Meet Kathleen — just a girl who, like many, has a passion for fashion, music, and friends. After one fun-filled weekend she realized there was something missing, a companion, specifically a dog! After looking through shelter websites, she found the dog she was going to adopt; she called the shelter and told them she was coming to adopt Bo. Unfortunately when she arrived, she was told there had been a mistake, Bo was gone. Euthanized! Not only was Kathleen too late, she was horrified. As she walked through the run down kennels, she saw dogs standing in filthy cages, in poor condition. In the sad reality of this moment, Kathleen knew she had to make a difference. If she was too late to save Bo, then she would work to save all the rest. Since 2003, she’s been working to do just that. Whether placing them in the care of a loving new owner, or reuniting them with lost loved ones after major natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Joplin, MO tornadoes.  Kathleen has rescued over 2,900 dogs and cats, to date. In each episode of Project VIP, Kathleen works toward her ultimate goal –bringing awareness to the number of pets ending up in shelters, and educating the public on responsible pet ownership.

Based out of St. Louis, Kathleen’s day begins by reviewing dozens of emails with urgent pleas to rescue a dog or cat before their time runs out in the overcrowded shelters. With their fate waiting for her rescue commitment, she gets to work on the steps involved to save them. Many times, wanna-be pet owners don’t realize all that is involved in selecting and caring for a pet. A good portion of dogs and cats land in shelters due to lack of knowledge. It’s estimated that every year in the U.S. over 6 million dogs and cats end up in shelters, over 60% of which are euthanized. Proper screening and education go a long way in helping to reduce these startling numbers. Kathleen will take you behind the scenes introducing you to an unknown network of pet lovers that most people don’t know exist.