Today we’d like to introduce you to Athena Cois.
Hi Athena, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My love for pit bulls started when I got my first dog in October of 2000. I didn’t know how much pit bulls were discriminated against until I owned one. My mother refused to let us in the house at first until she realized how amazing my dog was. And there began my love for the breed. After she passed away in 2011, I began volunteering at the local shelter, going in and working with the dogs almost every day. I then moved to foster dogs for a rescue and realized this was my true calling. Even though I work a full-time job, with the right team, we made a dream come true.
Key to Lion’s Heart was founded after a dog named Lion came into my life and made me see what rescue dogs needed. Once a dog comes into my rescue, they are given every opportunity and are treated as if they are our own. Even when finances are low, we figure it out. No dog gets pushed to the side because of a financial burden. We would do everything it took for our dogs so therefore, we do the same for the ones in rescue. After all, we are all they have and their best chance at finding their loving forever families.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Coming out of Covid has proven to be the biggest struggle we have ever encountered. And this seems to be true nationwide. Fosters are scarce, no one wants to adopt right now and donations are at an all-time low.
Shelters are euthanizing at an alarming rate because they too are overwhelmed with dogs and out of capacity. Owners are surrendering at an all-time high rate and no one can keep up. It’s so discouraging when we look at these numbers of where adoption was 3 years ago to where it is today. But we have to believe it will take a turn for the better.
The dogs need us and we owe it to them to give them the best chance possible.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Key to Lion’s Heart Rescue?
Key to Lion’s Heart Rescue is a nonprofit dog rescue that is strictly 100% foster-based and run by volunteers. All of our volunteers have full-time jobs but this is their passion and devote all their spare time to helping these dogs.
While we take every breed, we specialize in pit bulls and pit bull mixes. We work strictly with shelters, both local and in the south, to place them into foster homes, provide them with medical care, and find their forever homes. We are mostly known for taking in some of the most difficult dogs, the ones that most would not even be able to consider. Behavioral training is provided for any dog that needs it to ensure success in their future homes.
We also have a soft spot for dogs that need high medical, although the decline in donations has made it very difficult. We have so many wonderful dogs looking for their forever homes. All of them have been cleared medically or are receiving care and a lot of them have been through professional training. They are excellent dogs who just need that one person to fall in love with them. As a completely foster-based organization, we are always looking for fosters to help us continue our life-saving mission.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Credit goes to the volunteer team behind the scenes and every single foster, adopter, and supporter.
We have a team of 6 volunteers behind the scenes including myself. Jamie Rivera is my rescue partner and helps with the day-to-day operations, Donna Murray tracks and coordinates all medical, Cinthya Rivera is our social media coordinator and our public voice for the rescue, Mackenzie Glumac, along with the help of Cinthya, is the foster coordinators, and Melissa McLaughlin is our applications and events coordinator.
The rescue could not run without the entire team working so closely together. Without them, the fosters, adopters, and supporters, there is no Key to Lion’s Heart Rescue.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.keytolionsheart.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keytolionsheart?igsh=NmRqNHY1dzg3M3Fr
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Keytolionsheart
