Pet food pantry offers free pet food to residents

“I don’t want this story to be about me,” said Wendy Smith, founder of the Black Dog Pet Food Pantry. “The backbone of this organization is the people who donate. I couldn’t do it without them. I’m just the delivery person.”

Smith may be just the “delivery person,” but she said she feels she was directed by a higher power to start her nonprofit, which provides free dog and cat food, along with cat litter, to Tuscarawas County pet owners in need.

Smith said the idea came to her when she was volunteering at an animal shelter and saw people bringing their pets in because they couldn’t afford to feed them.

“I thought, we have food pantries for people. Why not pets?” Smith said.

Smith started the charity nearly eight years ago by using her grocery money on a leap of faith to buy $60 worth of mums, which she then sold at a profit in her first fundraiser. Since then word has spread, and she receives donations of food and cash from all sorts of people and organizations.

“I understand living paycheck to paycheck and then your car breaks down,” Smith said. “And I don’t want senior citizens cutting their pills in half so they can afford to feed their pets.”

Smith said in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, things are even harder for pet owners. “Bartenders, waitresses, factory workers, hair dressers, everyone is hurting right now. From purebred Great Danes to every kind of mutt you can imagine, I’ve fed them all. And just because someone has a purebred dog doesn’t mean they can afford the food right now. There is a plethora of reasons why people might need help,” she said.

Smith is in contact and shares ideas with pet food pantries throughout the state and the nation, but she says our local residents are special.

“Tuscarawas County people are fantastic,” Smith said. “They’ve really stepped up. I get donations of pet food from people who say their dog didn’t like a new food they tried. I also get checks sent to me.”

Smith wants people to know every last penny of the money she collects goes toward purchasing pet food and kitty litter. “If I have change left from a donation after buying food, that change goes in a jar with my own change and my husband’s loose change. Then I roll it all up, take it to the bank and use it to buy food,” she said.

Smith also said Black Dog Pet Food Pantry has received large donations from organizations such as Tractor Supply and Pawsitive Ohio, which sent her a full truckload of pet food.

A refuge for pets in need

Smith has taken in many pets over the years, particularly those with special needs. She currently cares for two blind dogs and two blind cats, in addition to other animals with various special needs. She currently cares for a total of 18 cats and three dogs.

People needing free pet food or cat litter — as well as those wishing to donate — should call the Black Dog Pet Food Pantry at 330-401-5968. Smith will arrange to safely deliver food to pet owners in an open area that respects social-distancing guidelines.