Help Us Give More Dogs a Second Chance
As you read our story below, you'll see that my wife Melissa and I have a deep passion for helping animals—especially dogs. No offense to cat lovers; we love cats too! But dogs often struggle more to survive on their own in the wild.
At Impact Eighty-Eight, we're committed to making a difference. That's why we'll be donating a portion of our company profits each year to a different animal rescue organization. For 2025, we’ve chosen Help A Dog Smile (HADS), the rescue that played a key role in helping us with our own dogs, as shared in the stories below.
Odie
I never wanted a dog. I didn’t want the hassle factor, the expense, or the time commitment. Then on April 20, 2017, while my wife and I were out for a walk, we found a stray Chihuahua mix. It was too late to take him to a shelter, so we had a sleepover. The next morning, I woke up with this dog, who we had already named Odie, cuddled in my arms. A dog rescue named Help A Dog Smile (HADS) helped us adopt Odie, and the rest is history.
Ava
Feeling like Odie needed a friend, we were on the lookout for a second dog. In 2019, the worst sales ad we have ever seen came across us for a female chihuahua mix. The ad read, “Chihuahua puppy. $50 or free.” Hmmmm. I wonder which we would pick? She was being held captive in a crate for 13 hours a day as a three-month-old puppy. We knew we had to save her, and that’s exactly what we did. Welcome to the family, Ava Taft!
Chadwick
Through Help A Dog Smile, we met our dog sitter, Eddye. Eddye was a foster mom for the rescue. She had dedicated her entire life to the rehabilitation and rehoming of dogs. At her home, she could have anywhere from three to 15 dogs at a time. As we became extremely close with Eddye, we made her a promise that if anything ever happened to her, we would take one of her pups and care for them. Unfortunately, Eddye was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and passed away. With that, we kept our word and adopted her dog, Chadwick, as one of our own. He is older and now has the nickname “Clunky Monkey.” He is living his best life!
About Help A Dog Smile
Have you ever seen a dog running down the street with its tongue hanging out, its body too skinny, and its paws battered? We have too. And we couldn’t turn away. Which is why we started Help A Dog Smile. HADS, as we fondly call it, is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.
We find loving homes for stray dogs and dogs on euthanasia lists at kill shelters throughout the state. Once we determine that the animal has no owner (if it is a stray) we place the dog in a boarding facility or foster home where the dog can receive the tender loving care he or she desperately needs.
This always requires a veterinary check up, vaccinations, and usually a spay or neuter surgery. Once the animal is healthy, we seek a loving home where he or she can live out their life in happiness.
