DOGRIDES
DogRides Foundation · Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Free rides
for good dogs.

Mission-funded, free rides for fosters, shelters, and any good dogs who need a little extra help getting to safety, care, or home.

Not an emergency service. Availability depends on weather, road conditions, and schedule.

Who this is for

  • Fosters who need help getting dogs to or from the shelter.
  • Shelters and rescues coordinating transfers or medical visits.
  • Older or mobility-limited folks who can’t always manage winter driving with their dogs.
  • Good dogs who just need a safe ride home.

How to reach us

Email: woof@dogrides.org DM @dogridesfoundation on Instagram

Tell us where the dog is, where they need to go, and when. We’ll let you know if we can safely help.

How DogRides works

Simple, calm, and honest. One human, one well-equipped setup, and clear expectations.

  1. You reach out. Email or DM with the dog’s situation: where, when, and why they need a ride.
  2. We look at the route and weather. We only commit if it’s safe, realistic, and doesn’t overpromise.
  3. We set expectations early. You’ll get a time window, pickup/dropoff details, and anything to bring for the dog.
  4. If it’s a fit, we confirm. We’ll coordinate with you (and the shelter/rescue, if involved) so everyone knows the plan.
  5. The ride happens. Kennel-first, calm driving, and clear updates as we go.

Seeing the ride in motion

When it makes sense and everyone’s comfortable, we can share live location so you can see the dog’s progress.

  • Apple: native location sharing (Find My).
  • Google: Maps location sharing.
  • Universal: Glympse or similar link-based tracking.

You’ll always know which option we’re using for a given ride — and you can opt out of live tracking if you’d rather just get a text when we’re close.

When we help

DogRides is best for planned, non-emergency trips where safe transport is the hard part.

  • Foster & shelter trips. Intake, outgoing adoptions, or moving dogs between trusted organizations.
  • Medical & follow-up visits. Non-critical vet visits or rechecks that are hard to reach without a car.
  • Weather or mobility challenges. Winter roads, ice, or mobility issues that make driving with a dog stressful or unsafe.
  • Lost-and-found reunions. When a dog is found safe but far from home, and the community needs a way to get them back.

We’re not a rescue, we’re the ride. If another group is already coordinating the dog’s care, we’re happy to plug in calmly on the transport piece.

Where we are

Based in the Ishpeming / Marquette area, focused on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Most rides start in or around Marquette County, but we can sometimes help between towns when the timing and weather line up — especially on regular winter driving routes.

Marquette · Ishpeming · Negaunee Houghton & Copper Country (when schedule allows) UP “between towns” on planned routes

Checking availability

Right now, the best way to check availability is simple: send an email or Instagram message with your dates and route.

In the future, we’ll publish a lightweight calendar / map so shelters and fosters can see when DogRides is already headed their way.

FAQ

Is it safe?
Safety is the whole point. Dogs ride in crash-tested Gunner kennels anchored in the vehicle. The goal is that a DogRides trip is safer than most everyday setups. We drive calmly, build in extra time for weather, and would rather say “not today” than push a risky route. You can read real-world crash & save stories from other dog owners in Gunner’s Save Stories.
Can I donate?
Not yet. DogRides is in a quiet, early phase while the nonprofit paperwork and life logistics finish catching up. For now, the best ways to help are: tell other dog lovers we exist, follow @dogridesfoundation on Instagram, and send us stories or situations where a free ride would have helped.
What kinds of rides are a good fit?
Planned trips with a clear start and end: foster pickups and dropoffs, non-emergency vet visits, shelter transfers between known groups, and reunions when a found dog just needs a lift home. If you’re not sure, you can still email — if DogRides isn’t the right fit, we’ll say so plainly.
Is this a business?
DogRides Foundation is being built as a nonprofit initiative first. In the future, a separate transport company may handle premium, longer-distance trips, while the Foundation keeps funding free rides for community dogs who need them.

Get in touch

If you’re with a shelter, rescue, vet office, foster network, or just a dog person who sees a need, we’d love to hear from you.

Email – woof@dogrides.org

Instagram – @dogridesfoundation

Tell other dog lovers, rescues, and fosters that free rides exist up here. Early stories and case studies help shape what DogRides grows into.