THE KREW

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

My name is Dominique and I am a Colorado native who was born here in Colorado Springs, Colorado! I spent a large chunk of my time growing up in Lafayette, Colorado just outside of Boulder, but have officially settled back here in the Springs with my husband and three rescues of my own. I have been officially involved in rescue since 2018, but have been saving animals from shelters as long as I can remember. I remember asking my mom to take us to the humane society “just to look” and leaving with a new animal only a few hours later. I have been fortunate to grow up learning about all types of animals, and loving them with every piece of my heart as they come and go. Rescuing and fostering has only grown that love, but taught me so much. Watching these animals come from places where they are broken and not even sure how to be themselves, THRIVE after being fostered and finding their forever homes is the reason I do this. The kisses and cuddles are an awesome bonus though! I am truly lucky to be part of an amazing team of my family and friends getting to do what I love the most in memory of an amazing human.

FOSTER AND MEDICAL COORDINATOR

I am originally from Darmstadt, Germany. After having lived in several US states, I made Colorado my home in the spring of 2019. Since then, I have had three foster fails join my family, and have lost track of how many dogs I have helped find their forever home. Rescue has turned into one of the most important and best things in my life. Being part of these dogs' journey and helping them navigate through both medical and behavioral challenges and watching them persevere, is truly amazing and incredibly rewarding. The bottom line, to me, rescue is about saving lives (even if that means spending my afternoon climbing through a storm drain or two). No matter if it is about animals coming from shelters, animals who are lost from home, or animals who have faced unthinkable conditions and events- saving them is what rescue is about. My passion for rescuing was inspired by my soul dog Bonnie. I adopted my pathetic and (as it later turned out) parvo-stricken puppy from a shelter in Texas many years ago. Because she had a loving forever home and got the professional and intensive vet care she needed, she was the only surviving puppy from her litter. Although she passed away in the Fall of ’22, she continues to inspire me to give everyone like her a chance at a full and happy life. I carry on her legacy by my motto, “I don’t want to be in a world with dead puppies.” One fun fact about me is my love for the Harry Potter universe and that I have ridden on the real-world train that inspired the Hogwarts Express from the movies.

FOSTER AND FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR

My name is Sarah and I love all animals! I live in Colorado Springs with my amazing and accommodating husband, my two sweet young children, my three adopted rescue dogs, two rescue cats, and plenty of fish. I was originally born in northern Idaho, and have lived all over including the Republic of Georgia where I spent some of my younger years in the Peace Corps! I moved to Colorado three years ago from Massachusetts after my husband accepted a job at UCCS, and have been involved in rescue for a year and a half now! I have lost count of how many animals have come through my home, but the moment you see a pup unite with their forever home and the joy in both their eyes is the best. Oh, and so many snuggles! Rescue has become a true passion of mine and it’s not only about being the halfway point from where the animal was to where they will spend the rest of their days, but it means providing comfort in a home full of love until their people find them and take them home.

ADOPTION COORDINATOR AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

My name is Jana and I was born and raised here in Colorado, and have lived all over the state. My great grandparents actually homesteaded in Douglas County, and my grandfather was Douglas County Commissioner from 1953-1972. I have always had a passion for animals and this really started with a love for cats, and I was what you would call a “cat lady.” However, there is this amazing thing called puppy breath that I discovered and I have been the “dog lady” ever since. I am lucky that I have gotten to share that passion with my children and we have had over 400 animals come in and out of our home since I started working in rescue in 2017. To me it’s not all about the puppy breath, the endless tail wags, and the kisses… Rescue is HARD, but seeing animals come to us scared and alone and being the person to help them find their true forever home where they become the best version of themselves makes it beyond worth it. In my down time, you can find me snuggled up with my soul dog Tank dreaming of being on a beach somewhere.

ADOPTION COORDINATOR AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

My name is Cortney. I am a Colorado native and I have been fostering and working on the admin side of rescue since 2008. I have fostered close to 400 dogs within my home. As hard as it can be at times and as crazy as it sounds, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I feel I’m doing God’s work to save animals who have been wronged by humans and will continue to do so for as long as humanly possible. Each and every pup I have saved was within hours or minutes of euthanization or fear of being subjected to an awful future. As much as dogs can’t talk, I can tell you that they are eternally grateful and each one leaves a footprint on my heart! I’m not rich, I don’t have a huge house, but I do have love and capacity to care for these animals and be their loving and safe stepping stone until they find their forever homes. We always hear the same statement, “I couldn’t foster, I’d want to keep them all!” Well of course, we all do! But I’d rather my heart break a little bit (by letting them go to their forever families) in order for their puppy hearts to never have to break again. I have kept in touch with SO many adoptive families and pups and it fills my heart and life with so much joy! If you’ve always wanted to make a difference in your community and directly impact a life, rescue is the way to go!

GRANT WRITING AND FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR

My name is Kim and I was born on an army base in Indianapolis, Indiana and moved to Colorado in 2013. I have been involved in rescue since 2017 and we've had 400 dogs in and out of the house in that time. I come from a long line of strong women, and in 1982 I became mom to a fifth generation daughter. The five generations were featured in the local paper! In 2005, 23 years later I became grandma to another fifth generation daughter. I am proud to be part of this long line of amazing women, before me and after me. Rescue to me means saving as many deserving lives as possible, even if it's one life at a time. We have fostered and found homes for over 400 dogs and it is still as rewarding the 400th time as it was the first time. My favorite part of rescue is finding these precious babies their forever homes. I thoroughly enjoy seeing the happy faces of the families and the updates we get. We’ve helped people find their first ever fur baby. We’ve seen kids cry because they are so excited. We’ve had people come back again. We’ve found wonderful homes for so many pups and it never gets old. The joy is always there.Seeing people and dogs find each other and making a connection is such a warm and happy feeling. Also, the people who do this work have huge hearts and one common goal. Being part of a group like this is also rewarding and makes me feel like I am contributing to something bigger than myself. It is sometimes a lot of hard work, and some are harder to say goodbye to than others, but I love the feeling of making a difference in an animal's life and I don't see stopping any time soon.

MEDICAL COORDINATOR AND FOSTER OUTREACH

My name is Jenn and I am from Colorado adjacent Aztec, NM (20 miles south of Durango, CO). I moved to Colorado in 2013 with my amazing wife, and we have been fostering for 8 years. We have been able to save 400 dogs and a few cats during that time, and ONLY adopted (foster failed) 4 dogs and 2 cats. Rescue to me means saving as many animals as I can who have been tossed away (sometimes literally) by no fault of their own that deserve so much more. My favorite part of rescue is fostering these sweet souls. Fostering can be hard but is very rewarding, not only do you save a dog's life, but your heart will be warmed by the people that adopt. You get to witness the joy of a child getting their first puppy, someone finding fur love again after losing a loved fur baby, someone finding a best friend just when they need one the most and so much more.

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

My name is Monet, and I was born in central California and moved to Colorado in 2015. Since moving to Colorado I have had the opportunity to be involved in rescue for the last three years and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have. The best part about rescuing is saving the lives of so many dogs. I not only get to save their life from the beginning, but I get the opportunity to see each of these dogs recover and grow into the most amazing and loving animals. Doing this, saving the lives of animals, has taught me so many irreplaceable things about life and myself. Compassion, forgiveness, patience, and hope. This is what rescue means, and it is absolutely life changing for not only the animals, but for ourselves. In my eyes, there is hope for every animal and the perfect home for each one. If I am not spending time with my family, animals, and indulging in an episode (or five) of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, you can absolutely find me in rescue mode.