Animal Welfare Professionals

As a municipal shelter we have a maximum dollar amount that we can spend with a vendor per year and have reached that with our current supplies/food vendor that we use to support our intake diversion and foster programs.
We're in need of additional online retailers that sell things like:

• crates
• adult cat/dog food
• kitten/puppy food
• kitten /puppy formula
• collars
• puppy pads, etc.,

However they must accept purchase orders. I've already contacted a handful of stores (like Chewy, Walmart and smaller retailers) and they will not accept purchase orders. Has anyone else had success with retailers accepting purchase orders?  Any suggestions would be a huge help! Thanks! 


#CommunityPartnerships*

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Marissa Johnston
Harris County Pets
Houston, TX
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We face those same challenges here too. I was able to get a purchasing card from the city with a $2500 monthly limit- could you ask your finance division if that is an option? That is what I use to order cat litter through Chewy.

For pet food, puppy pads, etc., we partner with a locally owned grocery store chain to place orders and pay by ACH/ purchase order, so if you have anything locally owned in your area I would ask them. Same for a locally owned pet store- we have a company here called Hollywood Feed that will bill us. Tractor Supply has also been willing to create an invoice for us and then we then have a check cut.


In terms of national vendors, ACES takes purchase orders, and I got a bunch of miracle nipples from a retailer called Henry's Healthy Pets and they do a pay be check option where once they receive payment, they ship out.

If I think of more I'll let you know!

Of course amazon wish lists to get folks to donate needed items is always great and then you don't have to worry! We do a "kitten shower" every Spring, like a baby shower, and ask people to order KMR, miracle nipples, warming discs scales, etc and then either have them shipped here bring them to our little shower party with cookies and punch etc. We get almost our entire annual supply that way!

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Alexis Pugh
Director, Memphis Animal Services
www.memphisanimalservices.com

Organizational Management
& Pet Support Services Specialist
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Thank you for your suggestions!!

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Marissa Johnston
Harris County Pets
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-20-2021 03:19 PM
From: Alexis Pugh
Subject: Animal Food/Care Supplies - Purchase Orders

We face those same challenges here too. I was able to get a purchasing card from the city with a $2500 monthly limit- could you ask your finance division if that is an option? That is what I use to order cat litter through Chewy.

For pet food, puppy pads, etc., we partner with a locally owned grocery store chain to place orders and pay by ACH/ purchase order, so if you have anything locally owned in your area I would ask them. Same for a locally owned pet store- we have a company here called Hollywood Feed that will bill us. Tractor Supply has also been willing to create an invoice for us and then we then have a check cut.


In terms of national vendors, ACES takes purchase orders, and I got a bunch of miracle nipples from a retailer called Henry's Healthy Pets and they do a pay be check option where once they receive payment, they ship out.

If I think of more I'll let you know!

Of course amazon wish lists to get folks to donate needed items is always great and then you don't have to worry! We do a "kitten shower" every Spring, like a baby shower, and ask people to order KMR, miracle nipples, warming discs scales, etc and then either have them shipped here bring them to our little shower party with cookies and punch etc. We get almost our entire annual supply that way!

------------------------------
Alexis Pugh
Director, Memphis Animal Services
www.memphisanimalservices.com

Organizational Management
& Pet Support Services Specialist
------------------------------