The Story of Me

There is nothing quite like growing up with the dream of changing the world. I often thought people were born leaders or had a destiny to make an impact. I never thought of myself as one of those people.

As a child, I spent my days outside, climbing trees, fishing in the creeks, camping, and almost anything involving the outdoors. Not atypical for a Southern tomboy growing up on Tybee Island, a small seaside suburb of Savannah. I was the youngest of four children, with a fairly large gap in ages, my siblings all being 11 and 14 years older than me. My parents both worked corporate jobs that kept them away from home, and subsequently me, for a large portion of the time. So I grew very close to my pets, confiding in them my hopes and fears, all the things I was afraid to tell anyone, or at least didn't think anyone had the time or interest to listen.

My first dog, Peaches, ran into our house on Thanksgiving when I was in second grade. She was a mutt, part Poodle, part everything else. She was filthy but friendly and decided this should be her home. Against my mom's protests, my dad decreed she could stay, and my oldest sister, Sandra, and I named her Peaches.

Back then, we didn't know much about spaying and neutering. I wasn't home to see Bob Barker preach about spaying and neutering in between his duty as host of “The Price Is Right”. I often wished he had been talking about people and not just pets. So a couple months later, Peaches had a litter of nine puppies. Four months later, she was hit by a car, leaving us to care for the litter and find homes for them all. And thus began my journey into animal rescue.

I honestly don't believe anyone goes into rescue on purpose. For me, it was just a habit. After the puppies, we took in another dog, Shadow, that I found discarded into a dumpster as a puppy. Shortly thereafter, Daddy brought home Bandit, an orphaned baby raccoon. I still harbor ill feelings for the damage she brought to my favorite teddy bear and having to sleep in a baseball cap since she loved to play with my hair while I slept. And then there was the never-ending procession of stray and feral cats that found their way to our home on Tybee. I went off to college and took care of strays here and there, but it wasn't until I got married that I realized I needed to do something.

I made the mistake of marrying young. I was happy that I had waited until after college, something that I wanted to be sure I accomplished for myself. My family didn't have the money to put me through school, so that I would qualify for scholarships. It meant a tremendous amount to me to be able to say I went to college for me, not because it was what was expected or pushed, but because it was what I wanted. But while I made great decisions with regard to my education, I continually floundered in my personal life. I was too young to know what was best for me, and married the first person that offered me a life I thought I wanted.

I found myself incredibly miserable. I was only 23. I had been cut off from most of my friends, I never saw my parents, and spent many nights crying myself to sleep. But what I rediscovered was my love for animals. I took to rescuing more and more, taking them to the vet and finding them homes. I started a website to get the word out about the homeless pets. In January 2003, I started the paperwork to make Coastal Pet Rescue (CPR) a formal organization, at the advice of my veterinarian, Dr. Pam Fandrich. On February 5th, the incorporation papers were signed, and CPR officially had the same birthday as me.

It was amazing to me to see CPR take off like it did. I now had an outlet outside of my marriage that made me happy, but most importantly, gave me the reason to get out of bed in the morning, something I had lacked for most of the previous year. I met other women through the rescue, women who had stories similar to mine and, like me, had managed to find themselves again. I gained the strength I needed, and that October, left in the middle of the night to start a new life.

For the next two years, I lived out of a suitcase, a short while out of my SUV, and moved four times. But all the while, I never let go of CPR.
Even on the darkest days, when I thought it would be easiest to pack the truck and leave town, I stayed because of my commitment to rescue. I came to know some fantastic people and the support for my organization grew. Marjorie Young of Carriage Trade PR became a mentor, teaching me the ropes of public relations to increase our support. And my parents, who had been absent from my life through most of my marriage, helped me to purchase a place big enough for me and the dogs I so desperately wanted to save.

I discovered there was still so much more I needed to know. Coastal Pet Rescue was no longer just a hobby, it had become a business. I was working a full-time job and spending 60 plus hours a week keeping CPR afloat, but decided I really needed to go back to school. I enrolled in the Humane Leadership bachelor degree program through Duquesne University. The program was in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, and I would be taught by people actually in the fields of animal welfare and business administration. I was even lucky enough to be in class during the Michael Vick investigation, with my instructor being the lead veterinary forensics investigator. The more classes I took, the stronger CPR became. And, over time, the better leader I became as well.

I graduated the program in December 2007, Magna Cum Laude. My parents flew me to Pittsburgh to walk in the graduation ceremony while they stayed home at Tybee. Even in the 27 degree weather, I could feel the warm thoughts and support from home.

As I said earlier, I never believed I was a leader, but something happened with Coastal Pet Rescue. In 2005, I appeared in TIME magazine, was named the Jiffy Lube Heart on Wheels national winner, and featured on CNN.com. Awards followed in 2006, as I was named to the top ten Purina Pro Plan Rally to Rescue Ambassadors, received a certificate of recognition from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, had a flag flown over the US Capitol by Congressman Jack Kingston, and was named to the REAL Hot 100 list. Local recognitions came in 2007, such as the Top Ten Working Women of Savannah, eWomenNetwork Emerging Leader of the Year finalist, Hands on Georgia Gallery of Service, and WGNU's Women Inspiring Women. I was named a Savannah Hero by the Georgia Equality Association and CPR was named as one of the top five non-profit organizations changing the world by South Magazine in 2008. I even became an instructor for the Red Cross's Pet First Aid and CPR classes and redeveloped the curriculum.

Today, I take pride in being known as a leader. I like being able to mentor the young girls that volunteer with us, helping them to see that their small actions can grow to be something much larger. There are always people around that want to tell me there are better ways to spend my time, that I'm not on the right path. But then there are all the others that, time and again, help to reaffirm the path I've chosen, even if it hasn't been smooth sailing all along.