Results tagged “hero of the year” from Petfinder Blog

In March, we invited you to nominate people who go all out to help pets for Animal Planet's 2009 Hero of the Year. Well, the 10 finalists have been announced, and a whopping SIX of them are affiliated with Petfinder member shelters and rescue groups:

• Jessica Gotthold, founder of the National Foundation for Animal Rescue in Saddle River, NJ
• Louise Hansen, a volunteer for the Sheboygan [WI] County Humane Society and creator of CEO, a "community education and outreach" program
  
• Jody Harlan, co-founder of the Pets and People Humane Society in Yukon, OK
• Scott Lope, director of operations for Big Cat Rescue, a sanctuary for lions, tigers and other big cats in Tampa, FL (which also adopts out a handful of smaller felines)
  
• Lucy Payne, vice president and founder of the Montgomery County Humane Society in Mount Sterling, KY
• Terri Stonehocker, founder of Stonecliffe Animal Rescue in Lemoore, CA

(The other nominees are equally heroic champions of non-domestic animals: Suzanne Braden, founder of Pandas International; Robert Lingenfelser, founder of the Marine Mammal Conservancy; Jaye Perrett, co-founder of EARS, Endangered Animal Sanctuary, Inc.; and Sigrid Ueblacker, founder and director of the Birds of Prey Foundation.)

Know someone who goes all out to help animals? Nominate them for Animal Planet's Hero of the Year. The Grand Prize winner, chosen by a judging panel and people's choice voting, will win a $10,000 donation to the winner's favorite animal welfare organization, a trip for two to the animal welfare-related destination of his or her choice, and a 30-second public service announcement for his or her cause.

And if you need more reasons to call out your favorite hero: The person who nominated the winner will get a $1,000 prize, and each day a randomly selected nominator will win a $50 PetSmart Gift Card.

Anyone who has adopted a pet they found on Petfinder knows a hero -- and in fact, Jacci Moss, founder of Petfinder member Friends of Felines Rescue Center in Defiance, OH, was Animal Planet's 2008 Cat Hero of the Year!

Cat hero Jacci Moss in her center's playroom (photo: ToledoBlade.com)