Our Team
Karlie DeVine
I am without a doubt, 100% a dog person. Slobber and dog fur are an important part of my everyday attire. Some of my first memories are of my family dog, Jett, a beautiful mutt my family rescued from a local shelter. From a very young age I was taught that rescuing and giving love to an animal can be one of the most rewarding and important experiences of your life. So I really don’t know why my mother was surprised when I conned her into going into that same shelter years later just to “look,” and ended up coming home with my Border Collie-Australian Shepherd mix, Kona. If I’ve ever seen a princess in dog form, it’s her. Rescuing dogs has been my passion ever since, from school projects to volunteering to adopting my own dogs out of shelters… in fact I had no idea there was any other way to adopt a dog until about middle school. And really no clue mutt wasn’t a specific breed. Pure bred? What’s that?
Well, once I started to learn about breeds of dogs and their different characteristics it wasn’t long until I stumbled upon, and fell head over heels for the German Shepherd breed. Home never quite feels like home without a dog around, and so it was about 6 years ago I adopted my first German Shepherd mix Kahlua (Lulu) from a local shelter. It was all downhill (in the best way) from there. In my opinion you will be hard-pressed to find a more loyal, loving, and intelligent companion in the world, let alone breed of dog. I just wouldn’t dare say that to Princess Kona. German Shepherds hold a very special place in my heart. So when I saw a group of them at a GSSH showcase event one day, I immediately ditched my human friends for ones with more fur and tails. As soon as I looked into the organization I knew I just had to do what I could to help. I absolutely love that GSSH makes their focus all about the dogs. Everything this organization does sends the message that their dogs are the most important thing, and they will do whatever necessary to help them find loving forever homes. Once I started to volunteer I realized that GSSH isn’t just a German Shepherd rescue. German Shepherd Safe Haven is a family, mixed up with dogs and people and lots of love and support. And it’s one I am abundantly proud to be a part of.
Taryn Johnson
From the day I was born until now, my family has always been fortunate enough to have a dog. Our dogs were never considered pets, just another family member that was a little furrier than the rest of us. Looking at dogs in this light, I developed not just an affection for them, but a connection with them. That connection is what helped me find my way towards German Shepherd Safe Haven. I started out with the belief that I could help rescue a few dogs and give them what they needed. Little did I know, they would do the same for me. I have personally witnessed German Shepherd Safe Haven build from the ground up. I am proud to be associated with an organization such as German Shepherd Safe Haven that does good not only for animals but for people by uniting families with our rescued dogs. In doing so, we not only rescue dogs but make families whole. It is amazing to see the transformation of a scared rescue dog that has been just saved from a high kill shelter, come into the rescue and evolve into a loving and trusting companion. It’s great to see the lasting relationships between the dogs and their families, as well as the families and GSSH.
More Team Bios coming soon…