Betty Martin is not one to keep her love for animals on a short leash.
Since high school, she has worked to improve the lives of four-legged companions.
“I am an animal lover,” Betty says. “My whole family is.”
The retired veterinary technician is co-founder and president of L.I.F.E. House, a no-kill shelter staffed by volunteers and kept open by donations.
“Every day is a leap of faith,” she says. “But it’s working, and as long as it keeps working, it’s what we will keep doing.”
The shelter’s name stands for “Let Important Friends Exist.” Instead of euthanizing animals when it’s faced with overcrowding, the shelter places animals in other no-kill shelters around the country.
A typical day can involve anything from cleaning up dog poop to shuffling paperwork, finalizing adoptions and transporting animals.
“L.I.F.E. House is so much more than I envisioned it to be,” she says.
Betty never imagined that she would be able to continue working with animals after high school.
“After my father died when I was 10, my family was very poor and struggled to make ends meet,” she says. “I thought working with animals professionally was out of the question for me.”
Luckily, Dr. Len Shirrell, a local veterinarian, thought differently.
He added Betty to the full-time staff at his practice after she graduated from high school, and she worked for him until he sold his practice 30 years later. After working for a few more years at another vet office, Betty retired and began developing plans for L.I.F.E. House.
“I really think that God had a plan for me,” Betty says. “Everything has led to me being able to be here.”
