When Cricket’s son passed away, she needed to find something to occupy her time. She unexpectedly found herself with a boxer puppy, and began “stalking” the CBR website. After six months of “stalking”, she decided to become a volunteer. She began transporting, fostering, and doing home visits. After a year, she was asked to step into a Director role. At this time, everything was done on paper, by fax machine, and by phone. She says “the world was a better place when we went onto the computer.”
Her favorite part of the rescue was fostering. She loves bringing in a dog with no known history and molding them into a dog that can go to a wonderful family one day. She believes a foster home is just a stepping stone in the river of life for a rescue dog.
For Cricket, the hardest part of volunteering is having to deny people adoptions. It’s not easy telling someone they are not a candidate to adopt a dog, and many don’t take it very well. She does everything she can to give the benefit of the doubt, but there are some applicants that just don’t mesh with the vision of CBR.
Her own furry family member, Maddi, is half boxer and half english bulldog. She came from a breeder who was trying to develop a “pocket” boxer. When things didn’t work out, he gave her, her sister, and her mom to the rescue. Cricket got her when she was 4 years old from another director. Today, she is ten years old, and the love of Cricket’s life.
When she’s not working with CBR, she enjoys playing tennis. She is actually a 4.5 tennis player, who plays in multiple leagues, and enjoys playing in charity based tournaments. She also played professional softball for ten years, after college, for a team based out of Atlanta.
Her advice for someone thinking about volunteering is to do what you believe in, and do what you love. Everyone has a “love,” whether it is transporting, holding events, or fostering. She encourages everyone to find their “love” and jump in head first. If your “love” ever turns into a “like,” step back and reassess your “love.”