My name is John Ross, and I am the founder of Pupalito. I have spent more than 20 years in non-profit management with an emphasis on humane relocation.

You could say became involved in animal welfare the hard way! Many years ago, my family decided that adopting a dog was a great idea, so we visited a shelter on a Sunday. There were so many dogs that needed homes, it was hard to bring home just one. On Tuesday, I couldn’t stop thinking about all those homeless animals, so I went back to the shelter. I was surprised to see that there was not a single pet left in the place. When I asked the officer if all of the pets were adopted, he wouldn’t answer me and was quick to walk away; so I decided to do some research. It wasn’t easy to find, but this shelter killed almost 85% of the animals that it took in.

I had no idea there were places that kill over 85 percent of stray animals. It almost seemed like all this killing was a deep, dark secret that was hidden from the public while they held themselves out as “humane heroes” and even had a wall full of awards from industry organizations! When I found that millions of shelter pets in the United States are euthanized (killed) every year, I knew that I needed to help them find love. I quit my job soon after this experience and decided that my dad was right. He said, “You can be part of the solution or part of the problem.” So, I decided to be part of the solution, and have been looking for it ever since.

I founded Pupalito because I believe there is a more sustainable solution to animal homelessness and euthanasia. By “flipping the script” on animal welfare business, we can save the lives of thousands of animals. And that’s what I intend to do.