Meet the Board
From left to right: Sybil, Emily, Jamie and Susan
About Emily:
It was Emily’s love for animals that brought her to Mountain Pet Rescue. From the moment she joined this wonderful team of hard working volunteers, her eyes were opened to a whole new world of rescue! With her Bachelors of Animal Science and years of experience in administrative duties, Emily was ecstatic to have the opportunity to become MPR’s invaluable Executive Assistant. Having adopted two dogs of her own, Emily instantly fell in love with the mission of MPR and the goal of ensuring each dog finds their perfect forever home and that each adopter is provided with the tools to guarantee a successful adoption! She has a true appreciation for MPR’s dedicated team of volunteers and hopes she can contribute to the expansion of our organization to continue saving dogs in danger for years to come.
About Jamie:
Jamie began following Mountain Pet Rescue on Facebook in late 2013 to smile over the new family photos as dogs found homes and giggle over the cute puppy videos. Also in those Facebook posts were requests for fosters and volunteers. After months of scrolling past those and hoping “someone does something”, in April of 2014 Jamie saw the eyes of Sara in Texas. Relinquished by her family to an overcrowded shelter that euthanized owner surrenders for space, Sara was on death row pleading for her someone. Jamie was on the phone with MPR volunteering to foster even before she told her (incredibly patient and supportive!!) husband, Mike, that they were about to become fosters. After quickly realizing Sara from Texas, temporary foster, was actually perfectly happy in her new forever home and not going anywhere, thank you very much, Jamie looked for other ways to continue helping MPR.
The more Jamie got to know MPR and how they worked, the more she believed in the vision and the more she wanted to do. It was a great opportunity to combine her business degree and over twenty years in finance with her love of dogs. As a result, you can often find Jamie alongside a plane or outside a van helping welcome dogs to Colorado or helping process applications or moving supplies to fosters around the Front Range while promising Mike that someday, maybe, his backyard shed will again be his and not full of dog supplies. Until that happens, Jamie and the ever-patient Mike will continue the hard work and the sometimes heartache that is involved in rescue because it is all worth it to see love at first sight in action and to know that, in some small way, they made a difference that day.
About Susan:
Susan found Mountain Pet Rescue through a Facebook post on a friend’s page and would casually read the posts about dogs in need and dogs finding their forever families. One Saturday morning in 2012, the first post to appear in Susan’s Facebook feed was a plea for emergency, temporary fosters. After confirming with her family that “we can do this”, Susan completed a foster application and received two puppies that evening. Each was adopted a few days later, and Susan and her family decided “we can do this again”. Those words led to a long line of fosters (166 and counting!) to spend at least one night with Susan and her family.
Picking up their foster pups at transport became a fun activity for Susan’s family, and before long, Susan and her high school aged daughter were acting as volunteers at transport arrivals – welcoming the dogs/puppies to Colorado and their new lives, helping facilitate the introduction to waiting adoptive and foster families, and making sure the foster families had the needed supplies. Susan joined the MPR Board in April of 2013, serving in a variety of ways. Susan’s years of non-profit leadership, combined with her love of animals and her desire to see every dog in a loving home make this a natural fit.
Amy’s love for dogs considered unwanted, unadoptable, needing to be rehomed, or facing euthanasia due to lack of space began as a small child when she found puppies in a box marked “Free” in front of a store in downtown St. Louis. She carried two of them home in her jacket, excited to help at least these two know the joy of life with a loving family. That same love and desire to help is what drew her to each of the dogs she’s adopted (including current dogs- Buster (lab) and Bubba (heeler)) and to the mission of Mountain Pet Rescue. Volunteering at local shelters had given Amy a glimpse into the record-keeping, veterinary care, and behavior interventions some dogs needed to be ready for adoption, but MPR was the opportunity to assist in rescue in a more comprehensive way. Amy is grateful to be a part of MPR as the Administrative Assistant, serving with and learning from a team of people truly devoted to finding each dog a safe, loving home where he or she will thrive!
About Becky:
Becky has always loved animals, with a particular affinity for dogs. One of her earliest memories is sitting with her Fisher Price tape recorder, documenting her ideas of building a dog zoo where she could have every kind of dog in the world. While that desire to “have all the dogs” never subsided, her childhood black lab taught her that loving a dog meant so much more than just giving it a place to live. So, her dream slowly morphed from “having all the dogs” to “helping all the dogs.” After finishing college and pharmacy residency, Becky moved to Denver for a job that provided the ability to have a dog – which became her first order of business. Within two days of touring shelters, she had adopted a one-year-old Ridgeback/Boxer mix. He turned out to be quite a wild child! By working through his medical and behavioral challenges, Becky learned about the benefits of positive reinforcement, routine, enrichment, and creative problem solving. She also realized that so many homeless dogs face similar challenges, preventing them from finding homes and living the lives they deserve. So, after years of training her dog and helping him build proper social skills, Becky decided she wanted to start fostering dogs to help them become more adoptable.
A friend mentioned they’d worked with Mountain Pet Rescue in the past and had a positive experience, so Becky reached out to volunteer and learn about the organization. She started by welcoming dogs at transport arrivals and chauffeuring them to their new homes. She quickly realized that her values closely aligned with the organization’s, so was excited to continue helping out. One day she saw the sweetest, saddest face of a boxer in urgent need of a medical foster. Within a few hours she was bringing that dog into her home, nursing her back to health, and falling in love with fostering. Since then, she has worked to help over 30 foster dogs on their journey to their forever homes, while continuing to be involved with other aspects of rescue. Becky later joined the organization’s Board of Directors currently serving as the Vice President, offering insight and perspectives based on her volunteer experience in different roles within the rescue. As a board member, she combines the critical thinking and organizational skills from her day job as a clinical psychiatric pharmacist with her love and passion for dogs and their well-being. By focusing on welfare and getting involved with rescue, Becky has found the perfect way to fulfill her lifelong dream, both having and helping “all the dogs.”
About Cathy:
Cathy’s love of dogs was discovered when her daughter was 12 and wanted a dog, which led to many dogs being adopted since that time for both of us. Cathy adopted a dog from Mountain Pet Rescue in the early days of its existence and has adopted four dogs (directly and indirectly) throughout the years through this organization, in addition to rescuing dogs from other organizations. One MPR adoption led to becoming lifelong friends with the rescuer in another state. Cathy’s favorite saying is that rescue dogs win the “mega lottery” by coming to Colorado. She currently serves on the board as the Secretary.
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