Cincinnati Animal CARE’s Shelter Slumber Pawty

For all of those don’t know me, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Geraldine Chavez and my passion towards animal welfare started in June of 2021 when I picked up my first foster from Cincinnati Animal CARE. Her name was Four Locko and I had a spicy doodle boy with me. I just knew he was going to fail his meet and greet, but he passed and she came home with us. 

That sparked something in me and I know this is going to cliche, but falling in love with volunteering to open my home to shelter dogs in need, changed my life’s trajectory and I haven’t looked back since.

How C.A.R.E. Changed My Life

1. Educated me. I had no idea that shelters were overflowing and dogs were dying. I had no idea there were more dogs than homes in this world and people had the audacity to keep forcing the production of more. I learned about spay/abort. I learned that females can get something called pyometra from not being spayed and it can kill them. My eyes were more open than ever had been and my heart shifted learning all this sadness. My niche became overbred mama dogs. I fostered Nezuko who reinforced my love for mamas. 

2. Adopted My Serena. I fostered and fell deeply in love with my 9th foster. My Serena. She is and will forever be the sweetest soul I have ever met. She made me a better person and my advocacy for the so many like her, grew stronger. The desire to protect her and those like her was intense. February 21, 2022 I adopted my first rescue dog and I will never support another breeder until the end of time. Sadly she passed away February 26th, 2025, but not before she gently helped me foster 58 more souls.  So this fundraiser is for her.  

3. I quit my job. I was overworked,  underpaid and I stopped caring. I put in my two weeks with no idea what I was going to do. I took two months and decided I was going to spend time doing what makes me happy. I started my own dog care business, Cuddles In Motion, and my entire life is now dogs. I foster and rescue when I can, but thankfully I am very busy doing something I love. 

4. I bought a house. Now that animals were my life, I wanted a yard. I wanted to give my pups and all the pups in my care, a better life. I have been able to expand to include boarding. I bought my home with the intention of giving back. I have a separate boarding place for dogs that don’t get along well with others and it’s safe and I take pride in seeing former shelter pups come full circle. 

5. Expanded my family. I fell in love with my 59th foster as well as my 71st and I adore being their mom. There’s nothing better. Gustavo and Segundo bring me so much joy and purpose. Knowing they didn’t have kind beginnings, makes it so easy to give them everything. 

So, that’s why Cincinnati Animal CARE is so important to me and why I picked up Twist for a slumber party. 

                       Meet Twist 

▪️Sweet as pie

▪️ Heartworm positive (received his first treatment and has his others scheduled that he MUST attend

▪️Dog friendly with some sexual motivation that subsides as he relaxes 

▪️ Appears to be potty trained 

▪️ Loves his person 

▪️ Happy, happy happy 

▪️ Neutered  

CAC is Hamilton County’s ONLY open-intake shelter, meaning we take in every animal that comes through our doors. At any given time, we have hundreds of dogs onsite and hundreds more in foster homes.

• Maintains a 90%+ lifesaving rate
• Recognized as no-kill through Best Friends Animal Society
• Is also a resource center for our community and holds vaccine clinics, food pantries, surrender prevention, and much more.

But here’s the reality: shelters cannot do this alone.

We are in the middle of a national overpopulation crisis, and the system only works if the community shows up. I have seen CAC pick itself up through CDV outbreak, movement between THREE locations, and countless code red's  (population overflow). They need us. They need the community. People have to spay and neuter their pets, laws need to change and more people need to care. Until then, you’ll find me rescuing dogs. 

🫶🏽

Serena, this is for you.