Our Story

Shelter Pets began as a way to pay tribute to our pup Chops after he passed away in 2014 while also trying to find a way to help the shelter we adopted him from. We spent a few years trying to think of a fun way to accomplish this, and eventually came up with the idea of stuffed animals modeled after real pets that were rescued/adopted.

The initial idea was to create 2-4 stuffed animals with a few dogs and cats, but as we began working with shelters the 2-4 quickly became 8 different stuffed animals. We expanded beyond dogs and cats after seeing how many great shelters there are helping bunnies, horses, pigs, ferrets, turtles, ducks, and so many other great animals.

After the initial launch in 2017, Shelter Pets has grown to over 20 animals that now include dogs, cats, a rat, guinea pig, fox, bear, pig, raccoon, and horse. It's been amazing to be able to learn not just about traditional shelters that help dogs and cats, but the sanctuaries around the country that are taking care of larger animals that could never have a high quality of life without extra care.

With each Shelter Pet sold, 10% of net sales will be donated to the non-profit animal shelters that the pet was adopted from. Since 2017 we have donated over $50,000 to shelters which has been almost 100% of all profits made on Shelter Pets.

We also want to make Shelter Pets open to all pets in future series, so we invite you to submit your adopted pet for consideration. The only rule is that they must have been adopted from a non-profit shelter/rescue. If you are interested in submitting your furry family member, please check out the submissions page.

Please email anytime with questions, comments, or other feedback to josh@shelterpetsonline.com anytime!

Thanks for visiting our page and please follow us on social media as we will be frequently posting pictures, promotions, giveaways, and updates. We are excited about the response so far from shelters and pet owners, and we can't wait to see where this journey takes us next!