August 2018 Volunteer of the Month

Meet Liz

1. How did you get involved with Magnificent Mutts & Meows and what type of volunteer work do you do for the rescue?

My entire adult life I have always been in school and worked full-time, thus a busy schedule has always been the norm for me. As I was nearing the end of master’s degree, I knew I was going to have to find something else to do with all my soon to be “free time.” Being passionate about animals, I decided why not volunteer. In terms of what I do for the rescue, I would say I do a lot of the behind the scenes work: social media content, fundraising, event planning, community engagement, etc. I also attend the adoption events as a dog handler, where you can usually find me running around with my camera in every dog’s face making some obnoxiously high pitched noise trying to get that perfect shot of the signature head tilt.

2. Are you a cat or dog person?

I grew up with both, but if I had to pick, dog.

3. Do you have a favorite breed?

Doberman, German Shepard, Pit bull…literally grew up with all of them in that order!

4. Why would you recommend someone adopt a cat or dog?

Adoption saves lives, period.

5. What kind of work or hobbies do you do outside of rescue?

In my professional life, I’m a Health Care Administrator, which basically entails managing insurance contracts, revenue cycle and developing on-boarding programs. Outside of work and rescue I enjoy going to my pilates classes, reading or listening to non-profit webinars. I’m always intrigued to learn about new things.

6. Do you have a favorite food?

Cheese pizza with garlic and spinach.

7. What is your favorite song, type of music or band?

I like country or rap, there’s really no in-between.

8. What is your most embarrassing moment?

Well, I have lots of those, but most recently I got a new phone and the customer service rep was taking the case off my old phone and there was literally about 17 different types of dog hair in my phone case. He held it up to the light and looked at it and asked, “You must have a very furry friend!” At that point, I told him I volunteer with a rescue and I’m usually around 15 new dogs every Saturday. (Fun fact, my two dogs barley even shed!).

9. Do you have a favorite vacation spot or most favorite vacation memory?

Oh yes, I love to travel! I usually try to go on three vacations a year. My favorite place though would have to be Napa. I go back there every year. I really enjoy a nice bold, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon. I like going on all the wine tours and learning how they make the wine, it’s quite fascinating when you realize how much work goes into one bottle of good wine. Aside from that, the best part is getting to try all the new wines with your friends and enjoying the beautiful views of the vineyards.

10. What was the last movie you watched and why?

I’m really bad at watching TV, I tend to turn something on then start doing other things.

11. Feel free to tell us something about yourself you would like others to know.

I’m very team orientated. I want people to know the work we do is possible because we have a great team. It’s the one person who says, “yes, I’ll go pick up the donation of 25 bags of food”- that allows us to have supplies for our fosters. It’s the one person who says, “Yes, I will pick up (dog/cat) and transport to the adoption event” – that allows the animal to attend the event and hopefully be adopted. It’s the one person that says, “yes, I’ll foster”- that saves their life. I always encourage people to join our team, help is always needed. If you can’t adopt, foster. If you can’t foster, volunteer. If you can’t volunteer, advocate. Saving animals takes a team and together we can make a difference.