Photograph by Tracy Page / Babycake Studios
Amy Robitshek
Amy Robitshek has six dogs that are part of her family, but she also opens her home to foster others’ pets.
Amy Robitshek is devoted to animals. She’s always been that way. “I was raised in a suburban home, but was fortunate enough to be around all kinds of animals growing up. Cats and dogs, turtles, rabbits, as well as any and all stray or injured animals that came our way. It was just what we did as a family.” So caring for animals is a core value for her, whether volunteering to walk dogs at a shelter or donating to rescue groups. “I personally adopted an FIV-positive cat and nurtured it back to health, after which it lived 10 miraculously healthy years. After adopting a dog from a shelter, I began fostering animals.” Ultimately, her passion stirred her to start a nonprofit called Good Shepherd Animal Refuge (www.gsarga.org). “With this organization, our vision is to provide everything from in-home care to temporary housing to adoption support for animals of those in crisis: individuals undergoing longterm medical treatment or who are in hospice care, families affected by abuse or homelessness, those joining our armed forces overseas. This is my way of extending my love for animals and providing a service to give peace and comfort to those who adore their animals as much as I do.” At 41, Amy is a part-time legal assistant. She and her husband, a doctor at Floyd Medical Center, moved to Rome four years ago from California. The best part is they have a home in the country with plenty of land, a pond and her kennels for fostering. Her own six dogs love romping and playing along the rolling landscape. Amy also manages to find time to serve as a pet partner with Compassionate Paws, a therapy dog organization. “I see firsthand how animals can affect humans. I have personally participated with my own animals delivering emotional attention through therapy visits, witnessed others provide physical support as service dogs, medical care through diabetes detection and seizure alerting and so on.” Perhaps it’s because she is quite shy that her outreach is to animals and through animals. Some might be surprised too that this introvert has “a full back piece tattoo that has been featured in several magazines – a youthful escapade that I will wear forever.” But it’s her love of animals that she wears most prominently. She sees it as part of her service to God. “I wanted to combine my love for Christian ministry and outreach with my passion and love for animals and do so in the nonprofit sector. This organization fulfills all three of my desires.” Charlotte Atkins, Editor
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