Draper Therapies’ Draped in Health Blankets Help Homeless Dogs

Hi all,

We’ve been running our Draped in Health campaign for quite a few years now, but for me it never gets old. Below is an updated version of how and why the Draped in Health Blanket project pivoted to help Beastly Rescue.

Draper Therapies operates under several core values – we’ve made it our mission to bring practical, durable, and high quality therapeutic products to the market that maintain the quality that Draper Knitting Company itself has been able to bring to the textile industry for 150+ years. Another of Draper’s core values is giving back to the community – the physical community local to our office in Canton, MA, but also the equine and canine communities.

One of the best feelings in the world is being able to give a little of whatever you have back to those who need it most. Whether it’s money, time spent volunteering, or material goods you have a surplus of, there is always someone out there who desperately needs it! For several years, Draper Therapies had been producing Draped in Health Blankets (DIH). The idea behind the development of the DIH Blankets was simple: we wanted to create a product that used up extra fiber we had at our textile mill and give back to a cause that was important to us but also related to our customers in some way. And so the DIH Blanket was born. The fiber that is used to make the fabric for these blankets would otherwise be considered scrap or waste which means that by re-purposing it, we’re able to keep it out of a landfill. Even better, 50% of the purchase price of each blanket sold was donated to the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, a place dedicated to cancer research, testing of new therapies, and patient education.

While cancer research is still a cause we believe in, as a group we felt it was time for a change. Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about animal rescue, particularly senior and stigmatized breeds, so finding a new cause to champion was easy!

In the summer of 2017, a new member of my family was added. Clementine – formerly Kisses, dog number # A1115680 of the New York Animal Care and Control Center (NYACC) in Manhattan – came home on July 3rd. She was one of the lucky ones as her stay at the ACC was short. Less than a week after being surrendered by her owner, Clementine took her freedom ride to a foster home as the newest member of Beastly Rescue’s adoptables. Quite literally as soon as she was in Beastly’s care I inquired on her, and the rest is history.

Clementine settled quickly into my pack. She had very few teeth so her tongue protrudes giving her the best smile. She instantly befriended my wild and mischievous puppy Roo Frank. Clem was older (somewhere between 9-15 years old) and Roo was almost a year old. They seemed unlikely friends, yet they wrestled, chased, and snuggled as if they have always been together. Clem has shown us that age really is a number and that senior dogs have so very much to offer people who open their hearts and homes to them.

In October 2019, we welcomed Eddie, another NYC and Beastly alumni with pug myelopathy to our pack. Though he faced mobility challenges, Eddie was a integral part of our pack – rides in the car and naps in the kitchen being his favorite activities. He even did some modeling for Draper in his wheels!

Clementine passed peacefully after a short bout of cancer in late January 2020. Our best guess is she was between 16-19 years old. Eddie passed not long after in March 2020 after his health began to decline.

Beastly Rescue is one of my favorite rescues not only because they brought Clementine and Eddie to my family, but also because of the amazing work they do. While they do accept owner surrenders, the seven woman team work tirelessly to pull as many sick, injured, or needy homeless dogs from the NYACC as they can. Once pulled, the dogs are vetted and then go to foster homes while they await adoption.

You might be asking yourself “But why THIS rescue? There are so many!”. To answer that question, simply visit the NYACC in either Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Staten Island. Better yet, spend a little time scrolling through their super urgents list. They are literally full of dogs – senior dogs, stray dogs, injured/sick dogs, dogs in need of training or guidance…dogs who became a burden on their owners for whatever reason and so, like property, were relinquished. Dogs on the super urgent list are waiting for a rescue, like Beastly, to pull them before their time runs out because, unlike many shelters, the NYACC is NOT a no kill shelter. This means that they can euthanize dogs for a number reasons (space, minor/major health issues, behavioral problems). By donating to Beastly, we might be helping a few of those faces make it out of the shelter and into loving homes before their time is up.

Beastly Rescue is a 501(c)(3), so it relies on volunteers and donations to keep running. Draper Therapies is committed to helping Beastly Rescue fight the good fight against animal homelessness and continue to help dogs who are down on their luck at the NYACC. We will be donating half of the profits from sales of our Draper in Health Blankets directly to Beastly Rescue.

The Draped in Health Blankets (DIH) are the only blankets we offer in colors (charcoal with either a clementine, gold, melon, or sea foam design) and make a fantastic gift for virtually anyone on your list – parents, siblings, friends, trainer, boss, hostess gift, Yankee swap gift, or for your best furry friend! The DIH blankets have all the therapeutic benefits of Celliant® and can be used as a throw on a couch, bed, or in the car. Both the giver and receiver will feel good knowing that they helped support Beastly Rescue (and because they’re now snuggling with Celliant!).

We’re also offering FREE SHIPPING on any orders containing a DIH Blanket. Use coupon code BEASTLY at checkout! (Note: This coupon CAN be combined with other offers!)

I know this year has been a lot in every sense of the word. It’s easy to feel pulled in every direction by any number of worthy causes. But this year, when you’re considering gift ideas, consider our DIH blankets twice. The senior dogs you help save will thank you.

-Becky, Draper Therapies manager