Terri Crisp

Terri Crisp has volunteered and worked in the animal welfare movement since 1983. The majority of this time has been spent managing animals during natural disasters. "My first rescue was a puppy during a flood. He was chained to a car, dog paddling to stay alive in five feet of water. When he was saved from a certain death and tucked safely under my raincoat, I knew the course of my life had just changed." Since that fateful day, Terri has trained and managed volunteers to respond to the needs of animals during 71 major disasters in the United States, Canada, Japan, Poland, Romania and Sri Lanka.

On September 11, 2007, Terri's life took another unexpected turn. It began with an email sent to SPCA International from a soldier serving in Iraq, desperate to get the dog he befriended during his tour of duty to the United States. Terri's years of experience overcoming what always seemed like insurmountbale challenges, is what lead her boss at SPCA International to ask her to see if there was any way to overcame some enormous obstacles to save Charlie. Braving the dangers of a country at war and a culture that views dogs and cats as inner city slum dwellers view rats, Terri has repeatedly traveled to Iraq and saved not only Charlie, but 350 other dogs and cats - plus one donkey. From this first rescue grew Operation Baghdad Pups which continues today so those serving in Iraq can keep their promise to not leave their four-legged buddy behind on the battlefield. To learn more about Operation Baghdad Pups visit the SPCA International website at www.spcai.org.

The accumulation of experiences that Terri has had while saving animals led her to write two books, Out of Harm's Way and Emergency Animal Rescue Stories. Both books include heartwarming and sometimes heart breaking stories from such disasters as the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Hurricane Andrew and the 1993 floods in the Mid West.

Terri's selfless work has been an inspiration to many who have found their own way to make this a better world for animals too. A born crusader for the animals, Terri down plays the recognition she has received through the years. "The only acknowledgments I need are the ones like I got from that first puppy I saved when he reached up and gave me a grateful lick on my face once he knew he was safe."