Dr. Vance is a licensed veterinarian with over 15 years of experience in small animal medicine, specializing in emergency trauma and rehabilitation care. Her passion for rescue work began during her residency, where she witnessed firsthand the profound resilience of neglected animals. At FURPA, she directs all medical protocols, ensuring every animal receives gold-standard care from the moment of intake, including complex surgical procedures, chronic disease management, and preventative health programs. Her expertise is crucial in stabilizing critical patients and developing customized long-term wellness plans. Beyond her clinical skills, Dr. Vance is known for her exceptional patience and commitment to low-stress handling, ensuring that the animals’ medical treatment is integrated seamlessly with their emotional recovery. Her tireless dedication sets the medical benchmark for the entire organization, reflecting a philosophy that treats health not just as the absence of disease, but as a state of complete physical and mental well-being.

Marcus holds a Master’s degree in Applied Animal Behavior and is a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA), bringing a specialized skill set to our most challenging cases. His work focuses exclusively on behavioral modification, helping animals recover from severe anxiety, fear-based aggression, and deep-seated trauma using science-based positive reinforcement techniques. Marcus designs the individualized enrichment plans for every resident, from structured training exercises to complex puzzle feeders, ensuring their cognitive and emotional needs are met daily. He is also the lead instructor for all pre-adoption counseling sessions, dedicating extensive time to educating new adopters on reading animal body language, managing transitional stress, and establishing clear, positive communication. His calm demeanor and deep knowledge of ethology are instrumental in rebuilding the confidence of pets who have lost trust in humans, making him an invaluable asset to the adoption process.

Sarah is the driving force behind our successful matching program, bringing eight years of experience in shelter management and community outreach. She meticulously oversees the entire adoption pipeline, from reviewing initial applications and conducting applicant interviews to coordinating home visits and finalizing contracts. Sarah’s strength lies in her intuitive ability to read people and understand the subtle dynamics of a family environment, allowing her to facilitate truly compatible pairings between pets and adopters. She manages the flow of animals through our foster network and coordinates transport for rescues, ensuring logistical efficiency. Crucially, Sarah champions the concept of “Adoption for Life,” maintaining contact with alumni families, providing ongoing resource referrals, and managing the intake of pets whose owners may be experiencing crisis, ensuring a safety net is always in place for every FURPA graduate.

Ricardo is the energetic backbone of our operations, managing the hundreds of volunteers who donate their time and skills to FURPA. He is responsible for recruitment, training, scheduling, and ensuring a positive, productive experience for everyone who helps us. His bio includes a background in non-profit management and a strong passion for community service, which he leverages to organize all public-facing events, including weekend adoption drives, educational workshops, and fundraising galas. Ricardo’s primary objective is to translate community goodwill into tangible support, matching volunteer skills—from photography and grant writing to dog walking and cage cleaning—with the organization’s needs. His dedication ensures that our volunteers feel valued, educated, and fully integrated into the FURPA mission, creating a powerful, motivated network that extends our capacity exponentially into the wider community.