A few years ago – long before we’d even thought about Vancouver garbage can cleaning – my dog Flynn passed away. He was a pure-bred Irish Setter – incredible considering I adopted him for two-hundred dollars from a local animal rescue back in 2010.

He was six months old and the shyest – but the best boy – in the entire world. Before I brought him home one of the first things we did together was walk the trails near the shelter with our other setter Gideon. Here is a photo of Flynn all-grown up (mainly because 2010, when I got him, my hair was atrocious).

A few months after Flynn went to that great Dog Park in the Sky, I found myself driving by that same rescue. I thought, “Hey, maybe I’ll stop in, say hi, and walk those same trails I first saw my best-friend.” I had always meant to go back and walk there with him.

I walked in and was immediately struck by a few things. First, there were about 20 employees inside – which felt a bit excessive for a shelter that only had seven dogs. Secondly, the woman at the front counter looked at me like I was completely unhinged for suggesting that I might want to walk around the trails in memory of my dog.

Third, they’d jammed up my inbox with weekly fundraising emails since 2010, when I adopted Flynn. When I started Mr. Can Clean, they were the first I asked to donate $1 per can cleaning to (this was before we linked up with the beautiful, the benevolent, the wonderful and the amazing North Shore Black Bear Society.) They didn’t respond. Amazing, considering how many people work there. They must only send e-mails.

The lack of response turned out to be a good thing (for one, we raised over $1500 for the NSBBS) and two, because I wanted to donate to a charity for dogs – not a charity for humans who don’t answer e-mails. No; a charity for dogs, dogs in real need. That’s why Mr. Can Clean’s first fundraiser of the year is for Heart of the Underdog Rescue in Texas.

Heart of the Underdog Rescue was founded in 2020 during the height of COVID by Amber Savarino, who serves as the organization’s founder and president. Amber has been working in rescue and volunteering in high-kill shelters since 2014, and her passion shows in everything the organization does.

They’ve been sending dogs to Canada since 2021 and they are true experts in cross-border adoptions. I know from experience: we adopted our newest boy, Iceberg, from them. It was smooth and stress-free – they handled everything like total pros.

Many of Heart of the Underdog’s dogs come up to the Pacific Northwest – and Canada – thanks to an organization called Millie’s Rescue Rides, who handle the transportation with just as much heart. Speaking of heart, every foster parents who works with Heart of the Underdog Rescue is something special.

“Iceberg was one of my first long-term fosters and I will never forget his sweet face,” says Samantha Salazar, Iceberg’s foster mom. “He opened my eyes to our fostering abilities and now my partner and I have fostered a handful of dogs who have gotten adopted – all because of [Iceberg]. It makes us so happy to see them thrive in their new homes.”

Dogs clearly run in the family: Samantha’s sister, Leslie Pompa, is also deeply involved in rescue work. She runs her own foster operation – who you can follow on Instagram @PomPawsFosters. Leslie was the original foster for Iceberg’s mom and has been a rockstar for fostering dogs – she just hit over 100 dogs and cats fostered in just over a year. Amazing!

So, from now until April 25th, Mr. Can Clean orders through this directly sends:

• $15 from every one-time can cleaning
• $20 for every new subscription sign-up

Our garbage can cleaning service in Vancouver might seem like an odd place to launch a Texas dog rescue fundraiser, but we don’t just clean garbage cans – we care deeply about the things (and animals) that matter. And they made a great impact on MY LIFE – and possibly yours: you can find their adoptable pets page by clicking here to go to their Petfinder page.

Our rates are already way lower than the quality of service we provide because: We Take Pride in Our Work and Charge Like We Don’t™. Our rates are: $45 for a one-time cleaning, $30/month for monthly service, or $25/visit for bi-weekly. In some cases, this fundraiser puts us in the red. But for a group like this, we do it with a smile. Well, we always clean cans with a smile, but we feel extra good about these ones.

If you’ve been thinking about Vancouver garbage can cleaning, now’s the time. You get sparkling pine-fresh smelling cans and a dog in need gets another shot at life.

Thanks for supporting Mr. Can Clean, Vancouver garbage can cleaning, and our mission to give back.