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 2012, we found homes for 321 cats/kittens and 528 dogs/puppies (total of 849 adoptions),
many of which came from kill shelters. This is a 7% increase from 2011.
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 non-profit organization. Click on the links below to view our financial records.
CURRENT YEAR:
PREVIOUS YEARS:
Our Staff
 |
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. |
 |
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. |
 |
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”. |
|
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! |
|
Kim Cope: Kim was a stay-at-home mom for 19 years with her challenged son, David. Kim and David volunteered at Pets Without Parents several years ago. Kim reentered the work force 2 years ago and believes she has found the work she loves with animals. She comes to work with a smile and leaves with one too! She especially likes caring for the large dogs. Kim has a rottweiler/german shepherd mix at home named Raymond that she rescued from a shelter 5 years ago. |
|
Samantha DeJarnett: Samantha is a 2012 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University with an English major and Zoology minor.
She just moved to Columbus and is hoping to find her niche here. She has always loved animals, big or small. Samantha currently has a box turtle named Dino, who she rescued from Lake Erie Nature and Science Center where she interned for two summers as a wildlife rehabilitation assistant. At home in Cleveland she has a pitbull, Bo (pictured) and a bullmastiff Taz. Samantha is currently on the lookout to adopt her own companion. |
|
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 Char doesn'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. |
|
Lauren Schnieders: Lauren went to Otterbein University and studied psychology. She just finished her masters degree in nonprofit management from the University of Colorado. She has three cats who are 13, 15 and 16. Lauren has a strong interest in the No Kill movement.
|
