Organizationally, the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA has always believed we shouldn’t recommend specific veterinarians when asked by members of the public.
The same goes for groomers, dog walkers, boarding facilities, pet sitters and animal-related attorneys who can help individuals in cases usually involving dog bites and attacks. We were asked for an attorney recommendation just this past week and all indications are that this is a growing specialty.
This policy is simply good business. To make such recommendations and essentially give the look of an official humane society stamp of approval, we would have to carefully review all businesses.
This would certainly be daunting and is not central to our mission of caring for stray and unwanted animals, protecting animals and re-homing them.
That said, there’s nothing preventing me from giving kudos to a business that has been good to all Bay Area shelters and one that has personally been a favorite of mine: Pet Food Express.
Odds are, you have one of their 40 or so Bay Area locations close to you. The latest add-on to the PFE family was Broadway Avenue in Millbrae, my old stomping grounds as a kid. Steps away from where Mervyn’s was back in the day. If your days go back even further, you may remember Consumer Distributing on this block.
Here’s what I like. For starters, Pet Food Express focuses on high-quality food and supplies. The staff are always pleasant and willing to offer their expertise and tips if you want them, but are hands-off if you walk in knowing just what you want.
The corporate philosophy has always, to my knowledge, included a genuine effort to shine a light on animal rescues and shelters.
A few years back, they sponsored Pets Around the Bay, a KPIX segment that highlighted various Bay Areas animal welfare organizations and their unique programs or services.
Many local residents, for example, learned of the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA’s free mobile spay/neuter clinic that visits targeted communities after seeing the surgery-suite on wheels featured on TV.
I have to mention Pet Food Express’s window dressing. Every PFE location features wonderful, huge portraits of re-homed animals, adopted from animal shelters and rescue groups.
If you don’t know about it, like the idea of your beloved pet being up in lights for the community to see, check out www.petfoodexpress.com and click on the My Mutt link across the top.
The best part is that Pet Food Express will arrange for the professional portrait of your dog (cat, hamster…) after you make a gift of $250 or more to your favorite animal rescue or shelter.
They give away their own money as well. In fact, they give so much away, I often wonder how they keep expanding.
This giving philosophy trickles down to their regular shoppers. Every holiday season, Pet Food Express holds a donation drive, where they collect dollars and pet toys (mostly Kongs) to be distributed among Bay Area shelters. We haven’t seen the money just yet (they are still counting!!), but did get a few deliveries of Kongs for our shelter dogs.
As you can see from the attached photos, we have some appreciative beneficiaries!
