgery yesterday. We have reached out to both the veterinary team as well as Cleo's Mom, but as yet there has been no reply. This is sometimes how it goes, but please know I will update you when I learn more.

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

Being a Helper.

And this is why we Pongo.

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

Sweet Cleo is in surgery right now. Thank you to everyone for your donations of love and money.

Cleo’s Mom called me late last night to thank all of us again for saving Cleo’s life. Because that’s exactly what is happening right now. Her little life is being saved.

And I hope that each one of you will take a moment to know you are part of something special.

On a separate note, I know that a few of you ran into technology delays when trying to donate via our website and your donations were not completed. It would be wonderful if you would please try again.

One more thing. I know the photo is blurry. I wish it wasn't, 'cause I'd love to just stare deep into those sweet eyes. But that photo is the best we have, so please enjoy it anyway.

For Sweet Cleo.

Being a Helper.

And this is why we Pongo.

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

He was gently digging through trash.

I wondered what he was looking for.

Maybe it was mustard.

Because a man I met once was doing that, looking for mustard.

Someone had given him a sandwich or hot dog or something and the bread was dry and he decided that what it really needed was mustard so he started rooting through a garbage can looking for little condiment packets of mustard.

He was hungry and was glad to have been given food. But he still knew how he wanted it to taste, and he wanted mustard.

I’ve been on the street. Not the same way, but I’ve been there in bits and pieces. Sometimes when I’m doing street work I get mistaken for those I’m trying to help and others try to help me too. I’ve received more than one sack lunch. And yes, sometimes the bread is dry.

So I understood the mustard.

The man who was digging through trash, I asked him if there was something he would like. It’s an open ended question. But for me, it’s sometimes easier than asking someone if they are hungry.

I mean, they are already submerged to their elbows in a garbage can. The need for them could be anything, even something other than food.

A reminder that sometimes one question provides many answers.

He said he was looking for food to take back to others who were hungry. He had already found something for himself, but there were others. They had their tents a couple blocks away. A few older men making the best life they could in a moment that was not their best life.

I went into the store and got a few things. Chips. Sandwiches. Mustard. We walked back to his camp where we were greeted by two wiggly dogs. I wasn’t prepared for that and I did not have dog food with me. And I worried these folks were going to share the sandwiches with the dogs. Not a good plan.

I told him I would go back and get dog food. He laughed and said the dogs were the only ones who already had food. He said they had just finished lunch and would soon be settling in for their afternoon naps.

He then began to tell me where I could get free dog food if I ever needed it. He was giving me an insider secret. Not just where to get it, but he also told me what kind it was as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

As he read the words, he had no idea I had written the words.

He pulled one of the dog food bags from his tent. He showed it to me. He said it was Pongo Food.

I knew from the small markings on the bag that it had been packed with love by Shauna, Eddie, Sarah, the three Lisas, Dennis, Christina, Heidi and others.

The Pongo Fund provides dog and cat food to many human focused social service groups and food banks, and those markings also told me what group we had given that food to. It was a new group for us and finding the food here with these folks was exactly what we had hoped for.

The man also went on to explain the comfort they had in knowing that their dogs were fed. He said their dogs were their everything. They were older dogs. Happy dogs. Best friends for life kind of dogs. That they had food was the most important thing.

Because he said without their dogs...
..none of them would be strong enough to make it on their own.

He then said I had probably never talked to anyone before who was so excited about dog food.

I just smiled.

He had no idea that kibble was my life. That the bags of dog food he had were named in honor of my Pongo.

All he knew was that their dogs had food. Food that said Pongo on the label. Really good food that never ran out.

As for all the other details, he didn’t need to know.

All that mattered was that he was happy. I was happy.

And those two dogs who gave me the best kisses ever, they were happy too.

It was a good day.

As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Thank you to everyone who helps us Pongo.

Being a Helper.

And this is why we Pongo.

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

It was several years ago. He called The Pongo Fund to say he’d lost his dog.

It was all ok when he called. She had been found. She was fine. But he wasn’t.

His little girl was lost in the house somewhere, he panicked, he called the only people he knew who might be able to help. Because he was a Pongo, he was one of us. He got his food from The Pongo Fund and he trusted us and he called us in one of the worst moments of his life.

Thankfully, that night it all turned out ok.

A few days later he called again. He was entering a recovery program. He asked if we knew anyone who could adopt his dog. Not just foster her. Adopt her. He didn’t trust himself anymore and he had several reasons for that.

We found his sweet girl a new home. That person understood it might be only temporary. We were hopeful she would go back home. But the man stuck to his word. He knew at that point in his life he was already struggling to be kind to himself. He had nothing left to give anyone else.

He completed his recovery and has stayed clean ever since. He would check in every now and then to see how his girl was doing. He didn’t ask for photos or details. He just wanted to know she was doing ok. She was.

But he never asked about her coming home.

Not because he didn’t love her. But because he loved her too much.

I always wondered if he would try again. He was a totally gentle soul. Any dog would be lucky to have him. But he didn’t trust himself. And no one could fix that, except him.

He called one day to check in again. Gave him the always good news update. He somehow fed on those few words. The calls were brief. Maybe they were ritual.

This time it was a little bit different.

I told him about a woman who called The Pongo Fund. She said her Dad was entering recovery. He made a sound to acknowledge that he knew what that would be like. He immediately began talking about this man he did not know, and wishing him to be strong and well and said if I talked to him, to let him know he was going to make it.

I told him the man had a dog. That’s why his daughter called us. It was nothing more than a hope she had. Could we foster his dog? The man said he totally knew what that man must be feeling. How hard it was going to be to leave his best friend behind.

He asked if we had a plan. I told him I thought we did.

The man whose daughter called, he completed his rehab. At least the first part. He’s back home working hard to stay clean. I don’t know how many days it’s been but his dog is still with him, happy to be home.

The man who we helped 10 years ago? The man who asked if we had a plan to help this other man find a foster for his dog?

That man, he was our plan.

And he was the perfect foster.

How lucky we were. Because for all of them, things turned out really well.

Whoever the next dog will be that finds his way to this man, what a lucky dog they will be. He'll know when it's time.

“Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, as you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.” – Audrey Hepburn.

Serendipity.

And this is why we Pongo.

I wrote these words in a hurry. Please let me know of any typos, etc.

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