Something good is coming
We raise the money.
Rescues save the dogs.
Velvet Hippo is a new nonprofit bankrolling vetted, foster-based rescues saving the dogs the world counts out. We're building something the rescue world has needed for a long time. We're almost ready.
velvet hippo (n.)
- A pit bull, according to the people who actually know one.
- Any dog the world got wrong.
The rescue world is funded like a bake sale.
The people doing the hardest work, saving the least-wanted dogs, spend half their lives begging for the money to do the other half.
We fix that.
Get the scoop
The Velvet Hippo is our weekly email about dogs the world got wrong and the people getting them right. Sharp, short, occasionally sappy. Free, always. And when Velvet Hippo officially launches, you'll be first through the door.
No spam. No sad piano music. Unsubscribe anytime.
Velvet Hippo is currently awaiting 501(c)(3) tax-exempt determination from the IRS. We are not yet accepting donations or memberships. Programs launch upon confirmation of status.
Here's what's coming.
The Block Party
A monthly membership that pools into direct grants for vetted rescues. Every grant published. No mystery math.
Sponsor a Hippo
Pick a specific long-stay dog. 75% straight to their rescue. Updates from your dog until the day they go home.
Block Grants
Direct funding for the rescues saving the hardest dogs. Vetted by an operator. Results published.
None of these are live yet. That's what the waiting list is for.
The woman building this has done your rescue's job.
Meredith Trout. Ten years inside dog rescue. Vet clinic. Foster networks. Co-founded a rescue that placed 700 dogs in its first year with no building and no budget worth mentioning. She knows which rescues do the work. She's building the machine to fund them.
Be here when it opens.
The dogs can't wait forever. Fortunately, you won't have to either.