Is Somone Tearin’ Up Your Heart? Let a Furry Friend Return the Favor this Valentine’s Day
For just $5 the RISPCA will help you throw your ex to the dogs.
Photo courtesy of the RISPCA
Many would say there’s nothing more cathartic after a nasty breakup than talking you-know-what with your besties, but the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can do you one better this Valentine’s Day by helping you throw your ex to the dogs — literally. For as little as $5 a pop, the society will add a name of your choice to a heart-shaped toy filled with treats for one of their shelter pups to tear apart. Now that’s a best (furry) friend, for ya.
Photo courtesy of the RISPCA
“My co-workers, Heather and Olivia, came up with this idea after listening to “Tearin’ Up My Heart” by N’SYNC!” says Stephanie Van Patten, RISPCA’S director of community engagement. “They are huge fans so we took the theme and ran with it!”
The light-hearted campaign was inspired by the society’s 2024 “Love Stinks” fundraiser where names were written on scraps of paper and added to the shelter’s litter boxes for the feline residents to, ahem, do their business on. The fundraiser was a tremendous success, receiving donations from all fifty states plus several different countries to raise a total of $8,000 for the care of the shelter’s animals. This year, the society hopes to not just match, but surpass that goal, and give their adoptable dogs a little more love and exposure so they can find a loving home during this season of love. If nothing else, it’s also a great enrichment activity for the pups and allows them to sneak in a few extra treats.
Photo courtesy of the RISPCA
The “Tearing Up My Heart” campaign will run now through Friday, Feb. 14, with suggested donation amounts varying from $5 per name (though Van Patten points out it does not have to be an ex or even a person — “It can be anything that you want to see “torn apart,” like childhood cancer, depression or animal cruelty, just to name a few,” she says), to $25 for a a name plus a short video or $50 for five names and a video. Or, for $100 you can choose which N’SNIFF pup you’d like to do the tearing. To participate, you can head to web.charityengine.net/TearingUpMyHeart. For more information about RISPCA and their adoptable animals, visit rispca.org and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for weekly updates.
