Dolly, a 7-year-old black Labrador, is a regular at the DoveLewis blood bank in Portland, Oregon. In fact, she’s one of 94 dogs — and 48 cats — that regularly donate blood to the DoveLewis veterinary hospital.
“[She’s] not crazy about the actual donation, but she gets a treat of baby food after and a toy, so that’s what she’s looking forward to,” dog owner Denise Duncan told Oregon Live, pointing to Dolly’s wagging tail.
Kelsey Reinauer, the DoveLewis blood bank manager, said that donations play a critical role in stabilizing dogs and cats during life-threatening emergencies.
But they could always use more.
“There’s a very large deficit between the need and the supply in veterinary medicine for blood right now,” Reinauer explained. “There’s maybe just a handful of blood banks our size in the United States.”
Reinauer provided a demonstration, drawing a pint of blood from a 2-year-old golden and lab mix named Rocket in less than 10 minutes.
“What I tell owners is, it’s a relationship that we’re going [to] build here,” she said. “I will tell you what I see, if I see stress or nervousness in them, and you tell me how you think they feel, and then we’ll just go from there. More often than not, they keep coming back. They don’t mind it.”
Soon, the donation is done, and Rocket and Dolly both leap off the table, eager for their reward. Kim Laird, Rocket’s owner, recognizes how important this monthly visit has become.
“As people, we don’t necessarily think that animals need blood transfusions, but with critical care for your pet, it’s very important,” Laird said. “This is one way we can give to help dogs across the country.”
If you are interested in signing up your own pet as a blood donor, you can visit We Are The Cure.
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2025 Dogs Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via Sueda Güzeldere / Pexels
