Me with foster beagle, Maggie May (adopted in Dec. 2010!)
How did my love affair with animals begin?? The same as anyone — at 2-years-old when I was scared stiff of all dogs! My father saw his little daughter standing on the fire hydrant in our cul-de-sac as a neighborhood dog came trotting up to the group of playing children. He said, “No way is she going to grow up scared of dogs.” And so it began … shortly after, my family grew by one stinkin’ cute lab/shepherd mix puppy we named Snowflake. Snowflake lived a happy, healthy life and died at the age of 16 surrounding by her loving family. She taught me so much about kindness, loyalty, trust, and love. By that time I was 18 and away at college, as was my older sister, but that didn’t stop us both from badgering my parents to get another dog.
Enter an abused, mangy Border Collie mixed pup named Shadow … then Ginger … then Charlie … and so on. We’ve since lost Shadow (just in October 2010 at the age of 15). My parents have Ginger and Peanut (once a foster dog of mine who stole my parents’ hearts after Shadow died). Now in my adult years, I have my own menagerie of pets — Beagles, Charlie and Bailey; cats, Emma Kate and Hopper, and Chihuahua Finnegan. They are all rescues and all with a unique story, which I will share in time.
I started volunteering with animal rescue in college at the local animal shelter and continue my involvement today, mainly with Atlanta Beagle Rescue and Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption. For several years I wrote the City Beagle Brigade about my beagles and their antics while living in a small apartment in Atlanta. (YES! It CAN be done!) But I have since added three non-Beagle pets to my family and moved to a little house just outside Atlanta. I have also become even more passionate about animal welfare issues in my city and state. Rescue Me Atlanta is the evolution of my passion and my life intersecting — and as an outlet for my personal agenda (we’ve all got one, right?) as I hope to make an impact in the lives of animals and their people.
We also have 2 dogs my husband and I adopted. We also love to connect to our pups story and help to give them a happy and healthy life. Keep up the good work.
In the 23 yrs since our first beagle from the Atlanta Humane Society, we have lost a beagle, a beagle/basset, a basset and 2 cats.We currently have 4 adopted “kids”. A beagle/basset from Monroe, a Basset from Peachtree City and 2 Beagles from PAWS Atlanta. We saw a beagle, “Auggie” on the Fox5 Pet of the day. We went to see him and found he had been sharing a pen with a buddy “Leon”, they both came home with us. Every single animal we have had has been a rescue.