About Us

The Mack and Mowgli Project was created by twin sisters, Brie and Jenny, in June 2015. It all started when they visited a Los Angeles city animal shelter and were shocked to see that although all the kennels were filled with dogs, very few of them had toys to play with or blankets to lie on. The kennels were bare and the dogs sat there staring into space: depressed, bored and desperate for any form of entertainment or interaction with others. The play yards were empty as well and all staff either seemed to be behind a desk or cleaning kennels. Pushing to learn more, Jenny and Brie spoke with the supervisor who expressed his shared disappointment regarding the environment in which these dogs live in. The shelter was full, understaffed, under-funded and needed more volunteers. The dogs rarely got out for a walk or play time, maybe once every couple weeks to a month. He explained that blankets, toys, beds, treats, etc. were not in the budget but that they would happily pass any donated items out to the dogs.

Jenny and Brie walked among the 300 kennels, kneeling down in front of each one and visiting with the dogs. Some were hyper, circling around and jumping up and down, trying to play and have their back or belly scratched, eager to release all of the bottled up energy they had nowhere to put. Others wouldn't even approach the front of the kennel, lying there with their heads down and their eyes hollow, appearing to already have given up hope that they might get adopted or rescued. 

They realized how important it was to enrich the lives of the shelter dogs during their stay and educate the public about the environment in which shelter animals live. Many shelter dogs spend months to years in the shelter (if not euthanized first, as many shelters euthanize dogs after an allotted time due to overcrowding and needing to make more space for incoming dogs). 

Without the mental and physical stimulation, socialization, rehabilitation and training, the dogs become withdrawn and can appear uninterested or unfriendly to potential adopters- ultimately meaning they continue living isolated in the shelter long term or until they are euthanized. 

Jenny and Brie made it their mission to collaborate with fellow minded people in collecting new and used items to bring to the shelter dogs, giving them hope, happiness, comfort and security in their darkest days. They also believed that in working with companies and friends and exposing the truth about shelter environments and the sweet natured and loving dogs needing homes, they could encourage others to adopt from shelters and move away from breeders and pet shops.