Hi! My name is Emily Claire and I have been working at Healthy Pet Products since I moved here in 2015. However, my love for animals, specifically rescue animals, has been a major part of my life way before Healthy Pet Products. As a ten-year-old child, I knew over fifty breeds and was able to identify them! After we got our first Gateway computer, I started making PowerPoint presentations asking my parents for a dog. I would give them fun facts and reasons why we should get a dog. It took about a year of creating these presentations before my parents finally agreed to let me get a dog, and where did we go? Straight to the shelter. Buying a dog was never even a thought or consideration of my parents, and today I appreciate that more than ever. Since adopting our small poodle mix, AJ, I stopped caring about specific breeds and started caring about rescuing animals to save their lives. 

Looking back on AJ, I wish that I would have been the dog owner I am today, simply because I didn’t know and understand as much back then as I do now. I will always have a special place in my heart for him, for opening up a new world of animal rescue to me. 

There are so many animals stuck in shelters, and many of them are euthanized or abused every day. There are good dogs, innocent creatures that are subject to human judgement and, unfortunately, poor decision making. Puppy Mills, the Amish, Backyard Breeders, Mixed Breed Trends (for example, doodles), and accidental litters ALL contribute to this problem significantly. Although it’s a horrible reality, these circumstances motivate me to help people understand three important things: The first is the responsibility of owning a dog. The second is how to responsibly buy or adopt a dog. The third is the importance of understanding the breed or breed variety of a dog. So many of these dogs end up in the shelter or homeless because owners didn’t know what they were getting into. Too often, the owners don’t know how to support their Purebred bought dog, bought dogs from an unreliable source and their dog became sick or not what they wanted, couldn’t afford the dog, couldn’t spend enough time with the dog, etc. The more education and support made available, the more likely we can see a decrease in these issues (in my opinion). I also strongly believe that the more positive adoptions I assist with, the more those families and people will spread the word and hopefully influence others to consider adoption. 

Since “adulting” and being able to have my own dogs, I have never filled out an adoption application or really ever “picked” which dog I want to adopt. I have been so heavily involved with various animal rescue groups. I currently have two dogs. Sweet Pea is a Pitbull that I actually fostered for over a year while in college. She has severe health issues, was overbred, and neglected with no prospective families that were interested…fast forward six years and she is my best friend! I’d even go so far to say she’s my soulmate. I am so grateful that I got to be her companion rather than anyone else. After a few years of living here in Pittsburgh, I started to feel like Sweet Pea needed a friend and companion for when I was at work. A friend of mine was visiting Puerto Rico and I told her “If you see a small male dog, I’ll adopt him.” Literally an hour after I texted her that, a little black dog was thrown out the window of a moving car right in front of my friend. That’s how I got my second dog, Kendrick! I would do anything to change my dogs’ pasts of neglect and abuse, but I am so grateful that they were able to come into my life. They are so affectionate, kind, fun and quirky. They are my favorites! Giving these two dogs the luxury of couches, beds, toys, walks, water, quality food, treats, friends, and so much more gives me so much fulfillment and happiness. I can’t see my life being any other way than having a couple of rescues running around. That’s why rescued is my favorite breed!