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About Us
Our Mission Columbus Dog Connection is a 501c3, limited admission dog and cat rescue organization, formed in 1998. We are a network of dog enthusiasts who rescue all breeds of dogs and cats. We promote all rescues & shelters in Ohio and be in dogged pursuit of saving every adoptable dog until dogs/cats are no longer euthanized for lack of space. We operate a high quality mobile spay/neuter service, targeting areas with high animal population and low spay/neuter resources. We offer a low cost vaccine clinic the first Saturday of the month. All dogs/cats that wish to take advantage of our low cost services must be spayed/neutered to attend. Every dog that leaves our care is spayed/neutered, including 8 week old pups. We believe that allowing a pup to leave our care not spayed/neutered would perpetuate the problem we work so hard to overcome every day. Our non official mission: To go out of business because our services are no longer needed. We often hear a chuckle or wishful thinking comment when we say this, and we say this often, but if we didn’t believe we could end the problem of overpopulation, we have no business asking anyone to believe in us... much less to give us even one of their hard earned dollars. |
In 2018, we celebrated 20 years of our life saving work. Click here to see our anniversary newseltter with 20 years of highlights. A Video Overview of What We Do
Awards Media Video Library Our office 2761 Johnstown Rd Columbus OH 43219 614-471-9000 KDifrischia@gmail.com If you would like to receive our annual newsletter via land mail, send your land mail address to: Kellie KDifrischia@gmail.com |
Our Board
Mirna Bowman
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Mirna is Co-Founder and Co-Director of Columbus Dog Connection where she has served for 23 years. Mirna is the project manager for The Ohio Spay/Neuter Project. She works with the County Coordinator for each travel clinic. Mirna manages the staff including vet, vet tech and vet assistant. Mirna directs our low cost vaccine clinic which takes place monthly and serves a low income and Spanish speaking audience. Mirna is a graduate from The American University in Washington DC with a BSBA in Accounting and Finance, (1982) and is a Certified Public Accountant, (1986). Her work experience includes: Auditor with Grant Thornton International in Washington DC, Controller at The Jewish Center in Columbus, Ohio. |
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Julie Brink
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Julie Brink has been a volunteer in different capacities for CDC for the past few years. She has assisted with the vaccine clinic, coordinating with volunteers, fostering, assisting with the marketing of our foster cats. She has also adopted from CDC. Julie is an accountant with many years of experience working with public companies. She is presently the Director of Financial Reporting at DSW. Julie's past experience in the animal welfare community includes working with Peace for Paws, an animal rescue organization. Julie and her husband have 4 dogs, 2 cats, and a horse (all rescued).
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Dr Kirsty Clay
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Dr Clay is a graduate of The Ohio State University. She has donated to and adopted a pooch from Columbus Dog Connection. Dr Clay helps our efforts by volunteering at our vaccine clinic as well as seeing many of our foster dogs. Dr Clay has been with Gahanna Animal Hospital since 1996. She is an expert small animal pocket pet Vet. Dr Clay also serves on the City Parks/Rec Dog Advisory Board. |
Kellie DiFrischia
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Kellie is Co Founder and Co-Director of Columbus Dog Connection where she has served for 23 years. While working to advance the mission of her group, forefront for Kellie is assisting in the efforts of all humane organizations. This was the impetus for numerous projects she created including: Mingle With Our Mutts, Habitat for Dogmanity and The Elevated Dog Bed Project, which won The Make A Difference Day state award. Most recently, she spent seven years working on Senate Bill 130, groundbreaking legislation to regulate the commercial high volume dog breeding industry. Senator Jim Hughes called this bill the most difficult of his career. As co-author of the “puppy mill bill,” she served as the lead advocate for the humane movement which required intense negotiations with a wide range of stakeholders and interested parties at both the state and national level. Kellie’s professional experience and leadership in the animal welfare movement have contributed to her being widely recognized as one of the state’s leading experts on puppy mills. Kellie holds a BS in Education, Slippery Rock University, (1989).
Kellie's comments at signing of Puppy Mill Bill Petstore Testimony, Dec 2016 Petstore Testimony May 2016 Kellie's Doobert Podcast |
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Carol Folkerth
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Carol is a CDC adopter and longtime supporter. Carol was the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus until recently when she retired. Carol and her husband have two rescued pooches from Kind Hands for Paws. |
Dr Devon Horne
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Dr. Horne is the proprietor of Clintonville Animal Hospital. Dr. Horne has helped CDC by performing surgeries and tending to our foster cats/dogs either at our office or at her practice. Prior to Clintonville Animal Hospital, Dr. Horne worked at several private practices. Dr. Horne and her husband (also a veterinarian) have an English Mastiff and a rescued French bulldog. |
Sandy Horvath
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Sandy Horvath was in the financial services industry for 20 years. She left this industry, which she loved, to pursue her passion, the law and animals. Her hope is to help make the world a more kind and compassionate place for animals. She does this by helping individuals with animal related issues, whether it is a dispute with a neighbor, the unfortunate case of animal cruelty, a custody dispute involving a beloved family pet, or a discrimination issue involving a service animal. She does her best to improve the situation for all involved. She also uses her knowledge and skills accumulated in the financial services business to help individuals with their estate plans and help business owners with their business concerns. She received my BBA in Marketing from Ohio University in 1990, her MBA with a concentration in Finance from Ohio University in 1991 and her JD with a concentration in dispute resolution from Capital University Law School in 2014. She is licensed to practice law in Ohio.
www.SHorvathLaw.com |
Wendy Schutt
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Wendy has been a long-time supporter of CDC and has adopted two dogs through us. Currently she has 2 cats and 1 dog and has always had a passion for animal welfare. Her professional background is in Human Resources and Project Management, and she has assisted us over the years with various HR issues and employment practices. She has been an independent consultant for 20 years and prior worked for several years in corporate HR for Cargill, Borden and Cardinal Health. She has been active in the Columbus community for many years – previously serving on the Board of CATCO (Contemporary American Theatre Company), working as a Docent for the Columbus Zoo, and most recently as a member of “The Contemporaries” with the Columbus Museum of Art.
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Our Staff
Megan Edwards, RVT
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Madeline Fandrey, Vet Assistant
Our Veterinarians
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Katrina Johnson, RVT & Office Manager
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Audra Hanthorn, DVM
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Devon Horne, DVM
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Molly McLeod, DVM
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About Columbus Dog Connection and "The Andy" About Columbus Dog Connection & The Andy
For 13 yrs, we have been sprinting a marathon to save dogs/cats. We know the most effective way to help the most dogs & cats is prevention.
First, we obtained office space and now have taken delivery of our first mobile truck to do spay/neuter in rural areas of Ohio.
We need to continue to raise enough funds to cover the salary for a vet, a vet tech, an assistant & supplies. The more funds we raise, the more s/n surgeries we can do.
For sponsorship info, contact Kellie at 471-9000 or kdifrischia@gmail.com
We are incredibly excited to see our dream of doing high quality, high volume spay/neuter come to a reality. We have known for many years now,
our most efficient use of donations and endless blood, sweat and tears we (and all rescue people) put into saving homeless dogs and cats,
is to get more spay/neuter services to the areas that need it most. This mobile truck will travel to rural counties to perform s/n services. This truck will also afford us the opportunity to extend services to other rescues in order to help them serve even more homeless dogs/cats.
We could not have done this with out the generosity and support of many. Without the support of Joyce & Bill, simply, we would still
be writing for grants to make the truck a reality. We named the truck Andy after their beloved pooch Andy.
Our most heart felt thanks to Joyce and Bill for believing in our dream and caring so deeply about helping so many dogs and cats.
The best way we know how to thank them is to turn Ohio into a state that has no euthanasia for lack of space.
The Dream This project inspired by our love for all dogs/cats & the phenomenal rescue & shelter people in the trenches, who give so much of themselves to save every one of them.
We operate a mobile spay/neuter service, targeting areas with a high animal population. Overpopulation results from unplanned litters in low income communities.
We travel to rural communities as well as offer services at our office here in Columbus.
Support to this project goes directly to more spay/neuter surgeries of rural, low income residents.
Scheduling, Mirna 614-471-9000 or MBLovesDogs@HotMail.com
Special thanks to:
For 13 yrs, we have been sprinting a marathon to save dogs/cats. We know the most effective way to help the most dogs & cats is prevention.
First, we obtained office space and now have taken delivery of our first mobile truck to do spay/neuter in rural areas of Ohio.
We need to continue to raise enough funds to cover the salary for a vet, a vet tech, an assistant & supplies. The more funds we raise, the more s/n surgeries we can do.
For sponsorship info, contact Kellie at 471-9000 or kdifrischia@gmail.com
We are incredibly excited to see our dream of doing high quality, high volume spay/neuter come to a reality. We have known for many years now,
our most efficient use of donations and endless blood, sweat and tears we (and all rescue people) put into saving homeless dogs and cats,
is to get more spay/neuter services to the areas that need it most. This mobile truck will travel to rural counties to perform s/n services. This truck will also afford us the opportunity to extend services to other rescues in order to help them serve even more homeless dogs/cats.
We could not have done this with out the generosity and support of many. Without the support of Joyce & Bill, simply, we would still
be writing for grants to make the truck a reality. We named the truck Andy after their beloved pooch Andy.
Our most heart felt thanks to Joyce and Bill for believing in our dream and caring so deeply about helping so many dogs and cats.
The best way we know how to thank them is to turn Ohio into a state that has no euthanasia for lack of space.
The Dream This project inspired by our love for all dogs/cats & the phenomenal rescue & shelter people in the trenches, who give so much of themselves to save every one of them.
We operate a mobile spay/neuter service, targeting areas with a high animal population. Overpopulation results from unplanned litters in low income communities.
We travel to rural communities as well as offer services at our office here in Columbus.
Support to this project goes directly to more spay/neuter surgeries of rural, low income residents.
Scheduling, Mirna 614-471-9000 or MBLovesDogs@HotMail.com
Special thanks to:
- Dr Gonzalez . Maria Shriver described Dr G perfectly with this quote, "People who are really good at their game are generous with their gifts". Thanks to Dr G for being so generous and caring about the big picture, which is addressing the overpopulation problem.
- Mike & Bob at Lizard Skinz, made our truck "ours" and we could not be more tickled with it.
- Laura Sauer, professional photographer who gave a day to shoot the dogs and cats on our truck. And thanks to her assistant, Lisa Barton.
- Kathleen at Paw Prints Photography for doing an impromptu photo shoot of our cats !