Hi Everyone!
As many of you know, animals have always held a special place in my heart. I'm an Animal Science graduate from NC State, I've always had animals growing up, and according to my parents, my first baby words were animal noises (as if that wasn't a big enough hint as to what I'd do growing up). My passion for shelter advocacy really started when Dylan and I adopted Mister Mac from the Wake County Animal Shelter, and started fostering dogs through Love Mutts Rescue in Raleigh. After helping find numerous dogs their forever home, and eventually adopting Kiara, our last foster through Love Mutts, I knew this is what I wanted to do - help unite dogs and cats with their forever families, educate the public about the sad truth about shelters, and decrease the number of adoptable animals euthanized in shelters - ultimately make animals' lives better!
Earlier this year I was blessed to join the wonderful team at Paws4ever as the Guest & Adoption Services Assistant Manager - doing what I've always wanted to do in being an animal adoption counselor. Very few things bring me more joy than pairing animals with their forever homes and helping people find that true companion they've been looking for. Paws4ever is an animal shelter and sanctuary that goes above and beyond for the animals. Through our adoptions, training, and education, we're really trying to reduce the number of adoptable animals euthanized in shelters, and help build long-lasting relationships between owners and pets.
It makes me sick to imagine Mister Mac and Kiara back in the shelter, but I'm so thankful we found each other and Dylan and I couldn't imagine our lives without our fur babies - they bring us so much joy and quite frankly, life is never dull with them around. Do you have a shelter pet, or a fur baby that just completes your life? Animals bring us so much love and joy, and it only seems right that I help fight for the other animals in the shelter that are still waiting to find their forever homes, or just aren't as lucky due to space or time constraints. Will you help me solve this problem?
While I won't be able to run the 4K or walk the 1/2 mile on October 10th because I'll be working the event, my coworkers and I will walk the 1/2 mile trail together (with our own dogs and some of the shelter pups) the following week. I'm walking for Mister Mac, Kiara, Butters (our kitten we just adopted from Paws4ever), my former fur babies who have passed, and all the shelter animals still waiting for their forever homes. Please consider making a donation for my work, mine - and your fur babies, and the thousands of other animals in shelters across the country. Every bit helps change an animal's life.
Thank you so much!
Josie