Shelter’s Edge
About Timy Sullivan, Guest Blogger
- Biography
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Timy Sullivan - Guest Blogger
Former Executive Director, Geauga Humane Society, Russell Township, OH
President, PetFix Northeast Ohio Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic
Freelance Writer
What do a cartoonist, a photographer, a private school administrator, a dog trainer, and a plain brown dog have in common? Together, they spearheaded a successful campaign to build a $2 million shelter and center for humane education for our local humane society.
Where do I fit into this? I’m the school administrator – or I was before I jumped into animal welfare as executive director of said humane society and accepted the board’s challenge to get a desperately needed new facility up and running in less than two years.
The challenge was met but I didn’t actually do most of what it took. What I did was bring together a group of uber-talented people, passionate to the core and inherently positive in their approach. Their sense of fun shaped the vision, engaged the community and enabled us to raise the funds to bring it to reality. Those qualities continue to keep the money flowing to support life-saving programs.
And the dog? Well, you’ll have to keep reading my posts to learn about him and the major role he played.
What gives me hope: Somehow, no matter what happens with the economy, people continue to support the animals.
What gets my goat: People who care more about who gets the credit than they do about what actually gets done!
Important idea I want to promote: Although what we do is deadly serious, the animals we serve are endless sources of amusement. That’s one of the reasons we care so much about them. Ergo, raising funds and community support for animal welfare can and should be fun. The more people we get to share the joy - the more lives we save. Sometimes, it’s just that simple!
You may have seen me: as a presenter at various CHAMP, No More Homeless Pets, and New England Federation conferences.
Owned by: DeeJay Rosie Rose, the spinning Border collie; Pangster Prankster (orange cat who proves daily that Border collies are not as smart as they think they are), office assistant cats RoseBud and Lapis, and ancient pasture pals Token and Lex