ROBIN PRESSNALL
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
SMALL PAWS RESCUE
INC.
BIOGRAPHY
Robin Pressnall is a singer, an author, and
Executive Director
of Small Paws Rescue
(SPR),
a charitable, Federal
not-for-profit organization
whose mission is
to "rescue and
supply
any Bichon Frise
or Bichon-mix, nationwide,
regardless of age
or medical condition
with
love, shelter, food,
human companionship,
medical care, and
spay/neuter services
through
local veterinarians
until permanent placement
is secured into a
pre-screened loving
home."
Robin was born in
Oklahoma City and
grew
up in Midwest City,
Oklahoma. As an only
child who lacked
the companionship
of siblings,
Robin found joy in
the many pets that
graced
her life, whether
they were finned,
feathered,
or furry. Robin also
found that she possessed
a God-given talent
for music, and as
a teenager
sang and played the
piano in church functions
and local gatherings.
After attending Oklahoma
City University,
Robin became a secondary
school teacher and
later worked as a
Realtor. At one time
she
owned and operated
a bed and breakfast
called
“Robin’s Nest.”
Robin met Dale, her
husband of twenty
two
years while sitting
in an airport in
New
York City. They married
and Robin moved to
Tulsa where they
now reside with their
five
dogs, all rescues.
Dale is an environmental
engineer.
Over the years Robin's
musical abilities
have produced three
albums, all fund-raisers
for SPR: Someone
to Watch Over Me
(a collection
of favorite love
songs), A Very Small
Paws
Christmas, and It's
a God Thing (a collection
of inspirational
and patriotic songs).
Robin is also a published
author with the
"Chicken Soup
for the Dog Lover's
Soul"
series.
Robin Co-founded Small Paws Rescue (smallpawsrescue.org)
in September 1998. Currently supported by
over 6,000 people in 23 countries and 800
volunteers across America.
To date SPR has rescued,
vetted, and re-homed
over 7000 Bichons.
In 2001 SPR was featured
on the cable network
Animal Planet, and
re-runs
continued for years.
That episode told
of Small Paws' commitment
to obtain medical
service for even
the most
critically ill of
Bichons, an eight-week-old
puppy who required
open-heart surgery.
SPR
has facilitated the
heart murmur repair
surgeries
of 61 Bichons and
Bichon Mixes, most
done
at Texas A&M
University School
of Veterinary
Medicine.
In January 2002 SPR
was chosen as Kathie
Lee Gifford's charity
of the month.
Robin is often invited
to speak at national
conferences to educate
and inform the public
about responsible
pet ownership, about
the
importance of spaying
or neutering pets,
about the inner rewards
of being a rescue
volunteer.
In February 2006,
Robin appeared on
the NBC
Evening News with
Brian Williams.
Animal Planet featured
Small Paws Rescue
again, this time
in an episode entitled
"Dogs
101" which aired
originally in the
late
summer of 2008, and
still airs today
in re-runs.
Robin also speaks
fervently and passionately
of her hope that
the day will soon
come when
there is no longer
a market for puppies
sold
in commercial pet
shops. Then, and
only then,
will the suffering
endured by thousands
of
companion animals
in the puppy mills
of America
cease.
To sum up Robin's
work with Small Paws,
she
believes that it
isn't just about
rescuing
the dogs. "Small
Paws is really about
the people who adopt
the dogs and about
our
awesome God who loves
the people,"
says
Robin. "I believe
that God has called
me to get a message
out to a hurting
world
- that if God will
take care of a homeless
little dog, a little
dog with a life span
of only a few years,
think how much more
God will take care
of His human children
and their families.
Through the power
of
prayer, I know that
when two or three
of
us are gathered together,
God is there also.
So when we step out
in faith to help
those
in need, God provides
the ways and the
means
to accomplish those
purposes.
"Small Paws
always has been and
always
will be - a God-thing!"
918-638-5854 cell
pup3@aol.com e-mail
www.smallpawsrescue.org
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