By Katherine Hatcher | Staff Writer
Black Rifle Coffee Company held an event called Mutts & Mochas on the morning of Aug. 24 to help dogs get adopted and raise adoption awareness.
The coffee company partnered with the non-profit organization, Fuzzy Friends Rescue, to put on the event that lasted from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. where people could learn more about pet adoption opportunities while drinking half-off mochas.
This time, Fuzzy Friends brought two dogs, Ellie and Socks, that could be adopted. There was live music in the cozy setting of the coffee company, where people enjoyed their coffee and learned about their potential new furry family members.
According to Austin Bogdanovicha, a shift leader with Black Rifle Coffee, the coffee company wanted to partner with Fuzzy Friends because they love to support first responders, such as EMTs, police, veterans and more. He said that helping Fuzzy Friends with their dog rescue ties into finding military and service dogs that can improve the lives of these first responders.
“Our boss here is a huge dog person, most of us are huge dog people in general, so it’s always good to help find the dogs a home,” Bogdanovicha said.
The director of shelter operations with Fuzzy Friends, Kevin Ferguson, said he was so grateful that the coffee company reached out to them because it gave their rescue an opportunity to show people in Waco who they are and what they are about.
“Today’s economy is kind of a hardship for everyone, so sometimes [families] don’t have the means or the money to take care of an animal, so they will bring them to us, knowing that we are a no-kill, and that we will find the perfect home for their loved one,” Ferguson said.
Volunteer Sam Brown, who has been on the board and participated with the rescue for over 20 years, said that people come to Fuzzy Friends because they know they’ll find a strong and healthy variety of dogs and cats that are always turning over. On average, he said that they adopt about 300-500 dogs and cats a year.
“Our mission at Fuzzy Friends is to rescue animals that don’t have a home, find them a home, but equally as important is to help grow families here in central Texas by allowing them to bring in a new family member,” Brown said.
Although Brown said that their pet rescue has a no-kill policy, he said that they have to work hard to decide which animals to bring in and how many at a time.
“For every cage and every kennel in our shelter, that’s prime space for an animal to come and find a home through, and so we really look to quickly qualify and find the best homes for these animals to go to,” Brown said.
As a pet owner himself, Brown said how much he loves having pets as part of the family. However, he said that it is important for people to understand the different kinds of personalities that pets have before they adopt.
“The first thing I would encourage people to do, before they even consider adopting, is just come down to Fuzzy Friends and visit,” Brown said. “Come down and walk around and interact with the dogs. Go into the cat room and interact with the cats. Just get a feel for what it’s all about. Every one of those animals has a story. Every one of them is different.”
Finding the right pet for someone is like dating, Brown said. At Fuzzy Friends, he said that they take much consideration to make the perfect matches for everyone, people and pets.
“We really look to match up the right dog and cat with the right family with the right person, and when that happens it’s magical. It’s magical for the dog and cat, and it’s magical for that person or that family,” Brown said.
