The Dog Father of Harlem - Brian Taylor created The Pup Relief Tour in 2020 to help pet parents who are in need financially during the pandemic. He took 63 black groomers across America to groom 863 pups Pro Bono. He traveled across the country and stopped in 7 cities so far. He knows the pandemic is not over and there are people who still need help. He has recruited some good groomers to go on another journey to groom more pups. His mission is to bring people closer through the love of pups. His groomer pals are off to another adventure July 26th to Philly, Orlando, Birmingham, Fort Wayne, and Vegas. Their mission is to groom as many pups as they can.
Tour Stop 1 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Operation Philly Cheesesteak
Location: Stylish Pooch (Philadelphia) - (734 Chester Pike, Prospect Park, PA 19076)
Dates: July 26th & 27th
Business Owner: Rahanna Gray
Rahanna is a Black business owner in Philadelphia. She is the head of Stylish Pooch. She has been a groomer for 9 years and started her business offering pet grooming services in a RV. Rahanna experienced many mechanical setbacks with the RV and was fortunate to be featured on Queer Eye on Netflix. The feature raised awareness of all the great work she does to her community. She does community events and gives back to pet parents who are in need of grooming services. She decided to join The Pup Relief Tour to give back to the community in Philly. Our event is scheduled for July 26th and July 27th in her salon. We have 10 groomers who are scheduled to help her groom 100 pups for free.
Follow the Stylish Pooch on Instagram
Tour Stop 2 ? Orlando, Florida
Operation Paws of Hope
Location: The Paw Shop (Orlando) (401 N Clarke Rd, Ocoee, FL 34761)
Dates: July 29th & 30th
Business Owner: Lashonda Geffrard
Lashonda is a Black business owner in Orlando. She and her husband run a dog grooming salon called the Paw Shop in Orlando. She opened her salon in 2015 and started a Non-Profit called Paws of Hope. Her mission is to help pet parents have access to dog food, leashes, collars, and vaccine services in the community. She could not continue her mission last year due to the pandemic and she was excited to join forces with Pup Relief Tour to offer dog grooming services, in addition to all the wonderful services her nonprofit offers. Our Date for the tour stop is July 29th & 30th. We plan to groom over 100 pups.
Follow the Paw Shop on Instagram
Tour Stop 3 ? Birmingham, Alabama
Operation - Act of Service
Location: Beautiful Barks LLC (1832 Bessemer Road, Birmingham, Alabama 35208)
Dates: August 1st & 2nd
Business Owner: Octavian Walls
Octavian is a Black business owner in Birmingham, Alabama. He has been in business for over 11 years and has faced challenges as not only a business owner but also a member of the LGBTQ community. Despite the adversities, he remains a strong business owner who loves his clients and believes in great service. Over the years, he has still been able to maintain a high quality of service and loves to give back to his community. He decided to join the tour because he felt that it was important to inspire equality. On August 1st & 2nd we are going to groom 100 dogs.
Follow the Beautiful Barks LLC on Instagram
Tour Stop 4 ? Fort Wayne, Indiana
Operation Kandi Kutz is Open
Location: Kandi Kutz (3213 North Anthony Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN 46805)
Dates: August 4th & 5th
Business Owner: Candice Lewis
Kandi is a Black business owner in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is proud to be the owner of the first female Black-Owned pet grooming salon in the state of Indiana. Kandi is a single mother of two who goes above and beyond for her clients and her family. She has been grooming for over 10 years. Last year, during the pandemic, she took a leap of faith and did house calls while most salons were closed. She packed up her gear and groomed the pups in garages and backyards to help pet parents in need and to make a living. One year later, we are going to help celebrate her grand opening of her new salon by grooming 100 pups on August 4th and 5th for the community of Fort Wayne who she loves dearly.
Follow Kandi Kutz Salon on Instagram
Tour Stop 5 ? Las Vegas, Nevada
Operation StreetDogz
Location: Whitney Senior Center (5712 East Missouri Ave, Las Vegas 89122)
Dates: August 7th - 8th
Volunteer: Brandy Glasgow
Brandy is a semi-retired groomer who now does in-home grooming for dogs with behavior and medical issues. She volunteers with Street Dogz to offer free grooming services for pet owners experiencing homelessness and those struggling financially at monthly events held by the Nevada Homeless Alliance and the Care Complex. She has also worked with Nevada Voters for Animals on cruelty cases and to help owners in need. However, there are still way too many pets that need help. She is ecstatic to have the Pup Relief Tour bring 15 groomers from across the country to Las Vegas to provide free grooming services August 7th & 8th along with free pet food and supplies provided by Street Dogz.
Brian Taylor | Founder | 732-207-6244
The Pandemic Pup Relief Tour
?Bringing us closer together through the love of pups!?
Donate here: Please Support Our Cause
Website: Puprelieftour.com
Instagram: PupReliefTour
Ryan?s Pet Supplies will be assisting the Pup Relief Tour by helping to build a pop-up store in Las Vegas, Nevada for their tour dates on August 7th & 8th. We are excited to help celebrate black business owners & groomers while also assisting our community while the pandemic continues across America. It is our mission to take care of people who take care of pets and we are excited to help pet parents and fur babies in need!