Why We Partnered With RSPCA NSW (And What We Achieved Together)

Four years into building Happy Staffy Co, this is the campaign we're most proud of.

Four years ago, we (Tom and Molly) started Happy Staffy Co for a simple reason: our Staffies destroyed every toy we bought them. So we made better ones.

What we didn't expect was that building a brand around a breed would make us fall even deeper in love with them, and break our hearts a little at the same time.

Because here's something most people don't know. Staffies are one of the most surrendered breeds in Australia. They fill shelters more than almost any other dog. Not because they're bad dogs, but because they're misunderstood.

When we learned that, we knew we had to do something about it.

The campaign

In May, we partnered with RSPCA NSW on the biggest thing we'd ever taken on. The goal: raise $25,000 and help get 100 Staffies into forever homes in 30 days.

We also created four limited edition collector's items, exclusively for the campaign. Things we'd never made before and will never make again. 100% of profits went directly to RSPCA NSW.

We visited the RSPCA NSW shelter in Sydney to film content for the campaign and met a dog called Ghost, a beautiful, goofy Staffy, who had been there for over 500 days. The care and dedication the RSPCA team pour into every single animal, every single day, was something we weren't prepared for.

It made us want to help even more organisations.

Why RSPCA NSW

We had a few people reach out during the campaign to ask why we partnered with RSPCA rather than a smaller rescue. It's a fair question, and one worth answering honestly.

We first met the RSPCA NSW team a few years ago when we were a major sponsor of the Sydney Million Paws Walk. What stood out straight away was their passion and dedication. When we visited their Sydney office recently, we got to see behind the scenes into how they rescue and rehabilitate dogs, and the resources they're able to provide were genuinely impressive.

They have onsite trainers and rehabilitation specialists who work with the rescue dogs and their new families to make sure they settle into home life. After everything some of these dogs have been through, that support matters enormously. Ash, who we met on our visit, follows up with families who've adopted to make sure they have everything they need. There's also an onsite vet, so dogs with serious medical needs can be cared for properly.

And because our goal was to get 100 Staffies adopted in a single month, we felt RSPCA NSW had the reach and the resources to genuinely help us get there.

That said, smaller rescues are close to our hearts too. Over the years we've donated to a number of smaller rescues, and last year we made a large product donation to QLD Am Staff Rescue, who do incredible work and who we've had several conversations with. Other rescues are firmly on our radar, and we have big plans to work with more organisations going forward. If there's a rescue you love, keep tagging them so we can find them.

What we achieved together

Here's what this community made possible:

25 dogs found loving homes
$5,069 donated directly to RSPCA NSW
$3,126 donated through the Rescue Collection merchandise
$6,647 worth of products donated to the shelter

Total blended impact: $14,842

We're so thankful for every single dollar donated, and even prouder of the 25 dogs who've found their forever families. We even had people from the RSPCA NSW team donate to the campaign themselves, because they know firsthand what these donations mean for the animals in their care.