Chuck and Marti with their pups, Hazel and Dooley
When Chuck and Marti conceptualized Dooley’s Dog House seven years ago, they never dreamed what this fledgling business would do for the animals. In addition to providing a fantastic retail experience and vital assistance with local and national rescue efforts, Dooley’s has become a venue for like-minded individuals to attend events, network, and make a difference for the animals.
Chuck reflected upon how Dooley’s Dog House was created. “Marti and I opened Dooley’s Dog House 7 years ago because we both love animals. Marti told me to follow my heart and do something that I loved to do.”
Early on, Chuck and Marti have been very much involved in animal rescue and adoption. “Pasado’s got me more involved in animal rescue,” Chuck explained. “I was involved in Katrina as part of Pasado’s rescue effort. Then we were also involved with Purrfect Pals… Marti is more of a cat person, but we’re a mixed family with cats and dogs. In Marti’s former life, she worked in children’s adoption, so she became a natural with pet adoption.”
Dooley’s Dog House has hosted numerous events and fundraisers for the animals. They recently opened up their store for four fun-filled days of Holiday pet photographs, with all proceeds benefiting Pasado’s. The photo session had two themes: Father Christmas and Hawaiian Santa. More than 100 dogs, cats, ferrets, and even a parakeet attended this event. “We try to hold events in the store to get animals adopted,” Chuck stated. “It’s a passion with both of us – when your partner is passionate about it, too, it makes it so much easier to do.”
Chuck played Santa for Holiday Pet photos!
For Chuck, finding a home for animals is truly an amazing experience. “Nothing could be finer!” he enthused. “I feel so often that people come to an event or come in to the store …And a dog or cat chooses them. They can see the hole in the person’s heart. Two of our customers, Scott and Debbie, had just lost their lab of 9 years. Four months later, at a pet fair event that we were having, a dog was there and we knew that she was right for them. We called them and they came down. She’s been theirs for 2 years now,” Chuck stated. “They just came in for photos with Santa. They’ve been doing it every year… starting with their previous dog and continuing the tradition with their new dog, Kharma.”
Many people have formed lasting friendships, both human and nonhuman, through Dooley’s events. “We adopted Hazel through Homeward Pet through one of our events. We always bring animals for adoption at these events. It’s a great networking opportunity to get everyone together,” he stated.
Little Guy helped supervise Holiday Pet Photos! Because of the exposure he received at Dooley's, he has found his forever home.
Chuck and Marti recently hosted a kitten adoption event and also provided a temporary home for Little Guy, a cat who was rescued from a hoarding case that will be featured on Animal Planet on December 30th. Little Guy is made a big impact, melting the hearts of everyone who met him. We’re so grateful that Little Guy had the chance to meet so many people, one couple, in particular, who has just adopted him!
Chuck and Marti have also graciously housed other rescued cats at Dooley’s Dog House. Dooley’s has a solid, wonderful customer base and they have taken on several of Pasado’s rescued cats who are able to live in their store and receive amazing exposure from their customers. Having the cats available to the public often makes the difference with an adoption decision and it also affords Pasado’s the opportunity to have room to save another life. Tow and Lauer, two cats who were rescued from a horrible hoarding case in Granite Falls, still had not found a home months after the case broke. Chuck and Marti allowed them to come and live at their store until these courageous cats found their forever families. Tow and Lauer came from a situation where they were living in several feet of trash, feces, and dead animals to being in a store where the owners have a loyal customer base that has become more like a family.
Lauer is still looking for a family to call her own!
In addition to saving lives, Dooley’s Dog House is committed to providing high-quality, nutritional pet foods backed by years of experience and research. Chuck and Marti were inspired about pet nutrition after living with a very special dog named Beans. “I had a dog named Beans who had special needs,” Chuck explained. “He was a Cairn Terrier and I could tell that something was wrong when he was just a puppy. The first vet I took him to told me that I should put him down because he thought Beans would have a brief and painful life. But Beans lived to be almost 18 years old. He taught me to read food labels and that the right supplements really make the difference. Beans taught me everything I know about pet nutrition.”
The New Year promises to provide additional events for the animals. “Our next event is a Yappy Hour. It’s on Friday night, February 3rd,” Chuck stated. “It’s for a specific dog named Scarlett who was owned by an elderly lady who was succumbing to dementia. The dog had an infected teat that erupted. It turned out to be cancerous. Scarlett has been treated at WSU, where she had 10 days of chemotherapy, which she just finished. She ran up $6,000 in medical bills, so we’re having a fundraiser for her,” Chuck explained. “Scarlett is a 4-year-old husky mix. When she arrived at WSU, they realized that she looked like the dog of an Afghanistan veteran. His dog passed away 2 years ago…so we contacted him, and the veteran is going to adopt Scarlett. Her story is going to have a happy ending.”
Pasado’s would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Chuck, Marti, and Dooley’s Dog House. Chuck and Marti have bridged many friendships of animals and people through their events and community outreach. It is a true gift for our animals who have suffered so greatly to have assistance from people who are connected to a wonderful community of animal lovers.
Dooley’s Dog House is located at 1421 Market Street in Kirkland, WA. To learn more about Dooley’s Dog House, visit their website.