Meet Kayla Pippin of Honoring Hope and Faith Rescue

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Pippin.

Kayla, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Northwood, my German shepherd mix was my first rescue who I found on my street at only 6 weeks old, dirty, full of worms and exhausted. Living in the Heights it was common to see strays on our streets and I knew I had to somehow get involved. In November 2014, I was following Melrose Park Neglected Dogs and they needed a foster for a dog they found kicked in the ribs, flea infested and strangled by a collar that was on too tight. His name was Christian and he was being boarded at a vet office until a foster could be found. I decided I wanted to give fostering a try and it was the best decision I have ever made. After he got adopted, I realized I had a passion for saving dogs and continued to foster for the rescue. I became a part of the management team in no time where I began processing all of the adoption applications and hosted adoption events on the weekends. After a year and a half, I decided it was time to take my rescue journey to the next level. Cindy Harris, Stephanie Mashburn and I resigned from the current rescue and launched Honoring Hope and Faith Rescue, Inc. in June 2016. We have currently been in business about a year and a half and have over 100 fosters working with us and approximately 65 available dogs in the rescue. We have weekend adoption events in Cypress, Sugar Land, Heights and Humble on a regular basis. 100% of our funds are through individual donations, grants and fundraisers.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not much in the rescue world goes smooth but I am happy to say I have an amazing team that I work with every day and we keep each other going. In rescue you constantly deal with medical and vet issues, fosters giving up their dogs, adopters returning dogs, emergencies and the list goes on. The number one struggle is of course always money. Relying on donations to pay for all of our medical needs, vetting, and boarding expenses can be tough. There are a lot of animal rescues in Houston, so qualifying for grants can be even tougher.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Mission Statement: Honoring Hope and Faith Rescue, Inc. (HHFR) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all breed dog rescue committed to saving the lives of the abused, abandoned, neglected and forgotten. We are a volunteer-based foster program that is dedicated to finding happy and forever homes for our rescued dogs. We rely 100% on donations to provide monetary support for boarding expenses, vet and medical care and operational support. Help us make a difference in a deserving dog’s life.

I think our team is what sets us apart. Having a career in marketing, I bring a creative/design skill set to our rescue when it comes to events, fundraising, creating flyers, social media and managing our website. Stephanie is an accountant so she is able to not only manage our funds but also does our taxes and assist with grant applications. Cindy is a court reporter so her career offers her the flexibility to be on call for the fosters and handle all of our new intakes.

I am most proud of how quickly the rescue grew and was able to take on as many dogs as we have in such a short amount of time without any major donors or grant money. Since inception we have rescued over 325 dogs.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Unfortunately, Houston has one of the worst stray dog problems I have ever seen. There is a huge need in Houston for stricter laws on animal abuse and backyard breeding. There also needs to be more media attention to encourage people to adopt from shelters and rescues vs. going through a breeder. There is also a serious lack of education on the importance of spay/neuter and what places offer affordable services.

Contact Info:

• Address: Mailing only: (We do not have a facility)
  3375 Westpark Dr #341
  Houston, TX 77005
• Website: www.hhfrescue.org
• Phone: 866-774-4673
• Email: hhfrescue@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/hhfrescue
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/hhfrescue
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/hhf_rescue

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