STRACHAN STRAYS INC.
WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA

Who We Are at Strachan Strays Over the past seven years Kate and I have moved all over North America, as I’ve been lucky enough to realize my dream of playing professional hockey. While playing for the St. Louis Blues, we met David and Kelly Backes. Now two of our best friends, their impact on us could not be overstated. Up until that point I have to admit that although our passion for animals was there, we were still naïve to the realities of the pet industry. In St. Louis we saw how terribly animals were mistreated at puppy mills, how stray and abused dogs were forced to live their lives, and how amazing the people are who dedicate their lives to fixing this epidemic problem. We became involved with two no-kill shelters in the area, Five Acres Animal Shelter, and Stray Rescue of St Louis. While volunteering with Five Acres, Kate and Kelly Backes went on a rescue mission to a local puppy mill. They brought home 32 dogs, and we decided to foster an American Bulldog that we named Bowser. He was a little over a year old, and had never been out of his cage. At first he couldn’t even walk up stairs. Bowser quickly became a part of our family. After having him for just over a month, Bowser passed away suddenly. He collapsed one day while on a walk. After performing the autopsy, the veterinarian found that Bowser had the worst case of heartworm he had ever seen. Heartworm is easily preventable, but in an effort to save money, puppy mills won’t give their dogs the medication necessary to prevent it. Bowser passed away because a breeder wanted to save a few dollars. We had him cremated and bring his ashes with us wherever we go. He was only in our life for a short time, but our experience with him taught us so much. He is always with us, and he is a driving force for what we do. We were worried about a puppy and a newborn in our house at the same time, and it is crazy to me that we ever spent time worrying. Right from the start, he was very protective of Laina while she was pregnant. Following her around, sleeping at her feet, snuggling on her belly. From the minute we brought our daughter, Avery, home – they were best friends. Oakley has shown more love to Avery than we ever thought possible. Whether it be showering her with kisses every chance he gets, playing tug-a-war with his toys that she steals from him, making sure she is okay when she falls down, and alerting one of us when she is crying or awake – they are best friends. It is so special to see them grow up together and get along so well. Our life is truly changed for the better and we cannot imagine our lives without Oakley in it. OUR MISSION At Strachan Strays we are passionate about promoting pet adoption from a network of responsible no-kill shelters throughout the United States. Our goal is to raise awareness and educate individuals on how they can make a difference in the fight to end pet homelessness. Hershey Bears hockey players visited with some of the awesome dogs at Pitties.Love.Peace. These featured pups have been in the foster system for far to long and need to find forever homes soon. Please help us share their story and get these guys home! We are always happy to answer any questions that you may regarding the adoption of dogs. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments or concerns you have about the adoption process.