Brandi Knox
Brandi Knox helps find foster homes for pets.
KETTERING — All animals deserve a chance, Brandi Knox said. Paw Patrol Dayton gives them one.
As executive director and a founder of the all-volunteer organization, Knox has been instrumental in helping to place 1,200 dogs and cats. The group has about 30 foster homes throughout the Dayton area at any given point.
Paw Patrol Dayton was founded by a small group in 2012 with a goal of providing outreach to homes with dogs that were chained or left outdoors, said Knox, 37, of Kettering.
“Basically, making them members of the family instead of lawn ornaments, if you will,” she said.
The group later began to help animals get spayed and neutered, and then expanded into animal rescue, including cats. Between 30 and 50 animals are fostered by Paw Patrol volunteers at a time.
Knox, a volunteer herself, oversees about 75 other volunteers within the organization, all while working full-time as a supervisory auditor at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
“What she does is more than a full-time job,” said Carol Jahn, a volunteer with the group who nominated Knox as a Dayton Daily News Community Gem.
Knox works with compassion and kindness as she schedules veterinary appointments, organizes trainings and deals with medical emergencies, said Jahn, of the Huffman Historic District. Knox even turned her garage into storage for the group, holding items like treats, toys and medicine.
Paw Patrol Dayton is all donation-based, with nominal adoption fees and fundraisers throughout the year. Donations can be made at https://www.pawpatroldayton.com.
The work is hard, and Knox doesn’t always know the backgrounds of the animals they help. She herself has aided many of the animals with special needs.
“They have no one else, no chance of getting out of a shelter,” she said.
The work is worth it when she sees the animals in their forever homes.
“I just couldn’t imagine not doing it at this point,” Knox said.