Having met in 2002, and married in 2010, Earl and Amanda have opened their hearts and home to fostering and adopting dogs and cats in severe need of love and safety. Sharing their joys and passion for their pets has brought them to Paws To Share.

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Amanda and Earl joined Paws To Share in August of 2022 to share the love and joy that their pets brought them with those that PTS serves. Nothing brings them greater joy than seeing the smiles on the faces of clients who are incapacitated when they bring their dogs to visit or the laughter of children who get to spend time petting their pooches.

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They now serve the role as Territory Manager together in order to expand and broaden the opportunity to share the love and joy of their fur babies to everyone in Los Angeles County.
 

I’m exceptionally fortunate; for as long as I can remember I’ve been surrounded by a loving family—complete with animals to complete the picture.  My life is enveloped by my loving wife, two loving daughters, and two loving dogs — Mia and Lila, and two loving (yes, loving) cats — Artemis, Apollo and Toulouse. 
 

But as fortunate as I am, I’m also surrounded by loved ones who were not in the same boat — within a single week, my daughters shared how much they missed our animals while at school, my mother, who’s in an Assisted Living Facility, bemoaned not having pets around, and my Nephew, an apartment dweller, was looking longingly at Scottie’s online to make up for the fact he couldn’t have one.  So in that week, the idea that became Paws-to-Share was born; because we should all be that fortunate to share the love of a pet.

Hello, I'm Mindy Gould. You'll often see me at visits with my handsome Bengal service cat Popcorn, a large cuddly rescue cat Vanilla Ice, any assortment of adoptable cats/kittens and/or a rescued chiweenie Pumpkin.  I have a Master's Degree in Education and Learning, Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, and an Associate degree in premed. 

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I am a former special education and mentor teacher.  I developed a high school girl's wrestling program and was the head coach. Since retiring, I continue to coach girl's wrestling, am a professional cat behavior coach, volunteer CEO of Act 2 Rescue and a Paws to Share cat and dog handler and territory manager. The rescue I founded two years ago, Act 2 Rescue, has helped over 500 cats.

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I have worked with Paws to Share since 2019. I started with my two cats, Piggy & Fozzie, as well as Pumpkin. I enjoy working with Paws to Share because it gives me the opportunity to continue working with students and the public spreading joy with our animals. I am grateful for the time I get to discuss training cats, rescue work, and answering visitors’ questions. Paws to Share has given me the opportunity to pursue my passion of bringing positive energy to the world around me.  As a territory manager, I also get to help others enjoy this opportunity that is so deeply fulfilling. Few things can compare to seeing joy spread across visitors’ faces when they see the animals. It is truly a rewarding experience. 

I grew up in Ventura County and never left. I was lucky my family was open to having pets, from guinea pigs, to cats, to an occasional stray dog that followed me from school, we welcomed them all into our home. I continued my love of animals as an adult by adopting cats and dogs, and I have been fortunate to volunteer at local shelters and participate in their foster programs.

Everything changed the day I saw Monty’s picture on the Internet, he was my dog, and we immediately went and adopted him from a high kill shelter. I knew he was special, and I had to find a way to share his gift with others. Fate stepped in on a warm day in September of 2023 when we took Monty to Pup-Topia in Long Beach and met Jaime and Paws-to-Share. It was such a chance meeting, we were ready to leave and do our 2- hour drive back to Ventura when I told my very patient husband, one more booth and it was worth the wait. 

Even though I have a supportive husband, I always say Monty is my furry soulmate. Watching Monty and the Paws-to-Share dogs and cats share their love is such an honor, and the joy they give others warms my heart every time.

“Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.” – Dean Koontz

I have a degree in Finance and after 35 years in banking, I am retiring to pursue my passion of sharing the unconditional love of animals with others. For me this is the next chapter of my story, and the FUN has just begun.

Hi my name is Maritza born and raised in beautiful San Diego. Since a little girl I’ve always loved all kinds of animals begging for a horse or a pony. One day we were able to rescue kittens and I named mine Pongo, after the dog in 101 Dalmatians knowing one day I would be a dog mom.

By 13 years old, I was able to convince my parents to get me a dog named Sasha a chihuahua/terrier mix who lived to be 18 years old. I always told my family one day I would have a pug and they laughed, saying how ugly they were and that they looked like aliens. Then one day I saw Frank’s picture online and it was love at first sight. Since the moment Frank and I met I knew he was my spirit animal. Frank and I would go on to find the love of the beach together enjoying the beautiful San Diego weather. One day on a doggie date in Ocean Beach we ran into Isabella and her cute doggies playing in the water. Seeing how great Frank and Wally were together, Isabella let us know about

Paws to share and the rest is history. Since then working with Paws to Share Frank and Wally have spread so much happiness. Seeing how happy, excited everyone gets when we’re on visits has been so rewarding. Luckily I have the support of my amazing boyfriend who wanted me to find my happiness. Who knew loving my pugs would put me in a place to spread joy to the world. 

Johnell Lalonde brings both heart and experience to everything she does—but above all, she is a lifelong animal lover. Her home has always been filled with the joy of multiple pets, each one a reflection of her deep compassion and unwavering commitment to their care. Over the years, she has dedicated herself to working with pet rescue organizations, offering her time, energy, and kindness to animals in need, and helping many find safe, loving homes.

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Professionally, Johnell is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) with a distinguished career built on trust, empathy, and results. Her work in recruitment, employee development, conflict resolution, and organizational policy reflects the same thoughtful, people-centered approach she brings to her love of animals. Whether supporting teams or advocating for pets, Johnell is guided by a genuine desire to create environments where both people and animals can thrive.

Isabel provides bookkeeping and payroll solutions to self-employed individuals, start-ups, small-to-medium-sized businesses and non-profit organizations, with our hybrid (in-house and remote) program for customers based in the Greater L.A. Area and remotely nationwide, delivering a clear overview of your business activity and financial position.