The legacy of a mountain dog.
words :: MJ Castor
Gringa was a good dog. She could ride a snowmobile, keep up on long bike rides and bound through pow tracks with the best of them.
“She was a rescue dog,” says Joe Lammers. “Her mama was an American pit bull, but papa was a rolling stone so I wasn’t sure of his breed. Gringa was six or seven months when I picked her up at the pound—no training, no socialization. She ended up being my best friend and adventure buddy for the next 11 years.”
Dogs play a huge role in mountain communities. They’re a warm companion on cold nights and a reliable alarm/security system if a bear wanders near the campsite. Dogs are loyal, loving, and they give us an excuse to get outside. “Dogs especially can be synonymous with adventure, and they become a part of the family,” Lammers says, “or in some cases the whole family.”
After Gringa contracted lymphoma in 2022, Lammers noticed a change in her behavior that struck a chord with him. “We’d drive to Kelowna together each week for treatment—five hours round trip—and I watched her assume this calmness that really felt like wisdom and acceptance. We went on a journey together. I knew her cancer was terminal and I was just buying time with these trips, but it got me thinking about people who don’t have the financial means to do what we were doing. I came up with the idea for Gringa’s Fund on one of those drives.”
“Dogs especially can be synonymous with adventure, and they become a part of the family,” Lammers says, “or in some cases the whole family.”
Working with veterinarians in his homebase of Revelstoke, Joe created Gringa’s Fund to help financially challenged senior citizens who are suddenly faced with unexpected vet bills. “The world is only getting more expensive and people on fixed incomes are really feeling the squeeze,” he says. “At the same time, I think pets are critically important for seniors because as you age your social circle contracts—people pass away, they move to homes or to go live with family—or we have less energy or mobility to go out and be social. So life at home, with our pets, becomes that much more important.”
Lammers said losing his own father shortly after Gringa passed really cemented the idea behind Gringa’s Fund. “When my dad was in and out of the hospital, I saw how important my parents’ dog was to both of them. When mom was home alone, she had this furry ball of love and joy that was always happy to see her and do stuff with her. Seeing that firsthand definitely pushed the idea into action.”
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An ex-ski industry professional turned successful realtor, Lammers has always donated a portion of his income to local charities. “I decided to commit all my donations to the fund and then began publicizing it amongst friends and clients and on social media. Donations rolled in and the fund got quite healthy.”
Joe lets the veterinarians at the Revelstoke clinic screen candidates who need support from Gringa’s Fund. “The first one was Rosie the cat,” he says. “She had pyometra, a potentially fatal infection and Gringa’s Fund helped her owners pay for the surgery. I am not sure Gringa would have been that excited about helping a cat, though…”
Get used to it, Gringa, because in its first year the fund also helped cats named Noel and Zigzag, as well as a dog named Ty who was attacked by two other dogs and needed emergency surgery to close lacerations on his neck. “Those owners were on a single pension and obviously had to make a quick decision,” Joe says. “Gringa’s Fund was able to relieve that stress and save the day.”
In just over a year, Gringa’s Fund has helped seven animals and families. Joe admits “scaling anything is tricky” but says he intends to spend 2025 figuring out how to bring Gringa’s support beyond his hometown of Revelstoke, with Squamish on the top of the list for expansion. A proper website is in the works, but anyone looking for more info or to donate to the fund is welcome to reach Joe via Instagram.
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