Origin Story

I had always grown up with animals. From labs and huskies to chihuahuas, we always had a dog in the house. As a kid I found great comfort in my pets. When I took a tumble, it was my dog who was there to help me get up and to lick the wound. When I was sad, it was my cat that came and comforted me.

But it was Arwen that really got me into rescue work. Arwen is my Heinz 57 mega-mutt who was rescued from Georgia. Despite being an adorable puppy, she was on a euthanasia list due to overcrowding at the Atlanta shelter. Thankfully she was rescued by Road Trip Home, an amazing organization that inspires me to this day. She made her journey up to Maine and found her forever home with me. I often joke with my partner that Arwen is the true love of my life. When I found out how close I had come to not having her companionship, I realized that I wanted to help save more dogs like her. So, I started volunteering at the public shelter. I worked my way up to the most challenging dogs, including dogs with bite records, abuse, and cruel pasts. I was blessed to be working in a facility where they had the resources to deal with both medical and behavioral issues. I got to experience what a shelter should be during my time at Animal Welfare Society in Maine.

Unfortunately, when I moved to California, I realized the same is not true for many shelters out here. Shelters are struggling to keep up with growing stray populations, irresponsible breeders, and other animals let down by their humans. Most shelters in the area strive to keep euthanasia rates down but are struggling due to the volume of animals and lack of resources to work with more challenged animals. This led me to start to get involved with other amazing organizations such as Valley Humane Society, who pulls heavily from the Stockton Shelter and helps over 600 animals find their forever homes each year. I also worked with a couple other rescues in the San Joaquin area but felt that there was still an unmet need in the community. Hence, I got together with a few other passionate and amazing individuals and we set out to change the world for animals: starting with San Joaquin County in California.