Sign In

In Memory Of Diesel

May 27, 2020

When Rolette and Josh Warren’s dog, Diesel, needed an expensive operation several years ago, the Binghamton couple couldn’t find any financial help.

They dialed animal rescue organizations as far away as New York City and California, but were turned down by every organization.

“We ran into a lot of roadblocks,” Rolette Warren said.

They handed over their life savings to pay for Diesel’s medical treatment and ultimately lost their home. Diesel could not be saved. Since then, the couple has recovered financially and now run a non-profit organization in Diesel’s memory that helps pet owners with food and other services.

“Our goal is to help be the bridge between the rescues and everybody else that’s trying to do something different within the pet community,” Warren said.

In Memory of Diesel, which received its nonprofit status in 2017, runs a pet food pantry for dog and cat owners in need, as well as help for cremating pets and providing support for their grieving owners. They also donate pet food to local pet rescue organizations, including Every Dogs Dream, Harpers Haven and Pibbles & More.

Future goals of the organization include providing help for emergency veterinary services, pairing people with disabilities and military veterans with service dogs, and rescuing and rehoming dogs from high-kill shelters.

The pet food pantry recently expanded its pet food services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down schools and businesses, and left many people unemployed.

“During this pandemic, we decided to pass out pet food every week rather than twice a month because of the influx of need in the area,” she said.

Since March, when the pandemic started, the organization has given away 1,400 pounds of pet food, Warren said. The goal is to help pet owners make it through tough financial times without having to give up their pets to shelters.

“We believe that you don’t need to surrender them during that time when you’re just down and out for a short period of time,” she said. “We believe everyone should have the opportunity to give their pet a fighting chance to stay with their family.”

Warren knows firsthand how strong the bond can be between pet and human.

“He was a great dog and an escape artist,” she said of Diesel, who was a Siberian Husky. “He was a character. He was the protector of our kids.”

Diesel was an active dog who never slowed down until the day he started getting sick.

“We knew something was wrong because he never acted like a 12-year-old dog. He acted like a puppy,” she said of Diesel.

Diesel was eventually diagnosed with a fungal infection which infected his lungs. He died in November 2014 but he’s not forgotten.

“That’s why we do it,” Warren said. “This is a way to honor his memory.”

Register Your Dog

  • Most Recent News

    Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life

    When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]

    Read more

    Students Get Therapy Dog

    When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]

    Read more

    Therapy Dogtor

    Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]

    Read more

    Therapy Dog Pups

    When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]

    Read more

    Puppy Cams

    A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]

    Read more

    Pet Committee

    When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]

    Read more