The Grounds and Hounds Rescue Roast initiative has partnered with the Beagle Freedom Project for a great new cause throughout the month of February.
Grounds and Hounds Coffee, of course, is a rescue-minded coffee company (they have cool merch, too!), and BFP is a global organization making the lives of dogs, cats, and many other animals a little easier.
Every bit of the proceeds from the Grounds and Hounds Rescue Roast blend goes to their chosen organization, which rotates roughly every two months. The Rescue Roast blend is described as a medium-dark roast with elements of caramel, toasted pecans, dark chocolate and red currants, and sells for $14.99 for a 12-ounce bag (customer choice of whole or ground beans).
Beagle Freedom Project, meanwhile, has helped over three thousand animals in 15 countries in its decade of existence, and has helped pass legislation in many states that requires laboratory animals to be rehomed through adoption organizations.
Though they mainly rescue Beagles because their terrific traits make them the breed of choice for testing purposes (unfortunately), a variety of breeds are rescued through the organization, and other non-canine animals as well, including cats and various farm animals.
The Rescue Roast initiative from Grounds and Hounds Coffee is a great program, helping out the Beagle Freedom Project this February.
“I was an only child growing up and always found myself saving little stray animals on my own,” BFP founder and president Shannon Keith told Dog O’Day in an email. “I believe it was my nurturing nature and way to connect with others since I alone most of the time. Over time, this became my passion.”
Keith went on to become an animal rights attorney after discovering in college that legally they are often considered “chattel,” and in late December 2010 the Beagle Freedom Project took shape after she and a friend discovered that a laboratory testing on beagles was planning on callously disposing of them.
“Seeing these dogs witness the outdoors, the sunshine on their faces, the grass under their paws and the ability to walk free for the first time, it all took my breath away. They were scared and timid and had little muscle tone from growing up living in a cage. They were afraid to come out of their crates, but once they finally did, they slowly became dogs, revellng in the life that they’d never known at that point.
“I decided that day that my main goal would be to rescue these dogs and try to end animal testing. That night, Beagle Freedom Project was born,” Keith concludes.
As a foster-based organization, BFP rescues go immediately to foster homes, ideally that have permanent pets living in residence as well, so they can teach the rescues how to live normal pet lives with treats, toys, comfy beds and lots of love.
Most of the farm animals rescued either go to the BFP sanctuary or a sanctuary with a similar mission.
According to Grounds and Hounds Coffee founder and CEO Jordan Karcher, the Rescue Roast initiative had two goals in mind: “We wanted to create a product line that allowed us to feature, highlight and communicate the most innovative programs we could find in the rescue world, and secondly, we wanted to generate the maximum possible impact for those programs through monetary donations and generating content to share each Rescue Roast partner’s incredible initiatives.”
The Rescue Roast initiative began in November 2018, and each runs for about six to eight weeks, which means that BFP is the 15th organization to be part of the program, which has done everything from transporting Puerto Rican dogs with the Sato Project to funding parvo treatments with Austin Pets Alive!, working with military service members through Mission K9, and supporting rescue dog training with the prison rehabilitation efforts of Marley’s Mutts Pawsitive Change Program.
Karcher credits the organizations involved with a consistent level of lowering shelter euthanasia rates in their communities, while “being true advocates for animals every day.”
“When I founded Grounds and Hounds Coffee in 2014, my rescue pup Molly served as the inspiration and core motivation for the entire concept. The world was not in dire need of another coffee brand at the time, but the world was in need of a company that served to make a difference for rescue pups,” Karcher said in an email.
“Fast forward seven years, and we have maintained that same passion for supporting, championing, and advocating for rescue pups day in and day out, while providing a delicious cup of coffee to serve as the perfect excuse to slow down and enjoy 15 more minutes with your best friend every morning.”
If you live in a geographically-distant area, or are unable to donate financially at the moment, you can still help BFP by fostering, adopting or volunteering, and you can get more information on that by emailing info@BFP.org to see how you can help.
Again, the Rescue Roast blend is $14.99, and helps out a ton of pups.