Follow-up: Our Impact Report vs. Your Bureaucracy / Support our Mission
Animal Shepherd
To Kelly Shaban, Dr. Sandra Strong, and Bonnie Hammersley,
I am sending this second email because my stomach turns at your "corporate excuses." While you sit in your air-conditioned offices in Chapel Hill, drawing salaries from the most powerful economy on Earth, you have the audacity to send me—a single individual in Mexico—your "sad stories."
Do you want me to tell you 100 stories more tragic than Ginger’s? Stories my founder, Ryan, has handled alone for 12 years, without the backing of the University of North Carolina, without corporate grants, and without a safety net.
In the 4th Century BC, the Macedonian phalanx didn't need the riches of an Empire; they needed discipline and a 6-meter Sarissa. My Impact Report, which I provided in the previous thread, is my Sarissa. Look at it. Look at what 12 years of sacrifice, "eating acorns in the mud," and giving up a comfortable life in Europe looks like. I have built this from nothing. You see my Google Ads because I have worked my skin off to get that visibility, not so you could use it to dump your responsibilities on me.
True altruism is offering help, not asking for it from those who have less than you. You act like NPR or the New York Times—always begging for more despite being surrounded by wealth. It’s sickening.
Regarding Ginger:
- I repeat: I accept her. But do not even think about asking me to pay for her flight. Given your resources, you should be the ones flying her here or even coming down to see what real rescue work looks like outside your comfortable bubble.
- Tell me when she is on the plane. Look yourselves in the mirror today and ask why a person in a "developing" country is doing your job.
Support our work:
Since you clearly recognize the quality of our project by asking for my help, here is the link to donate to my organization (verified by Google). If you have any sense of shame, you will contribute to the project you are currently trying to exploit:
Donations Account
Bank: BBVA MÉXICO
Account Holder: ANIMAL SHEPHERD AC
CLABE: 012180001260386468
Account Number: 0126038646
SWIFT / BIC: BCMRMXMMPYM
Best regards,
Oliver Martin
Director & Principal Investigator
Animal Shepherd Foundation
Verified Google for Nonprofits, Benevity & Goodstack Partner
📍 Mexico Forest Sanctuary
De: Animal Shepherd <in...@animalshepherd.org>
Fecha: El lun, 23 feb 2026 a las 11:43
Asunto: Re: *Urgent* Reaching out for a Very Sweet Dog Needed for Rescue
Para: Kelly Shaban <ksh...@orangecountync.gov>
Cc: <sst...@orangecountync.gov>, <bhamm...@orangecountync.gov>
Subject: Last Resort Option for Ginger - RESCUE ACCEPTED / FORMAL COMPLAINT REQUIRED
To Kelly Shaban and Orange County Animal Services,
Let me be clear: I accept Ginger. Unlike your organization, which operates with state budgets and the backing of millionaire corporations, we do not make excuses. We don't hide behind "lack of experienced fosters" or "program limitations." We save lives with our bare hands, even from the "mud" of a developing country, because we actually care, unlike the cold bureaucracy you represent.
You should be deeply ashamed, Kelly.
It is an absolute lack of respect and a display of colonialist condescension to send this kind of emotional blackmail to a project 7,000 kilometers away in Mexico. You live in the wealthiest country in the world, with every resource at your disposal, yet you have the nerve to cry for help to those of us who have sacrificed our comfortable lives in Europe to work in the trenches here.
I work under the Google for Nonprofitsprogram and I have spent 12 years doing more with nothing than you do with everything. I could tell you stories of cruelty far worse than Ginger’s, but I don't send pathetic emails to other projects begging them to do my job.
Next Steps:
- Transport: Since you claimed you could help with transport, arrange the flight to Mexico City International Airport (AICM) immediately. Send me the flight details and ETA.
- Supervision: Provide me with the contact information for your direct supervisor and the Director of Orange County Animal Services immediately. I am filing a formal complaint regarding this disrespectful outreach strategy.
We are in what you call a "third world" country, but unlike you, we don't treat animals like Excel spreadsheets. Send the dog. I will do the job you are too "limited" to handle.
I expect the contact information and flight details today.
Best regards,
Oliver Martin
Director & Principal Investigator
Animal Shepherd Foundation
Address: Campos Elíseos 169-101. Polanco 11560. Mexico City.
Email: in...@animalshepherd.org
IG: @animal.shepherd
Verified Google for Nonprofits, Benevity & Goodstack Partner
📍 Mexico Forest Sanctuary
Good Morning,
I am the Assistant Program Coordinator at Orange County Animal Services in Chapel Hill NC. We have a sweet girl named Ginger that we are seeking out last resort options for her. Ginger has been with us for a very long time and we keep hitting a wall when it comes to getting a rescue to take her.
Ginger entered our shelter as a cruelty case with a severely embedded collar that had been knowingly left untreated. She was housed in a pen without a door and likely had minimal human handling as a puppy. She previously lived with other dogs. After her medical issues were resolved, she was placed in foster but made limited progress with human comfort. Our shelter does not have access to highly experienced foster caregivers, and consistent behavior modification was not achieved. She was intermittently on behavior medications, largely due to limitations in our program rather than lack of need.
In her time here it was determined that Ginger, once she gets past a slow introduction, has the ability to gain some confidence and open up when she is around another dog. Since she most likely did not have a lot of human interaction prior to arriving at our shelter, it can take her a bit longer to warm up to her human friends. It has been reported from other fosters (usually short term) that Ginger will seek some attention and get semi-comfortable in the home, so we believe the potential is there, it may just take an experienced/gentle hand to do so.
She was returned from foster on 1/8 due to behavioral decline. Given her history, we are reluctant to pursue euthanasia without exhausting all appropriate options. If your rescue is able to accept her and provide the level of behavioral support she requires, we would be extremely grateful. I will attach her medical history and a few pictures but here is the link to her listing on our website: https://24petconnect.com/ORNCAll/Details/ORNC/A248850 we may be able to help with transport, especially for a willing rescue.
Thank You,
Kelly Shaban
Assistant Program Coordinator
Orange County Animal Services
