A few days ago a friend of my dad introduced us to Yvonneka’s Foundation, aka Puppy Paradise, which is a non-profit and no-kill dog sanctuary. And, of course, we had to go visit it.
What I was expecting was a few dozen kennels, all lined up, with barking, or depressed, or uncontrolled dogs. But, what actually ended up being true was the complete opposite. First of all, as we drove up to the place, it didn’t look like we came up to a dog sanctuary, but rather to someone’s home. There was a big brown garage-type door, and behind it you could see a house. As we walked in, we had to go a little further, to a second door, and behind it I heard lots of barking. Once again, I was expecting kennels. But, as that second door opened, dozens and dozens of dogs came out, all barking curiously, sniffing me, some even jumping on me! Also, they were all happy, with their tails beating back and forth, and their large (though some small) faces smiling ear to ear. The dogs were genuinely happy, and totally free!
As I continued to walk in, the dogs continued to excitedly jump up on me. Though, once they let me be, I got a good look at the yard, and that was a second shock. It was huge! And not only was it really big, but there were beds after beds, dog houses, a little portable obstacle course, a pool simply for the dogs, and a whole wash station. This place really is puppy paradise, and if I were a dog I wouldn’t want to leave!
Now, about this three-story house with the huge yard; it’s actually purely for the dogs, and for them to roam as they like. Though they have all been trained to go potty outdoors or on the roof. In it’s three stories, the floors are decorated with tiles, there is a kitchen where only dog food is served, and fun fact, between the 60 some dogs, 20 kilos of dog food is needed everyday; and there is even some furniture here and there, for Yvonne and the staff to sit with all their furry friends. Not only that, this house was built just for the dogs! Yvonne started rescuing dogs in 2012, but back in 2019 she had been looking to buy property for her sanctuary when she found this place, which she thought was the perfect place, so she bought it and they started building in 2020, and it’s still a work in progress. One of the things they are working on is building a kitchen on the second floor for people to come visit, so they can provide the guests with drinks and maybe snacks. By the way, guests who come to visit the dogs (of course having coordinated an appointment first) not only to play around with the pooches, but are more than welcome to walk them.
Though you may be wondering how, but more importantly why, is Yvonne putting in the work, dedication, and money for this? Well, Yvonne’s main interests are dogs and dog rescue, and the achievements of her father’s work. Not to change the subject, but Yvonne’s father is Emmerich Kalman, a Hungarian music composer, who was so great at his job that Adolph Hitler had offered him honorary Aryan status to be able to continue writing music. He did not accept that offer, and instead fled to the U.S through Mexico. Yvonne is very passionate about him, and she’s even known as an ambassador of him and his music.
Yvonne loves to spend time with her pups, and has 13 of her own, that she will never give away or adopt out. So, with her love for dogs, and seeing that so many other dogs are homeless, neglected, or treated poorly, she decided she wanted to start a pet, and more specifically a dog, sanctuary. She’s been in PV many years, and says “In those days the city pound would electrocute dogs Friday at 2 pm and sell the bodies to butchers specializing in dog meat. You can imagine as soon as I heard that, I was at the pound every Friday and took all the animals they sold me.” That was only the beginning, and then she created Puppy Paradise, where the dogs are fed, loved, and allowed to roam free. The dogs are only adopted out under the special occasion of finding a perfect home, and most of the dogs she sends to an organization in Seattle called Saving Great Animals. They too, don’t put their dogs in kennels, waiting for them to be adopted. In fact, they get them into foster homes, which are already decided before the dogs even arrive, and from there they wait to be adopted permanently. So, at all times, they are in a great home, with a loving family. Because that’s what Yvonne cares about; pets having a good life, and being cared for at all times. Though they also does more than just the sanctuary, as they socialize shy dogs who have been through previous abuse or trauma, feed cats and dogs on the streets, and even go to schools to teach children about animal care, and the importance of it. But, sometimes it can be difficult, so they’re always taking donations, as that is what they mostly rely on. There are many different causes for donations under Yvonneka Foundation’s website, and you can see them on the main page. Another way they make money is by hosting the annual dinner party at Yvonne's house, which will be taking place on December 11'th this year, and I'm currently working on an article about it. I will get it out to my readers as fast as I can!
Yvonneka's Foundation Facebook
Yvonneka's Phone Number: +1 310 880 4330