On Monday, Eat Pizza to Help a Humane Society That Lost 67 Dogs in a Tragic Fire

Last night, a heartbreaking fire ripped through the Humane Society of Southeast Texas in Beaumont, killing 67 dogs and sparing only 11. The puppy room was the hardest hit by the fire. Outspoken dog advocate Jay Jerrier, the owner of Cane Rosso and Zoli's, announced that on Monday, March 21, from 5 to 10 p.m., 100 percent of sales at Cane Rosso's Deep Ellum location will be donated to the Humane Society of Southeast Texas. 

"Sometimes things just touch me — this was one of them," Jerrier says. "I've walked through shelters before to pull dogs and I know how little they have to work with. It's heartbreaking to walk out of a shelter with only a couple of dogs and there are 200 left behind."

Jerrier, who also created the Cane Rosso Rescue foundation to help find homes for dogs that need them, said he's rescued dogs from Southeast Texas. "I can't say for sure if we've pulled specifically from this shelter, but I know we've had one from the Beaumont area and tons from that South Texas/Louisiana corridor," he says.

The Humane Society of Southeast Texas has found foster homes for all of the cats (all of whom survived), but may still need fosters for the surviving dogs — and they definitely could use some cash to help rebuild. On Monday, you can help just by eating pizza.

"No catch. No gimmick," Jerrier posted on Cane Rosso's Facebook page. "Just come in and eat and drink a ton and all proceeds will go to help the shelter."

Full disclosure: Before moving to Dallas two months ago, I lived in Southeast Texas for six years and volunteered at that Humane Society a few times. This is a particularly rough time for the area since severe flooding has closed I-10 and resulted in a state of emergency declared for several Southeast Texas communities. 

Update: The shelter launched a GoFundMe to help raise funds for a new shelter. Don't read their statement unless you're prepared for a particularly ugly cry (but do, because it's important). 

Cane Rosso, 2612 Commerce St.