Why We Refuse to Work with Certain Dog Shelters

Sister Ling's No-Kill Shelter

When we started Pawlibar, it was about honoring real dogs. Giving them stories. Letting their lives mean something — even after hardship, even after abandonment.

In fact, this whole idea started because of the shelters.

We’ve only just launched, and right now we’re working with one small, no-kill shelter that we trust completely. But from the very beginning, we knew we wanted to grow — and that meant finding more shelter partners down the road.

So we began visiting shelters, having conversations, and sharing our idea.

We thought the hardest part would be explaining our concept. Turns out, that was the easy part.

The hard part was what we found.


Not All Shelters Are What You’d Expect

First — let me say this: I admire anyone who chooses to help animals. Running a shelter is exhausting, often thankless, and emotionally draining work.

But the truth is, many of the shelters we visited just didn’t meet the basic level of care that we believe dogs deserve.

Some had horrible hygiene conditions. No cleaning. No regular bathing. You could smell the suffering before you even saw it.

In one case, it was so bad that I couldn’t hold it in — I straight-up asked the owner:
“Why are you still keeping these dogs if you’re not going to care for them?”

I had brought a no-kill shelter (the one we currently work with) owner with me that day. She was ready — she wanted to take all of the dogs with her. She couldn’t stand the conditions either.

But the man refused.
He wouldn’t let them go.
Why?

We later found out he might be using the dogs to livestream and sell dog food.
We’re not here to judge anyone’s way of making a living — but if you’re going to use the dogs, the bare minimum is providing them some basic care.


What We Stand For — Our Non-Negotiables

So yeah. We’re picky.

We’re not looking for business partners.
We’re looking for people who care about dogs the same way we do.

Here are the standards we hold — and we’re not compromising on them:

No-Kill Policy
We will only work with shelters that don’t euthanize dogs just because they’re old, disabled, or unwanted. Every life deserves care, not a countdown.

Humane Living Conditions
Dogs must have room to move, clean shelter, fresh air, and basic medical care. No long-term cage confinement. Regular deworming and vaccinations are a must.

No Breeding for Profit
We’ve seen shelters that breed dogs to make money. We do not support this. Mothers should be allowed to rest. Puppies should stay with their moms until they’re ready — emotionally and physically.

Science-Based, Gentle Care
We value socialization, medical attention, playtime, and mental health over rigid obedience. Dogs aren’t robots. They’re emotional beings.

Real Connection with Dogs
We want shelter owners who know their dogs. Who care about their personalities. Who can tell us their stories — because those stories are what we’re honoring through Pawlibar.

A Long-Term Mindset
We’re not just doing a one-time collab. We want updates. We want to build a community. We want to show the world what happened after the dog was rescued.


PawliBar is not "about" dogs. 

At the end of the day, we’re not trying to build a brand “about” dogs.
We’re trying to build a brand with dogs.

That means working with shelters that treat dogs like family — not inventory.

If that’s you, we’d love to talk.

If it’s not, that’s okay too — but we’ll keep looking.

Because PawliBar was never meant to be cute toys for clicks.

It was always meant to be about honoring real lives — and we’re committed to doing that with heart, with honesty, and with partners who feel the same.

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