Scottsdale City Lifestyle featured Blake and Johnjay “JJ” Van Es in its Kids & Pets Issue, where Blake shared 10 things people might not know about #LovePup Foundation, from how the rescue started to raising three sons alongside five rescue dogs.
Blake pointed to the foundation’s more than 350 volunteers as the heartbeat behind #LovePup, which has helped over 1,500 rescue dogs find forever homes at a pace of about 125 adoptions a year.
10 Things You Might Not Know About #LovePup
- LovePup wasn’t part of the plan — it started when a listener called Johnjay’s radio show asking for help with a stray Chihuahua, and word simply kept spreading from there.
- One of their first rescues, a pittie puppy named Gabby who needed a leg amputated after being found injured, now lives with a family in Flagstaff who Blake still keeps in touch with.
- Rescue takes more than good intentions — it takes patience for dogs with behavior problems, faith through major medical issues, and love for the ones who are simply scared.
- Some rescues stay with you forever, like the case of five mastiffs near a canal that grew into caring for nearly 40 of them and finding homes for all but one.
- The hardest part of the work isn’t rescuing the dogs — it’s maintaining volunteers and raising money.
- Blake and Johnjay’s three sons grew up with rescue dogs sleeping in their beds, and helping care for them taught the boys compassion for every creature in need.
- Their house may look chaotic from the outside, but they protect family meals and real vacations to stay fully present with their kids.
- #LovePup’s more than 350 volunteers are its heartbeat, quietly walking dogs, cleaning kennels, and comforting nervous pups behind every happy adoption photo.
- Watching a family fall in love with their new #LovePup dog makes all the hard days worth it.
- #LovePup has placed more than 1,500 dogs at about 125 adoptions a year, and Blake says the proudest part isn’t a number — it’s a shelter that feels good to everyone in it.
Read the full story at City Lifestyle.