Today we’d like to introduce you to PJ Rosch.
Hi PJ, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My first experiences with animals involved my own menagerie of pets, including dogs, cats, and farm animals. My first rescue at age ten when I brought home a box of cats from school. I adopted my first Pitbull and discovered how misunderstood the breed was. I learned that dogs of all breeds, sizes, and ages need help. The situation in our shelters is overwhelming. I loved animals and wanted to help them. I started TLRD with family for volunteers and the desire to make the world a better place.
I studied dog behavior and psychology and trained with a protégé of Cesar Milan. I recognized the need for education. I learned of Shipman‘s work, who concluded that “humans’ comparative evolutionary fitness owes itself to the domestication of dogs.” I read the book Lost Dogs and learned about the little red dog who was killed because she didn’t want to fight. I knew I had to form my own rescue and pay homage to The Little Red Dog. We started with very humble beginnings, no real experience with rescue or startups, we had our two kids who were teenagers as our first volunteers, along with my in-laws. We have grown to 75 foster homes and 200 volunteers.
Every day I see the worst in people and the horrors of the neglected dogs, but I also see the best in people; it gives me hope for humanity. I learned that dogs have a great capacity to forgive and love. I understand the connection that people have with dogs, and I understand how dogs helped humans evolve. The volunteers and the dogs have taught me so much. Through our work, I have become a better communicator, a better leader, more patient, and more passionate than ever before, and my experience helps me empower and lead people. I learned that we can make a difference in this world. I have learned that we can do anything, but we cannot do everything. I am blessed to have a huge support team of volunteers who give their all for The Little Red Dog; I know how rare and special that is and I appreciate it.
We provide support in a range of areas including safety, health, and exercise to ensure enrichment. We trained over 500 volunteers and 150 fosters. Most importantly, we have rescued and adopted out over 3,500 dogs and trained the adopters as well.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh no! Dog rescue is definitely not smooth. To be honest, it is the people who let us down, not the dogs. The dogs have an amazing capacity to grow and be better after rescue. We have had adopters and volunteers who have lost the dogs and we had to organize and find them, we have had funding issues, we spend about $20K a month in vet bills alone. We have had fosters give up in hours or days. The thing that has saved us is that the people who are really committed help so much and we have an amazing team.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
PJ holds three degrees; in communication, film, and an MBA. She has 25 years of marketing and business experience in Fortune 500 companies and has operated her own consulting company. PJ grew up around companion and farm animals and has been rescuing animals since she was a little girl. In 2011, she founded TLRD to pay homage to the little red Pitbull that was beaten to death because she didn’t want to fight in Michael Vick’s dog ring. PJ decided to focus on the dogs as her customer and running the rescue as a business with KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), excellent customer service and a strong senior team.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I am definitely a risk-taker! We rescue more dogs than we should, often without a foster or lack of funds, but I always believe we can make it work and we do.
Pricing:
- Adult dogs $375
- Puppies under a year $475
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://thelittlereddog.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelittlereddog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelittlereddoginc
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LittleRedDogInc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheLittleRedDog
Image Credits:
Jack Pei
