Paws on Patrol Stratford brought their third annual Pet Pantry Drive to Klomps Home and Garden

The Paws on Patrol Stratford team, from left to right, includes Julia Rachuk, Drew Scherbarth, Paige Knechtel, Tyler Jouwsma and Andrew Scanlon.

The Winter Paws Holiday Market aimed to meet the growing demand for pet food and supplies over the weekend.

Last weekend, Tyler Jouwsma, owner and founder of Paws on Patrol Stratford, hosted the business’ third annual Pet Pantry Drive at Klomps Home and Garden. The event raised food and supplies for pets in need while featuring local vendors selling their wares.

“It’s a hybrid between a pet-friendly market and a fundraiser. All donations are shared between Stratford House of Blessing, local churches and the Pet Pantry Drive,” said Jouwsma. “Market vendors keep all proceeds from their sales, making it a win-win-win for the community.” 

Jouwsma said that since starting his mobile pet nail and trimming business three years ago, he noticed a growing need for pet necessities, with the challenge worsening due to current financial pressures. 

“We started this drive to raise donations for our pet pantry through my company, Paws on Patrol Stratford,” said Jouwsma. “We saw that a lot of families in the community were struggling to provide basic pet food and necessities. To help keep animals off the street and out of shelters, this felt like the most sustainable, cost-effective and proactive way to support them.”

Jouwsma hopes to expand on the success of the last drive, which raised more than 5,000 pounds of pet food and essentials.

“Every year, we focus on running this market with different local businesses and supporting the community,” Jouwsma said. “The first two markets were Christmas-focused, but when Klomps reached out, they couldn’t host it in December, so we moved it to January.” 

Paws on Patrol Stratford is a mobile pet service that works with animals experiencing anxiety, PTSD and fear-based reactivity. Jouwsma tries to reduce those symptoms by serving pets' needs in the comfort of their own homes.

“Pets are a therapy for us too, and it pains me to see animals suffering because they don’t have a voice. I’d love to raise more awareness, so people show more compassion for animals. A lot of pets and people are struggling, and often we don’t even know it.”