Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Bryant.
Hi Bob, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Mission K9 Rescue began as a passion for a female lead nonprofit organization after working individually to rescue retiring Military and Contract Working Dogs when they are retired overseas. Their desire for these dogs to have a healthy and peaceful retirement, along with the ability to be reunited with a handler that cared for them, fueled their passion to do more.
I (Bob Bryant) met these hard workers via chance through a Facebook page and connected when they were in the LA area. I shared their passion and became a co-founder of the org when it was officially recognized in 2013.
Since that time, we’ve rescued over 1000 working dogs from all corners of the globe. We’ve reunited over 450 with former handlers and covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in veterinary bills.
.We were honored by the ASPCA and Petco Foundation for our work and have been instrumental in making change in the care and lives of working dogs worldwide.
Today we have over 55 dogs in care at our K9 Ranch facility near Houston, TX. Dogs not destined to go to a former handler can be adopted by the public.
Currently, our organization operates with $1.8M per year at a 91% spend to mission. Our goal is to find a benefactor or legacy gift that will allow us to double our capacity. We receive more and more requests to take in retiring dogs weekly and we never want to say “no” to a dog in need.
I (Bob Bryant) serve as CTO and am responsible for development and fundraising. I am also our co-founder.
Kristen Maurer is our president and founder. Louisa Kastner serves as VP and co-founder.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We doubled in size the first four years and it was a challenge to fundraise and keep up with the increased needs. Public education was a huge obstacle as so many have “truths” related to working dogs that were untrue. That sentiment filtered into our social media and we used it to educate instead of arguing.
We have enjoyed great individual support and some corporate support yet have yet to find that donor who might endow us with enough funding to stop any worry about “too much month at the end of the money” and instead focus on the expansion of our work. That’s been the missing link to greater growth.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
No one does what we do in the scope we do it at. We bring heroes home. We reunite partners that some assumed lost forever. We give opportunity to dogs that would otherwise perish in overseas kennels after a life of work.
Watch this Petco award video where it mentions the rescue in Kuwait. We’ve been there more than once and saved dogs that would have never made it out. Many other similar instances come to mind, but this is the best.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Doing only good everyday. Sounds cliche but it works for me. I try to lift people up. Jiu Jitsu makes me happy. After training for 11 years, it has been life-changing. And, PDK9 “Navy makes me happy just by being the feisty German Shepherd he is.
Contact Info:
- Email: bark@missionk9rescue.org
- Website: https://missionk9rescue.org
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/missionk9
- Other: https://missionk9rescue.onlinepresskit247.com/
Image Credits:
Paul R. Davis Photography Janet Deltuva | Ares & Emzy Photography Paul De Leon Photography