Give a dog a bone – Local restaurant donates used bones to shelter dogs

Firestone’s Kitchen, attached to Gordon’s Butcher and Meat Market in the 6800 block of Peach Street, is typically known for their cooking over an open fire right in front of guests.

But to dogs at the ANNA Shelter, they’re the people who dropped off some of the tastiest treats they’ll get — over 60 pounds worth of authentic beef marrow bones.

“Roasted bone marrow is a dish that we serve here at Firestone as a feature and it got really popular. So, we had a need for the bones,” said Martin Firestone, chef and partner at Firestone’s Kitchen.

“A couple regulars that came in, Nicole and PJ, and they saw all of the bones that we were selling to the guests, and they asked, ‘Are you just throwing these bones away?'” said Megan Ott, server and social media manager at Firestone’s Kitchen.

So, the team put their heads together and decided to stockpile two weeks of used bones, and after getting a green light from the ANNA Shelter’s vet, brought the snacks down to the animals at the shelter.

“This is actually the second time they’ve done it, and it’s super cool. I’m all about enrichment and stimulating the dogs while they’re here. It’s great to have an alternative to stuff that we normally do,” said Ruth Thompson, director and founder of the ANNA Shelter.

Thompson and her team usually utilize lick mats and KONG toys filled with peanut butter as a way to keep the dogs engaged and fresh.

But she said the smell and taste of the real thing rather than a toy stimulates the dogs on a whole different level.

“I love it when we get that support back. It’s a win for everybody involved. It’s fun for us and it’s encouraging to see the other people that want to support us,” said Thompson.

“Going in and seeing the work that they actually do is incredible,” said Ott.

“just to see the reaction of the pups and how much they enjoyed it was pretty cool,” added Firestone.

The Firestone’s Kitchen team said they’re going to continue to do this in the future, setting aside any bones they can for donation.

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