Rescue Chocolate: The Sweetest Way to Save Animals

Dogs can’t digest chocolate—but vegan chocolate bars from Rescue Chocolate, made for humans, are a great way to support rescue organizations helping dogs and other animals.

Sarah Gross from Brooklyn, New York founded Rescue Chocolate in 2010 with the goal of helping animals just like her rescued pit bull Mocha. Mocha was only one and a half years old when she arrived at a shelter. “Her ears were cropped off, she’d already had at least one litter of puppies, and was emaciated,” said Sarah. Mocha, who is known for smothering people with kisses, is now the brand ambassador for Rescue Chocolate and her picture appears on all the covers.

Sarah came up with the idea of selling chocolate to save animals when she was walking Mocha in the park one morning and noticed all the other wonderful dogs and their owners romping through the meadows, thinking how lucky they were to be there. This led her to think about all the poor dogs and cats that would never get the chance to have “basic happiness or any kind of life at all.”

“Last year in America, 4 million dogs and cats were killed in municipal animal control facilities because no permanent homes could be found for them. That number is horrifically high, but it is actually a great improvement over where it had been a few years earlier. I wanted to join with the people working to bring down the statistic to zero, so I decided to combine my two greatest loves: animals and chocolate. Most people do love animals, or chocolate, or both!” Sarah said.

Sarah works with hundreds of non-profit groups dedicated to saving homeless animals. While the majority of the groups focus on dogs and cats, Rescue Chocolate also partners with groups that help birds, rabbits and farm animals. 100% of the net profits from each chocolate sold is donated to animal rescue organizations around the country.

Sarah knew about chocolate manufacturing from her brief employment at a raw vegan chocolate company in Queens, NY. She is also a self-styled chocolate expert who kept a notebook full of wrappers of various chocolate bars accompanied by her critiques on differences in taste, aroma and texture. She uses this valuable information in creating different flavors that convey messages about rescue animals.

The names of each Rescue Chocolate product have significance. “My Peanut Butter Pit Bull bars (crispy peanut butter and chocolate) came about because of the bad rap that this breed has been getting lately. Pit bulls can actually be the most loving, loyal dogs on the planet, if they receive the proper training,” Sarah said. Having spent enough time with pit bulls and also tasted the Peanut Butter Pit Bull bar, I can say with confidence that they both are quite sweet.

There are also Pick Me! Pepper bars made of sweet ’n spicy dark chocolate and peppers, highlighting the advantages of choosing pets from shelters instead of breeders or pet stores. Foster-iffic Peppermint made with dark chocolate and peppermint emphasize the need for foster care for homeless animals as they await their forever homes. Other flavors include The Fix (the importance of spaying and neutering pets) and Mission Feral Fig made with fig, cranberry, almond, and spices to advocate for the humane solution for feral cats through TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return).

Keep a look out for Rescue Chocolate’s new product called Beyond Bars, which consists of 6-pack energy un-meltable granola bars perfect for the upcoming warm weather. “The issue tied to this product is that it is not a good idea to leave your dog chained to a stake all day long. Chained-up dogs get injured and crushingly bored, and they also can tear loose and get lost. So we want to tell people that dogs should be able to experience life beyond the chain, with our un-chocolate un-chained collection of bars.”

Sarah, who has been a vegan for 13 years, strongly believes in eco-friendly practices for Rescue Chocolate. She said, “No animals are harmed in the making of these products. Rescue Chocolate is always 100% vegan, and is made in the finest Belgian tradition with top quality ingredients and no artificial preservatives.” Rescue Chocolate is handcrafted in Brooklyn, NY and certified Kosher Parve.

More importantly, Sarah said, “For humans, chocolate IS healthy. When not impeded by dairy and massive amounts of sugar, chocolate’s high antioxidant levels do their magic. Chocolate has been shown to do much to improve health: it lowers blood pressure, absorbs free radicals; lessons pain, and promotes alertness.”

For as little as $5.49 a chocolate bar, you can satisfy your sweet tooth, aid your health and make a difference in an animal’s life. Rescue Chocolate also makes an excellent gift option for the animal lovers in your life. To purchase, please visit: http://rescuechocolate.myshopify.com/

Sarah Gross also co-manages the U.S. Veg Corp, a new company which organizes vegetarian events such as the New York City Vegetarian Food Festival. Find her at the Rescue Chocolate table at The Seed vegetarian food festival on June 16th(10am to 7pm) and 17th(10am to 5pm) in New York City. Venue: 82 Mercer St., 2nd Floor.