Allow me to start at the beginning of why Street Paws was created. My name is Kristi, and I am the founder of Street Paws. I began this journey while working full-time, managing family life with my husband, daughter, two stepsons, and our pets, all while feeding feral animals daily that live on the streets.
Since I was young, I’ve had a deep passion for animals. Growing up in a modest household, we always had many cats and dogs, and my mother instilled in me a profound compassion for animals. When my parents divorced during my teenage years, we lost our home and moved into a small trailer in the country. I started working at 14, helping my mom by taking a job at a stable that housed Clydesdale horses. Little did I know at the time this experience would set me on the path I follow today.
When I moved into my first apartment, I rescued my first cats—Diamond, Whiskers, Tinker, and Baby Kitty. Later, I adopted my first dog, Bailey, when I bought my first house. Over the years, these beloved animals crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but they left a lasting mark on my heart. Today, my home is filled with a new family of rescued pets, including the well-known feral dog Rio and my foster dog, Shadow.
One pivotal moment in my journey occurred when I was 17 or 18 years old. While at the county dump in Harris County, Georgia, with my boyfriend Doyle, I encountered a litter of deformed puppies. Harris County had no Animal Control or humane organizations back then; the only recourse was to call the sheriff to shoot stray dogs. Doyle was driving my truck back to town (Columbus, GA) and I told him to stop at the feed store so I could buy some food. He drove past the feed store. Of course I was increasingly angry at this point. He realized about halfway back to town that I was very serious. He asked me if I planned to break up with him when I got into town to drop him off back home. I told him yes! He turned my truck around and went back to the feed store. With no resources or knowledge on how to help these puppies, I did the only thing I could—I bought a bag of food and fed them. I continued feeding them weekly until they were no longer there. That day, I vowed to dedicate my life to helping animals one day. I even told my mom that if anything happened to me, I wanted my life insurance to fund a shelter in Harris County.
In 1989, I moved to Atlanta. While working for UPS in the Pratt & Whiney facility which was in a rough neighborhood, I frequently encountered stray and injured dogs that lived among the homeless people. Many of them were Pitbulls or bait dogs. Though I managed to help some get into rescues, one encounter still haunts me. I found a Great Dane dumped across from our facility, severely emaciated and covered in maggots. I thought he was dead but as I walked up to him, I saw he was still alive. I have never seen a dog in such a horrible condition. Someone had dumped him like trash. I called Animal Control and stayed with him until they arrived. The officer told me that the Fulton County Vet would do what they could do if he could be saved. Despite knowing he was likely euthanized; I hoped his suffering ended with dignity. It still brings me to tears thinking about it. Over two years, I helped over 50 dogs find rescues or homes in that same area. Two of those dogs, Pup and Emma, became part of my family. They were in the woods living next to a homeless man. Emma had even created a makeshift nest under a fallen tree to keep Pup warm by pulling the stuffing out of a mattress.
Years later, when my daughter had a school project for her Agricultural Science class, we chose to focus on helping animals. At the time, I had applied to volunteer at Noah’s Ark to work with horses but ended up volunteering at our local Humane Society instead. From 2006 to 2012, my daughter and I gained invaluable experience at adoption events and at the shelter. This experience laid the groundwork for Street Paws.
After leaving the Humane Society, I began noticing more street animals in need than I had never noticed before. I was directed down this path in life. The catalyst for founding Street Paws was Rio, a 125-pound dog I found in a parking lot. Though he initially intimidated me by growling at me in the dark, I fed him daily and worked to keep him safe for 18 months, even holding an umbrella over him during rainstorms. I made a promise to Rio—and to myself—that I would find a way to help animals like him. During this time, I also started performing TNR, feeding and caring for stray cats in the Eagles Landing area. Ultimately, Rio became my personal pet, but he inspired the formation of Street Paws.
Street Paws officially became a 501(c)(3) licensed rescue on December 25, 2012. Since then, we’ve focused on helping animals living in a forgotten-in-between world. While feeding Rio, I discovered a pack of feral dogs near Mt. Zion and began working tirelessly to help them. Ears and the pack were also a significant part of the formation of Street Paws. I was coming home from work one day in Jonesboro and getting on I75 at Mt Zion. I saw a limping dog from many streets over and through the trees. I drove down the interstate and came back to find an entire pack of dogs that we now affectionately call the Pack, and my beloved Ears who I completely bonded with on the streets was one of them. The injured dog ended up being Hobo Jr. I found an area where someone was feeding dogs and left a note in the bushes. I found Patrick and we teamed up for 5 years to help these feral dogs living on the streets in a suburban area. We fed them and did what we could to keep them safe but so many of them we had to pick up their lifeless bodies after they were hit by cars.
Over the years, we pulled more than 60 feral puppies from this pack, ensuring they received proper care and homes. Despite the challenges, I felt compelled to make a difference, even as I managed my own health issues, including a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy in 2009. At the weakest point of my life, then the successful rescue of Rio made me realize I needed to do more. I wanted to leave a legacy. I wanted to make a difference before I died.
Our work expanded beyond dogs. While helping the pack near Mt. Zion, I found Buff Kitty across the street along with approximately 20 more cats in one colony. I started helping an elderly couple care for them. I would sit after work and promise them all I would find a way to help them.
I started coming across more and more animals in need. These neglected animals that live in an in between world. That led me to 9 more colonies in the area that we started TNR, feeding and caring for over 200 cats. I felt that I was meant to see the unwanted that no one else noticed. It felt this was truly the path in life I was supposed to take.
Over time, we established feeding stations, performed Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), and provided care to reduce the population. To date, we’ve TNR’d over 534 cats, preventing countless unwanted litters and reducing overpopulation. Sadly, not all stories had happy endings—Buff Kitty, one of the strays I cared for, passed away before I could fulfill my promise to help him. I found his lifeless body before I could make this mission a reality. Still, his memory fuels my determination to continue this mission.
I realized a significant need for these neglected animals that live in an in between world. It took a strong team over 5 years to control the feral population in that small radius. 60 feral puppies were born on the streets. We worked so hard to stop this cycle. The capture of Junior, then Ears and Flip were the end of the dog cycle.
Helping animals and finally having a sanctuary is the main thing on my bucket list. I truly believe helping at the street level will in turn reduce the overpopulation that has gotten out of control and sadly leads to an unnecessary death for these animals. I felt like what I had previously been doing with the Humane Society was only a band-aid to the bigger problem. That was the day the idea of Street Paws started to form.
My goal since has been to get them into homes and to build a future shelter/sanctuary for them. I didn’t just sit back and expect someone else to do something. I WAS that someone. I DID something. I am not perfect, but my past/current team and I have made a significant impact in this area reducing the numbers of cats and dogs on the streets just in a 2-mile area.
We currently still have 2 cat feeding stations with approximately 25 cats left and a dedicated team that feeds daily 7 days a week.
I truly believe helping at the street level will in turn reduce the overpopulation that has gotten out of control and sadly leads to an unnecessary death for these animals.
So, on December 25, 2012, a group appropriately named Street Paws became a 501(c)3 licensed rescue, originally based in McDonough and now our home is in Locust Grove and has been slowly growing since.
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I, however, could not do this alone, we have an amazing team of volunteers past and present, that make Street Paws what it is and continues to be! I am very proud of my team and appreciate all that they do to help me achieve a mission I started in 2012. I could not do all this alone and we DO make a difference every day. We need more help, there are far too many in need. We need fosters, we need people to hold events/fundraisers, we need land and a sanctuary. We cannot
help them all but we help as many as we can. We help the unwanted and I am proud to call this my legacy.
Street Paws remains a small rescue with a big heart. Our 1,500-square-foot shelter houses 12 adoptable cats indoors, with 4 feral cats outside. We rely on foster homes and a small team of about 10 dedicated volunteers who handle everything from fieldwork and trapping to adoption events and fundraising. Despite our size, we’ve saved over 1,000 animals in the past 11 years.
Looking ahead, we dream of building a sanctuary where feral dogs and cats can live safely and comfortably. We envision hosting educational programs, vaccination clinics, and adoption events in a larger facility. To achieve this, we need community support—fosters, volunteers, and donors willing to help us expand our efforts.
Street Paws began with a promise to Rio, Ears, Buff Kitty, and countless other animals, and it has grown into a legacy I am deeply proud of. Though we can’t save every animal, we make a difference for as many as we can. Together, with the help of our amazing team and supporters, we will continue to fight for the unwanted and overlooked. This is my mission, my passion, and my legacy.
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