04/24/2026
A few months back I started cold-calling nonprofits, which if you know me at all, is not exactly my natural habitat. A boss once told me after my first day that she almost didn't hire me because of how awkward I was on the phone. So that gives you a sense of what those calls sounded like.
But one of them led me to Meribeth, the founder of Dogs On Duty right here in Missouri, and I'm really glad I made it.
I expected a dog trainer working out of her home. What I found was a full compound - a training and boarding facility, a nonprofit she's been building for years, and three DMV locations she'd been running for a decade, funneling 75% of those profits back into the mission. Not because anyone asked her to, but because that's just who she is.
This past year Missouri changed its DMV contracting laws and a large corporate group swept in and took captured two of those three contracts she'd held for ten years, wiping out around $200,000 a year in income she'd been using to fund her incredible work.
She's determined to continue regardless, and will find a way as she has since she began this work she is so passionate about.
Dogs on Duty trains and places service dogs, supplies protective gear to K9 officers whose departments can't afford it, and connects therapy dogs with people going through some of the hardest moments of their lives. In the hour I sat with her she shared literally multiple life-saving stories that I'm still thinking about today.
This is exactly who Puzzle Fund was built for - people who are already giving everything and just need a fundraising platform that's genuinely in their corner. If you're leading a nonprofit or know someone who is, I'd love to connect.
Every piece matters. 🧩
We will be doing a puzzle to reveal a new surprise we have for 2026. The donations from the puzzle will be used to buy items needed to get things off on the right paw. Each puzzle piece at the donation of $20 will be entered into a drawing for the opportunity to help with naming one of the surprises...
