About Pets Without Parents
Pets Without Parents, founded in June of 2001, is a non-profit, no-kill, all-breed shelter for dogs and cats. Our mission is to place every pet that enters our shelter into a loving, permanent home; to motivate our local community to support our shelter, its no-kill mission, and spay-neuter efforts through donation, volunteer, and adoption opportunities...until every pet goes home.
We strive to create a community that nurtures and respects companion animals, and to someday see that every pet is loved. In order to create such a community, Pets Without Parents functions as a pet adoption shelter, carefully placing pets into forever homes. Additionally, we do everything in our power to reduce the pet overpopulation. Every pet is spayed or neutered before going to his or her new home. We can only accomplish our mission by educating the community and sharing our beliefs that we are creating a better world for these wonderful animals.
In 2010, we found homes for 327 cats and 432 dogs (total of 759 adoptions),
many of which came from kill shelters. This is a 15% increase from 2009.
Pets Without Parents is committed to:
- providing a safe haven for the homeless cats and dogs within our shelter and through our foster care program;
- maintaining a high level of sanitation within the shelter for the health of our pets, our staff, our volunteers and prospective adopters;
- providing high quality medical care to our pets including a regulated spay and neuter program;
- relieving high kill shelters, hoarders and backyard breeders of an over abundance of cats and dogs;
- actively making our pets accessible to prospective adopters through internet exposure (including www.petfinder.com), email campaigns to our supporters and past adopters, extended daily operating hours, and a variety of equally effective marketing efforts;
- meticulously screening prospective adopters and ensuring that the safety and well being of the cat or dog is the highest priority;
- providing an abundance of volunteer opportunities where our community members and community service program members can contribute in the caring of shelter pets, and participate in off site adoption events and fundraisers;
- providing financial transparency in the distribution of adoption fees and donations that support our operational expenses; and
- remaining true to our "no-kill" policy.
Pets Without Parents
is located at 629 Oakland Park Avenue in Columbus, Ohio. We are the quaint brown house next to the former Hostess Outlet.
We open every day at noon. We close at 9:00 PM Monday through Friday, and at 8:00 PM Saturday and Sunday.
Financial Information
Pets Without Parents is a 501(c)3 organization. Click on the links below for our financial records.
Our Staff
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Amy Klavinger: Amy co-founded Pets Without Parents back in 2001. The shelter she worked at was closing, and she seized the opportunity to pursue her passion. Ever since then, she has been Pets Without Parents’ Director and has devoted herself to animal welfare and the growing problem of pet overpopulation. At home she has several rescued cats, two wonderful pit-bulls, and shared custody of two senior mix-breeds. |
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Paige Vyas: Paige is co-founder of Pets Without Parents and a devoted
Columbus animal welfare advocate. Her innate passion and drive for the
well-being of all animals led her to pursue creating Pets Without Parents
in 2001. For the past 7 years Paige has been a dedicated community
educator, working as a high school English teacher and scholastic mentor
for students of the Gahanna Jefferson School District. She and her
husband are proud parents of three gregarious dogs and two hilariously
cunning cats. |
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Jourdan Ribbler: Jourdan has been part of Pets Without Parents since the summer of 2007. She worked part-time at Pets Without Parents while going to school, and loved it too much to leave when she graduated. Jourdan graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in Equine Science from Otterbein College in 2010. She hopes to continue her education and become a Certified Pet Dog Trainer in the near future. You will often see Jourdan accompanied at work by her dog “Kindred”. |
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Tasha Battise: Tasha started her PWP career six years ago as a volunteer while still in high school, and enjoyed it so much she came on as an employee upon graduation. Tasha is currently enrolled at Bradford College and plans to become a Veterinary Technician. She loves her job says that she can't imagine doing anything else with her life. Tasha has a passion for animals, but she hasn't found one of her own....yet! |
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Heather Crather: Heather is an Equine Pre-Veterinary student at Otterbein University and expects to graduate after spring semester 2012. Heather has been working at PWP since September 2010 and has loved every second of it! At home she has one horse of her own, a friend's horse that acts as his babysitter and a lovely stray cat who has taken up residence in her barn. |
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Jessie Crandall: Jessie is a senior at Ohio State majoring in Animal Sciences. Jessie started as an intern at PWP in February 2011. In June, 2011, she became a bonafide employee of PWP! Jessie recently lost her beloved black lab Toby, but plans to get another dog (or two!) once the mourning process has passed. Jessie loves dogs and cats and hopes to dedicate her future career to animals. |
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Breanna Adkins: Breanna is currently majoring in Animal Science to become a Veterinary Technician at the Ohio
State University, graduating in 2014. She has been an
advocate for animals her entire life, taking in every stray and injured animal
that winds up at her door. After she finishes school she hopes to open her own animal
shelter or rescue so that she can continue helping animals that are in need. Breanna has a
dog and three cats that still live at home with her parents, so working with
animals helps with missing her pets a lot! |
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Jackie Moog: Jackie is in her junior year as an Equine Pre-Vet student at Otterbein University. She have a horse and an eighteen year old dog who is very young at heart. Jackie has a passion for all animals and would like to continue her education in animal massage therapy once she graduates in the spring of 2013. |
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Jessica Baker: Jessica graduated in May of 2010 from The University of Findlay with a BS in Equine Business Management, a BS in Animal Science, and an AA in Equestrian Studies with a Western Riding/Training Emphasis. After trying her hand at managing a hunter/jumper farm in Toledo, OH and interning at a larger standardbred breeding farm in Lexington, KY, she has decided to find a home in Columbus, OH at PWP in December 2011. Though she is a newbie to PWP, she is no newbie at working with animals. Currently she lives with Lily the rescued Persian/Himalayan and Daisy Mae the purebred mutt. She considers her greatest accomplishments to be whelping and raising Daisy Mae and her nine siblings after the sudden death of their mother, shepherd mix Delilah; as well as breaking out and training her now six year old western pleasure Paint
mare Charmed By The Stars (lovingly called Charmy-Charm). |
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Char Falke: Char has a certificate from Penn Forster college for Veterinary Assistant. Char has three dogs: two chocolate labs named Mary J and Coco, and a Great Dane. Char worked for a boarding and grooming facility for roughly two years and from that experience found that working for a shelter is so much more self-rewarding. Char's passion in life is to work with animals. People always say if you love your job you never work and day in your life, and I don't intend to work another day. Char's goal in life is to open a shelter or to be a part of an organization designed to help as many animals possible, but for right now she soaking up all the love and attention she can from all the puppies and kitties at PWP. |
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Meg Long: Meg is the volunteer Volunteer Coordinator and a board member for Pets Without Parents (in the picture, she's the one WITHOUT the spots!). Meg has been volunteering for PWP since its inception in 2001. Volunteering at PWP has been very rewarding for Meg, and she always says that what she gives to the homeless pets, they give back to her tenfold. Meg has a "day job" as the Operations Manager for a commercial construction company. Meg and her husband are currently owned by a boxer, Gracie; black lab mix,
Adella; and 3 cats - Exene, Ralph and Frankie. |
