Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Blair.
Amanda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started working in animal welfare over 10 years ago when looking for a change in my professional career. My background was in music industry and retail management and I just wanted something different. I came across Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption one day, as it was a few blocks from where I was living at the time. They just happened to be hiring for a part-time kennel tech and I started work the very next week. Fast forward ten years and a few promotions later, I became the Executive Director of Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption. We then merged with Best Friends Animal Society in October 2016 to become Best Friends Animal Society in Atlanta.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s never a smooth road in animal welfare. But it’s been rewarding along the way. All of my knowledge and training has been hands on, so there was a big learning curve going from the retail and music world to animal welfare. I have had a lot of great mentors and co-workers during my time that helped me learn and kept me motivated.
Please tell us about Best Friends Animal Society.
Best Friends Animal Society has a mission of ending the killing of America’s pets in shelters by 2025. It’s great to be working for an organization that has such a tangible and realistic goal that will go down in history as a major milestone, not only for our pets, but for the people as well. Here at Best Friends in Atlanta, we focus primarily on pulling dogs and cats from the metro county animal control facilities so that they can be adopted into their forever homes, while also helping our metro county shelter partners obtain a no-kill status, which is defined as 90% of their animals leaving the shelter with a positive outcome.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I wouldn’t change a thing. I am glad I was able to experience most every position within my organization, plus I believe everything and everyone you encounter is an opportunity to learn in some way.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4874 South Atlanta Rd SE
Atlanta, GA 30339 - Website: www.bestfriends.org
- Phone: 404-815-6680
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bfas_atl
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestfriendsanimalsocietyATL
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bfas_atl
Image Credit:
Personal photo: Georgia Center for Nonprofits
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