Project POOCH: The Dogs and Young People Behind Every Purchase
Project POOCH: The Dogs and Young People Behind Every Purchase
What is Project POOCH?
Project POOCH is a non-profit organization based in Oregon that does something simple and profound: it pairs youth in the juvenile justice system with shelter dogs who need a second chance.
The young people — participants in youth correctional facilities — learn to care for and train dogs whose behavior has made them hard to adopt. Over weeks and months, they work with the animals, teaching them basic commands, socialization skills, and the kind of calm trust that turns a scared or reactive dog into someone's beloved pet.
How it works
Youth enrolled in the program learn real vocational skills: animal handling, positive reinforcement training techniques, patience, and consistency. These aren't abstract lessons — they show up every day and are responsible for a living thing that depends on them. That responsibility changes people.
For the dogs, the benefit is equally concrete. Animals who arrive fearful, under-socialized, or difficult to handle leave the program significantly more adoptable. Many go on to find permanent homes that might never have been possible without the work done by program participants.
A second chance for both
That's the heart of what Project POOCH does: it provides a second chance simultaneously. A dog that might otherwise be passed over or euthanized gets a future. A young person navigating one of the hardest periods of their life gets skills, purpose, and a relationship built on trust and consistency.
The dogs don't judge. They just respond to patience and kindness. That turns out to be exactly what a lot of young people in crisis need.
How Scratch Treats supports Project POOCH
A portion of every Scratch Treats kit sold goes directly to Project POOCH. It's not a complicated formula or a seasonal campaign — it's built into how we operate. Every time someone buys a kit, bakes a batch, and watches their dog go absolutely wild for a fresh-baked treat, some of that purchase goes toward funding the work Project POOCH does in Oregon.
We chose Project POOCH because their mission reflects something we believe deeply: that second chances matter, and that the bond between dogs and the people who care for them is something worth investing in.
To learn more about Project POOCH, donate, or get involved, visit pooch.org.