Lori was born and raised in Pennsylvania but decided to head out West after graduating from college in the mid '90s. A career with the National Park Service moved her around Colorado, Arizona and Utah before she landed in the Big Bend region of Texas fifteen years ago. A lifelong lover of canines, Lori has always volunteered or worked at shelters and rescues along the way, and for the last five years she has served on the board of The Underground Dog, fostered dozens of adorable puppies, and learned more about cats than she could have imagined. Lori lives in Marathon, TX with her husband Steve and their four dogs. She enjoys long walks in the desert, birding and photography.

Trish grew up in Louisville, KY, before moving to coastal Florida and later settling in Pecos, Texas with her husband. Her effort to save two puppies in Pecos connected her with the local shelter, and ultimately led her to fulfill her dream of working in animal rescue through OTAT-West Texas! Trish’ passion for animals may have started as a child, but it truly took root when she met her beloved pal, Doug, whom she rescued from a holler in eastern Kentucky when he was just a puppy. The two have been inseparable ever since, and Doug even stood by her side on her wedding day. Though she misses fishing and boating, Trish is enjoying the West Texas desert. She lives full-time in an RV with her husband (Kyle) her 110 lb Rottweiler Mix (Doug), and their border collie (Ladybug), embracing the freedom and adventure of the life they’ve all created together.

Sergio has lifetime roots in Far West Texas and across the Mexican state of Chihuahua. He graduated high school in Van Horn, TX and after high school worked in the fields and for area ranches. Sergio served in the Army for 4 years stationed between Washington and Hawaii with a short stint in Japan. For a time Sergio worked in corrections in Odessa, Monahans and Marfa, Texas. He was the lone Animal Control Officer for the City of Presidio from April 2016-April 2023. Sergio lives with his wife Zulma and rescue pups Waldo and Canela in Odessa, TX. He has 4 children and a gaggle of grandkids and spends much of his free time with his family across the region. Like most desert residents, he dreams of the beach.

Elizabeth feels like she won the lottery with this job. Born and raised in Corpus Christi, TX and Budapest, Hungary, she loves living in interesting places. Living in Far West Texas is no exception, and after 5 years she is still finding new places to explore with her 2 rescue dogs, Penelope and Fiona. She has spent her life studying the arts, herbal medicine, librarianship, sailing, and all things wild. As a teenager, she took the opportunity to volunteer with the Red Cross to teach English to Afghan refugees in Budapest, travel to Romania to work with the orphans of the AIDS crisis, and deliver medicine to a monastery in the Carpathian Mountains. She credits her mother with teaching her how to be loving and strong in the face of great challenges and her father with how to take the time to be prepared for any adventure. Elizabeth is excited to be of service to the animals of Far West Texas as part of OTAT’s mission to provide rescue support in the remote mountains and desert of the Trans-Pecos.

Jovanna was born and raised in El Paso, but having so much family across the border in Ojinaga, in November 2020 she moved to Presidio with her 5 rescued cats and dogs. Jovanna had a talent and interest for art and drawing when younger, but growing up surrounded by pets since birth, the passion that took the cake was animals. So much so, Jovanna even decided to love the scary ones and keep them as pets; she loves her tarantulas and insect collection as if they were her children! Jovanna plans to pursue a career in Entomology, as she would like to devote herself to creatures beyond just the ones in West Texas. She is very excited to dedicate herself to improving and saving the lives of animals. Seeing the massive changes that OTAT-West Texas has made for animals in Presidio, she's so happy to be part of it!

Heather was born into a family of farmers and educators in rural central New York. She spent more than 20 years working on social justice issues with the ACLU, Louisiana Justice Coalition, and National Association for Public Defense. She moved to Big Bend National Park in 2010. Alarmed by the number of animals in shelters and on the streets of West Texas, she started The Underground Dog in 2019, which she ran as a volunteer for 5 years before it graduated to become One Tail at at Time - West Texas. She loves wild places and wild life and lives off the grid at the end of a dirt road in Terlingua, TX with her partner Mark, their many pets, and an incredible view. In her free time, she is working to learn Spanish (figures that the language she already studied is French!). She rarely goes anywhere without a dog or three.

Genevieve's love for animals and the arts blossomed early in her home state of Florida. Studying dance from the age of 3, and working professionally by 13, she also volunteered thousands of hours at local animal hospitals & shelters, while attending art school. Eager to drive change through creativity, Genevieve earned a degree in Marketing, and spent a decade in creating innovative marketing programs and products. In 2015, she began traveling the American West in a vintage Toyota camper, adopting her soul dog, Sailor, from a high-kill shelter in California. Now settled in West Texas, Genevieve channels her passion for animals into her work at OTAT-WTX, blending creativity, connectivity, and compassion to help West Texas dogs live their best lives.

Suzanne was raised on a small hobby farm among the cranberry bogs of rural Massachusetts, caring for her family's menagerie of cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, and her beloved American Saddlebred Horses which she showed competitively into her teens. After graduating from the University of Florida in Gainesville, she became a labor organizer which took her around the country and eventually to New Orleans, where she still lives with her husband of 20 years and their rescue kitty Sufi. Her introduction to animal rescue came in 2005, when Best Friends Animal Society braved the floodwaters left by Hurricane Katrina to rescue countless stranded pets including her own cat, Boo. She is thrilled to combine her love of animals with her conviction that empowering people with the resources and tools they need is what makes this a better world for us all.

From Baja California, México, Bernardo grew up in Silicon Valley, California and studied at San Francisco State. He has over 20 years experience working in the tech field as a technical writer and project manager. Bernardo has lived in Texas for 20 years and is liking the West Texas region the best. He was a full time RV nomad for some time visiting various states of the Mid-West and living in about 100 square feet of living space. He has also traveled the world taking advantage of his remote jobs but is now settled in Alpine, Texas with his two blue heeler doggos (Ponzu and Rex, and the occasional foster) and several fig and apple trees. He hopes to assist the community and OTAT-WTX on their mission of rescuing animals and is excited for all the opportunity to make a difference.