Empowering Veterans Through the Love of Dogs

Your friends at Buddys

We believe pets are family.

That’s not just our philosophy, it’s how we live our lives.

Rook — The One-in-a-Million Dog

Sometimes you can find true love in a bar.

That’s what happened to our founder, Sean Downey, during one lazy summer afternoon in 2006. Sean didn’t know it that day, but walking into Lucky Baldwin's in Pasadena and meeting Rook — a six-month-old Australian Shepherd — would change his life forever.

Rook was with his trainer working on his comfort in social settings. He sat at the bar just like a person, off-leash, well mannered, and calmly enjoying the attention of everyone that passed by.

6 weeks later, Sean received a call from the trainer explaining Rook had been given up by his family. Sean knew Rook had actually found his family as he quickly raced to adopt him.

Rook instantly became Sean's "Buddy" — and Sean knew it was his duty to share Rook with the rest of the world. Rook went on to spend over 10 years making weekly visits to nursing homes and youth centers bringing laughs, love, comfort, and joy to everyone who met him.

The team at GOLD LEASH K9 believes there's a little Rook waiting to be found inside every dog — it just takes a match with their perfect pet parent to bring it out.

Helping Others Find Their Rook

We believe that every person's life can benefit and be enriched by the companionship of a "Buddy" like Rook.
We aim to empower the countless Hero Based Organizations whose members can benefit from a well-trained pup.
We know that when a pet parent feels supported, both they and their fur friends thrive.
We understand that support by education, facilitated care, and excellent resources helps to create life long bonds.
Just like Rook, we want to empower people through the love of dogs.

But being a new pet parent often comes with a lot of questions and not many easily available answers. That’s why we focused on ways to make building that bond fun and effective.

Everything is paperless!

Never worry about searching for your bud’s adoption records, shot info, or that slip of paper you wrote the next grooming appointment on.

Resources at your fingertips!

From the best local service providers to new products, great dog parks, and a marketplace of over 9,000 quality items for your bud, we’ve taken the guesswork out of what to do.

Community of pet lovers!

Engage with your fellow pet parents and experience a supportive community there to share achievements and encourage growth

GOLD LEASH K9 started on one simple idea: more dogs like our amazing Rook need help finding their forever home.

Resources and support make all the difference in saving and changing lives. That belief is what has driven us to build out the complete circle of care. We re-envisioning how to give pet parents what they need to lead their team and live a thriving life together with their best bud. And from that, we created The Pawsitive Path Program™.

The Pawsitive Path Program™ is offered through our exclusive partnership with Sierra Delta, a veteran-centric organization utilizing a strengths-based approach to assist veterans as they obtain their life buddy and work to empower themselves.

Focused on training, resources, and support for a lifelong bond, we are proud to introduce People Pets Wellness Program™ and the companion Buddy App!

Through My Buddy’s Marketplace, we offer top name food and products selected by rescue pros and pet experts that are always high quality, natural, and safe for your buddy. Our fulfillment is powered by two of the largest pet store distributors in the United States, which means fast shipping, safe products that haven’t been sitting in a warehouse forever, and 100% satisfaction guaranteed. AND you can designate 5% of every purchase to the animal welfare organization of your choice, every single time you shop!

Now we’ve embarked on a partnership with Sierra Delta, a company dedicated to enabling veterans and dogs to return to their best selves with companionship and community. Focused on training, resources, and support, we are proud to introduce People Pets Wellness Program™ and the companion Buddy App!

“The hours of training, learning how each other operates, and taking steps into the world together have all been completely worth it. Leland has truly helped me get back into the 'normal' world, and has been my tether to healing and moving forward. There is no doubt in my mind that we were meant to be together from day one."

PFC Stefanie Miller on service dog Leland
Learn More

Can’t Adopt?

With Sierra Delta, we provide veterans and their dogs with a complete circle of care for their entire lives, donating a portion of all transactions back to our partners.

Help Save Lives

My Buddy’s Marketplace

Shop for the great products you already trust and love and designate 5% to Sierra Delta or your favorite animal welfare organization

Save While You Help Save!

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