Richmond Business Gives Comfort to Shelter Dogs

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA

December 24th 2024

RICHMOND – Johnna Devereaux, the owner of the Fetch RI holistic pet food and supply shop, stood in her store on a recent morning, surrounded by cardboard boxes brimming with bully sticks.

Most dog owners know how much dogs love bully sticks, but for those not familiar with the popular chews, they are by products of the meat industry, made from the penises of bulls. They are chewy and digestible, and for most dogs, irresistible.

Devereaux, who has been supporting animal shelters and shelter pets since she opened her store in Kingstown Road, started the non-profit Diego Fund to honor the memory of her beloved companion, a shelter dog who died in 2021. This year, about $20,000 from the Diego Fund was used to purchase 5,000 bully sticks for dogs who will spend the holidays in shelters.

“Diego had been a rescue dog that I adopted from a shelter, so shelter dogs are near and dear to my heart, and I wanted to give back, because the shelter gave me him,” she said.

This is the third year the fund has donated to shelters, but this time, the donations will be given directly to the dogs.

“Every year has been different,” Devereaux said. “We’ve donated to numerous shelters throughout the state. This year, a lot of these shelters are looking around the holidays for paper towels and cleaning supplies, because it’s the time for donating and I really just wanted to give something to the dogs, because the shelter workers and the volunteers do so much for these dogs, but they still will have down time, and so, bully sticks are going to provide a long term experience that’s going to just mentally stimulate them and provide them with calmness and relief from some of the anxiety that they may have.”

Several shelters, from Westerly to Middletown, will be receiving donated bully sticks.

“With 5,000 sticks, we’re going to be spreading them,” Devereaux said. “Larger amounts to the bigger shelters and some of the smaller ones will get a few hundred, but it should last them about six months to a year. I would like to be able to have several per dog. The bigger shelters are going to be getting about 1,000 apiece.”

Devereaux said she would try to personally deliver the bully sticks.

“Most of the shelters I’m delivering to, because I want to see the dogs and give them to them, but there are a few, they’re sending volunteers down from the northern part of the state,” Devereaux said.

The bully sticks will start going out next week and will all be delivered by the end of the holidays.

“I would love to say a big thank you to all of the people that are involved with shelters and adopting animals and rescue, because they are undervalued and they really change the lives of people and animals,” Devereaux said.