How These Rock ‘n’ Roll Roadies are Saving Shelter Pets from Euthanasia

Paul Thomas founder of Roadies and Rescues

What do you get when you combine a van, seasoned roadies, and hundreds of shelter pets looking for a new home? You get Roadies and Rescues, the transportation non-profit helping to relocate shelter pets up and down the West Coast!

Many folks know Paul Thomas as Bottom of the Hill’s head engineer, where he’s been optimizing your sonic experience since 2006. Outside of work, he’s busy with the non-profit he co-founded, Roadies and Rescues, the transport system helmed by roadies saving shelter animals from certain death.

Z is also a member of Roadies and Rescues and helps save shelter pets

Like many things, Roadies and Rescues was conceived and brought forth during the COVID pandemic. Professional roadies like Paul saw the touring industry grind to a halt and suddenly found themselves with a lot of time on their hands, what with no gigs and no long drives between locations.

Roadies and Rescues volunteer, Bryan Lovett, helps takes dogs to safety

Going to the Dogs

As a volunteer at Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Rescue, Paul was familiar with the power of dog kisses and wanted to do something to help uplift unemployed touring professionals and give them something to get involved with and something they could continue to do after the pandemic. And that thing was Roadies and Rescues, a non-profit transport program relocating hundreds of shelter animals who are facing euthanasia due to overcrowding. By working with recuse organizations in other states not experiencing overpopulation issues, these road warriors ferry animals to places where they don’t face the threat of euthanasia and have a better chance of finding a place to call home.

Roadies and Rescues officially launched as a 501c3 Second Chance Pet Rescue, no less, just as the first round of COVID vaccines began rolling out. Even though life was beginning to pick back up again, the need for their services has not stopped. Once rescue groups up and down the West Coast heard about them, their phones have been ringing off the hook. In their first and a half year alone, Paul clocked over 50,000 miles on the two vans he owns for his sound engineering company. 

How to Lend a Helping Hand (or Paw)

As THE taxi service for shelter pets, Roadies and Rescues has traveled as far North as Seattle and as far south as Riverside County, California. However, being the shuttle service for at-need pets isn’t a cheap enterprise. With over 50,000 miles covered in their first year and a half alone, running costs are steep. What with gas, vehicle maintenance, pet food, and hotel rooms for overnight runs, and it takes some serious money to make sure things don’t go to the dogs (I’m sorry, I had to). 

That’s where you come in! If you’d like to help ensure Roadies and Rescues can keep doing what they do best, check out their GoFundMe and consider donating yourself. No amount is too small, and you’ll make a world of difference to the animals they save.