Straw For Dogs

09/05/2026

Attention: Communities along the rivers that Ruby Marine services!

If you are expecting dog food from us, it has been delivered or will be delivered shortly. It will come in a tote that looks like the picture below.

If you see a tote like this sitting on the riverbank, please open it. The bags of dog food are inside. Each bag has someone’s name and phone number on it.

Please let the other people who have bags of food inside the tote know their dog food is there to pick up.  Please watch out for each other and support the other members of your community and help get the bags of food to the people they are meant to go to.

Thank you 🙏🏻 

Alakanuk friends: your dog houses are being unloaded right now. There are quite a few since the barge was not able to make it there on its last trip. 

09/04/2026

If we have shipped a doghouse and straw to you and you HAVE NOT received it, please let us know. We found 2 "missing" doghouses today. Houses the dogs could have been using weeks ago if anyone had reached out for help locating them.

Sometimes the airlines do not call to say the houses are there, and you will find them on the airstrip. (Most of the time they do call). Lots of things happen when shipping to rural Alaska. If we don't hear from you we don't know there is a problem.

So if you know we sent you a house but you do not have it yet please reach out so we can do some investigating!

Text 907-310-7294, comment here, or use FB Messenger!

Picture of Nick and a cutie patootie from Kotzebue just because!

08/30/2026

Another update from Kotzebue...One of the sweetest dogs we got to meet during our time in Kotzebue.....Miss Akluq!

Akluq was another one of the friendliest puppies the group got to meet. She was so excited for people to visit and love on her....You will see Lacey Ann Frame from VCA CHARITIES giving her love while her house was being assembled.

Akluq definitely needed a nice, new insulated doghouse and straw before winter. She also got a couple bags of dog food donated by Royal Canin, and she received her vaccinations thanks to VCA CHARITIES....It looks like she needs a new collar, and we did leave some with our volunteer in Kotzebue, so we will take care of this too.

Thank you VCA CHARITIES for sponsoring this outreach in Kotzebue! Thank you Royal Canin for the much needed dog food!

08/29/2026

We will be there! Anchorage friends come see us! Thank you Inspired Closets for supporting us!

🎉 The first 50 RSVPs will receive 10% off their next project with Inspired Closets Alaska! Must be present at the event to claim.

Join us for Retro Rewind: Making Room for Good, a community charity event benefiting three incredible Alaska organizations:
💙 American Foundation for Su***de Prevention - Alaska Chapter
🐾 Straw For Dogs
🦅 Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center

This isn't just an open house—it's an opportunity to support organizations making a real difference in our community while exploring our new showroom.

Just by attending, you're helping support these organizations. Inspired Closets is donating $500 to each charity, contributing $10 for every completed activity card, $100 for every consultation scheduled, and matching guest donations, up to a total contribution of $3,000.

Stop by anytime between 1:00–4:00 PM to enjoy: ✨ Showroom tours 🍴 Appetizers 🍹 Mocktails 🎶 A fun retro-inspired atmosphere ❤️
Opportunities to support three amazing local charities

Whether you're planning your next home organization project or simply want to support these wonderful organizations, we'd love to see you there.

📍 Inspired Closets Alaska 4111 Minnesota Dr., Suite 100 Anchorage, AK

📅 Saturday, October 3 ⏰ 1:00–4:00 PM

RSVPs are encouraged.
🎟️ Reserve your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/retro-rewind-making-room-for-good-tickets-1998438938662?aff=oddtdtcreator

We can't wait to welcome you to our new showroom!

08/26/2026

08/26/2026

More updates from Kotzebue! This sweet puppy is Princess!

Princess was living underneath a shed for shelter. When we pulled up to deliver her house...She popped out from under the shed to see what all the fuss was about. She was wagging and smiling and seemed to know we were there for her.

Princess was one of the more trusting and friendly dogs we encountered during our outreach. She was happy to get love, pets, and treats...and to pose pretty for pictures! She seemed very proud to have an insulated dog house of her own.

Her family was very grateful! The next day, when we came back to give her vaccines, we saw they had moved her house to a nice, grassy area with some protection from the wind.

More stories from Kotzebue to follow.

Thank you to VCA CHARITIES for sponsoring/funding this entire weekend! 44 dog houses, straw, vaccines, collars, tie-outs, and treats!

08/25/2026

We were checking the Ruby Marine page to see how the dog house shipments were coming along, and I saw this pretty picture of the barge out on the river.

When I looked a little bit closer, I saw all these little brown squares... which are some of our little soldiers (insulated dog houses) on their way out to provide protection and shelter to the dogs who live outside along the rivers!

Thank you, Ruby Marine and Lotto Alaska for making our RIVER PROJECT happen every year since 2024! We are incredibly grateful to both of you for helping us help the pups who need it!

08/23/2026

Nick is in Kotzebue representing Straw For Dogs with VCA CHARITIES and their volunteers who flew up from out of state, Royal Canin, and KeepingFinn. They are building/placing 44 insulated dog houses and straw, vaccinating pets, and distributing dog food donated by Royal Canin.

The weather has been pretty bad: cold, raining, etc. But these animal lovers are out there getting shelters, shots, and food to the dogs who need them.

KeepingFinn was kind enough to send reels, which I have no idea how to post, but here are pictures to give you an idea of their progress.

This outreach was funded by VCA CHARITIES! Big thank you to them and thank you to everyone who made this possible. We wish we could do this in every rural community. We know all of them need it. This has been a pretty big project. Those of you who are familiar with rural Alaska understand the logistics challenges of shipping everything in advance to be ready when the volunteers arrive.

08/21/2026

Aren't these 2 just the cutest little babies! This is Medusa with her old and new dog houses, and brother Ollie photo-bombed her before picture! Look at the side-eye Medusa seems to be giving Ollie!

Medusa and her brother Corree (featured earlier on our page) both had houses, but as you can see, they left a lot to be desired. Corree got his house a couple of weeks ago. This is Medusa with her new insulated house! (That right front corner is not quite on right....those dang roofs require a little TLC to get them on properly).

These puppers live in a rural community in Western Alaska that was affected by Typhoon Halong. They are among the lucky dogs who DO NOT LIVE OUTSIDE 24/7, but they do spend a significant amount of time outside because THEY WANT TO.

This is how we WISH it were for all dogs! Dogs are not meant to live outside, all alone, tied to a box. They need companionship, they need time with their people, and sometimes they need to get out of the weather.

Thank you to ASPCA for funding this house for Medusa. Thank you to Lynden Air Cargo and Ryan Air, INC. for getting this house all the way out to her village.

If you have a dog who needs an insulated dog house and straw OR if you would like to support our mission to help these dogs please go to www.strawfordogs.org