Shelly Bookwalter For the past 16 years, Shelly has been a full-time real-estate agent with Century 21 and a full-time dog rescuer. "Sold and adopted are my two favorite words," says Shelly. Now living in Olive Branch, Mississippi, just 15 miles south of Memphis, Shelly, and her husband Curtis and their 8-year-old son, Cross, have made rescuing dogs a family activity. Every week Shelly visits the DeSoto Animal County Shelter, a high-kill shelter, where she rescues dogs that are days or sometimes hours from being euthanized. The dogs are examined and treated for any medical issues by local veterinarians, who spay and neuter every dog that Shelly rescues. Shelly takes full financial responsibility for every single dog she rescues, no matter the cost of medical treatment. She spends roughly $70,000 to $80,000 a year on these dogs, all of which comes out of her own pocket. Aiding Shelly with her rescue efforts is a group of "foster families" who care for the dogs while Shelly searches for potential adopters in the Northeast. Once Shelly posts her rescues on Petfinder.com, she reviews applications for each dog, contacts prospective adopters and then arranges for the dogs to be transported up to the northern states using Kyle Peterson's transport company, P.E.T.S LLC. P.E.T.S LLC is the recipient of the American Humane Association's Best Practice Transport Award (2006). No matter where Shelly goes, if she sees a dog in need, she will stop and rescue the animal. She's been known to rescue stray and neglected dogs on the side of the road, and has even brought back a dog she found while on vacation with her family in St. Lucia. MORE ABOUT SHELLY'S MISSION |
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