Peanut, a rescued mixed breed from the Nevada Humane Society, has raised $57,000 for homeless dogs nationwide using Instagram as a platform.
It all started with a fundraiser in July 2021 where people donated money to guess Peanut’s breeds—a fun competition considering his unique look, which includes floppy, rabbit-like ears and a big snout. In return, participants had the opportunity to win prizes. Thanks to pet DNA testing, Kristen Saibini, marketing manager at Downtown Reno Partnership and Peanut’s owner since she rescued him in 2019, knows the 12 breeds he is mixed with. Although it is primarily chihuahua, dachshund, Shih Tzu, and Samoyed, he also has some border collie and Australian shepherd in him, too.
The fundraiser was a great success and helped to launch Peanut’s page. With 67.2k followers, Peanut is able to fundraise for local and nationwide nonprofits bringing attention to homeless pets, and partner with brands like Nylabone and Meta.
“Sadly, animal welfare is a crisis nationwide,” Saibini says. “According to Best Friend Animal Society, if just 6% more people chose to adopt over buying a dog, the crisis will be over.”
That’s why Peanut and Saibini are dedicated to encouraging adoption throughout Reno—and beyond. They have supported One Love Arizona, Vintage Pugs, and more, plus the duo heavily supports For Pet’s Sake, the first independent dog rescue in Reno, founded by Sara Petersen in 1989. “Over the years they have saved more than 10,000 dogs,” Saibini says. “Their impact is just amazing.”
For Pet’s Sake has carved out a niche as a mostly senior dog rescue, many with medical needs.
Saibini stumbled upon the organization while she was looking for a local outlet for Peanut’s outreach potential. Specifically, she wanted to benefit a local organization for Peanut’s 10th birthday fundraiser. “I ran across a senior dog on Facebook who was blind and was not chosen to go to the local humane society, meaning if she wasn’t saved by a rescue, she’d no longer be with us.” For Pet’s Sake took in the dog and Peanut raised $11,100 for the 501c3 nonprofit in that one fundraiser.
The mission at For Pet’s Sake is to continue to save senior dogs and occasionally other animals (once including a pot-bellied pig). The dogs are housed at Sara’s home and placed in other foster home situations instead of a conventional shelter facility that may not be able to meet the needs of older dogs. Peanut still works with other organizations (inside and outside of Nevada) to raise awareness for homeless dogs and champion the importance of pet adoption.
Available dogs are shared on the organization’s Facebook page, and of course on Peanut’s Instagram (@nutterbutterrescuepupper). The dogs on these City Lifestyle pages are also available for adoption and we encourage you to call For Pet’s Sake to foster or adopt one of them or view their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/forpetssakereno.
If you can’t adopt, there are multiple ways to have a life-saving impact, including fostering, donating, volunteering, or sharing homeless dogs on your social media accounts.
“If just 6% more people chose to adopt over buying a dog, the crisis will be over," -- Kristin Saibini