My name is Jackie, born in northern California and raised in Bakersfield. For as long as anyone can remember I have had a affinity towards dogs. My entire childhood was encompassed with family and dogs. My parents always supported my efforts to take in stray dogs seeking shelter. Even when we were very poor they always found a way to feed strays I took in and support my love for helping them.
I grew as did my love for dogs (especially pit bulls) and I began to learn more about them. At some point I came to the realization that I could help dogs with what I had learned and started working on a small scale by taking them in, “fixing” and finding them a forever homes. In 2013 my brother left this earth and it struck me at how short life truly is. At that moment I decided I would only do something if I loved it and I loved dogs more than anything.
My dad always told me “If you do something halfway, your going to end up doing it twice”. That is what pushed me into spay and neuter. We can save a dog, rehabilitate it and find a it a forever home, there will be another dog to take its place when we are done.
Education and spay and neuter are the key to solving this problem, so I began to work in both. Now I am fortunate enough to have helped develop a program that will decrease euthanasia rates in Kern County. I am very blessed to be where I am today and grateful for all the opportunities that have been allotted to me and look forward to the future.
Someone smarter than me once said “I said, Somebody should do something about that. Then I realized I am somebody.” Be Somebody.
