From Radio Promotions to Fostering Thousands of Dogs: Blake’s Story
How does someone with no animal welfare background end up running a dog shelter?
By taking the long way around. Blake worked a convenience store job in high school, studied media arts in college, and built a career in radio promotions and radio sales. Then life moved toward family. She went from San Diego to Ohio and back to Arizona, and when motherhood paused her paid work, her momentum kept going anyway. If you’re searching “how to start a dog rescue,” this part matters. Running a nonprofit is still leadership. You have to communicate clearly, build relationships, and stay steady when things get messy, and she’d already been practicing all of that.
What started the rescue?
A phone call. A listener called the radio show about a found Chihuahua, and Blake went to pick it up. Word got around fast, and one dog turned into many. For seven years the rescue ran out of her own home, sometimes with more than 30 dogs under one roof. Her kids learned to walk dogs, clean up after them, and help with the fosters.
Is a house full of dogs a mess or an advantage?
Both, honestly. The chaos has a real upside, though. Dogs in a home learn routines, boundaries, and manners by living through everyday life, including the temptations of a kitchen counter. By the time they’re adopted, they’ve already figured out how to settle. That can make for better matches than a kennel ever could, and it pushes back on the idea that rescue only means cages.
What does the shelter look like now?
It’s grown into a full animal shelter with a manager, events coordination, executive oversight, and volunteer programs, including junior volunteers and company takeover days. Money comes from a mix of community donations, merchandise, and corporate sponsors built through real relationships. Signature events like Cars and Canines, Dog Mom’s Day, and Love Pup Family Fest bring in revenue and attention, and the on-site adoption center turns that attention into adoptions. If you’re looking for nonprofit fundraising ideas or ways to get sponsors for a charity, her approach is simple: tell a clear story, invite people in, and show the results.
How does the shelter help dogs that never come through its doors?
Microchipping is a big piece. Working with Maricopa County, the shelter supports microchips for adopted dogs and gets scanners into the hands of animal control officers, so a lost dog can be scanned and sent home without ever entering the shelter system. They also plan large community events offering vaccines, rabies registration, microchips, and spay and neuter certificates for dogs that already have homes.
There’s also a program called The Dog Is Forever, which tries to prevent surrenders in the first place by helping families with light training or medical needs before they give up.
What is Love Pup Plus?
An app that works as a “pup parenting partner.” It gives dog care guidance tailored to your dog’s profile, covering everything from the new puppy stages to everyday health and behavior questions. It comes from the same instinct as the rest of her work: find where people are struggling with their dogs and help before it turns into a crisis.