Meet Jennifer Ramsey

We recently connected with Jennifer Ramsey and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer , so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?

As a kid growing up I was constantly filled with curiosity. This curiosity helped drive me to explore and learn as much as I could about everything around me. The first time my parents informed me that I was eating an animal I was devastated. The idea that something that was living and breathing and running around enjoying life could be killed just so that I could have a meal seemed ridiculous. This was the start of my compassion towards animals. As I became an adult, I became a vegetarian and began training to be a veterinarian. I interned with several clinics and saw people focusing on dollar signs and not the well-being of those they served. This bothered me. I did not want to be in a field where I would become desensitized, lose my compassion and empathy, and be more concerned about money than the lives I was supposed to be saving. That is when I decided to open a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping animals who do not have the same rescue opportunities as mainstream pets do. It was then that Creepy Critters Rescue was born. Our rescue is dedicated to saving the lives of alternative pets in need. We rehabilitate, acclimate, and find forever homes for the creatures in our care. The animals that cannot be suitably placed in a forever home stay with us in our sanctuary. Through this mission, I’ve been able to allow myself to focus on each animal with compassion, kindness, and I’ve never lost sight of the goal, which is to save a life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Here at Creepy Critters Rescue, we are focused on providing love for animals that are not traditionally loved by the majority of society. We want to make sure that all animals circulating the pet trade have a resource for help when they need it. There are thousands of rescues focused on helping cats, dogs, horses, bunnies, and all the other adorable furry friends. There are so many other animals circulating the pet trade that end up abandoned, injured, or just needing new homes. Most of the animals we work with are reptiles. This includes turtles, tortoises, lizards, and snakes. We also help wildlife, various bugs in the pet industry, such as tarantulas, scorpions, millipedes, centipedes, and alternative pets such as chinchillas, hedgehogs, axolotl‘s, ferrets, and more. We are a nonprofit organization meaning that all the money donated and raised for our rescue goes 100% back into the rescue. The people who help us provide care are all volunteers. We are lucky enough to have a full medical treatment center at our rescue so that animals can be cared for in house. Once the animals are healthy our volunteers take time to socialize the animals and teach them to trust humans again. From there, we do adoption events, and try to find these animals homes that are more prepared than the ones they came from. Sometimes animals spend the rest of their lives with us. There’s nothing more wonderful than taking in an animal that seemingly has no chance for recovery, and through hard work, long hours, and unlimited compassion, we are able to provide that animal with healing and a new long happy life.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

For me, the 3 most important skills that allowed us to succeed were as follows:
1. Ability to work hard.
You will never be successful if you do not work hard at what you want to achieve.
2. Determination.
If we had a problem, we had to find a way to fix it. If we needed a resource, we had to branch out and keep trying until we were able to find it. If we needed help, we were not afraid to ask. If you give up, all the hard work goes to waste and your venture will never flourish.
3. Kindness.
Being kind to anybody, you have to work with will achieve greater results.
We are kind to the animals so that they learn to trust us and respond to our care, and so that they learn to bond with the humans that care for them. This allows us to find them wonderful homes. We are kind to our volunteers because without them, we wouldn’t be able to help as many animals as we do. We are kind to our supporters because they help keep us going. We are even kind to the people who bring us the animals they have failed. Lecturing somebody who is handing over an animal that you will be able to save does not help the person or the animal. There are many reasons people fail, but the most important thing is that they realize they’re failing and ask for help and that’s where we come in.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

Many people think that organizations like ours receive funding from the cities and counties that they serve. In the case of Reptiles, that is absolutely not true. There are no resources for animal shelters that do not do cats and dogs. Everything we do has to be paid for by our own efforts. Ever since things shut down during Covid, we have been inundated with animals needing help, but the amount of support that we have received from donors has decreased significantly. Many of us are paying out of pocket to make sure that these animals continue to receive the care they need at the level they deserve. We are always seeking donors and investors to help us continue to reach more animals and to achieve higher standards so that they can thrive in our care. If you or your organization would like to support what we do and sponsor one of the animals in our care or make a donation towards one of our projects, we would greatly appreciate it. You can reach out to us on our website at www.creepycrittersrescue.com.
Thank you so much.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.Creepycrittersrescue.Com
• Instagram: @creepycrittersrescue
• Facebook: Creepy Critters Rescue

Image Credits

The photos were taken by Jennifer Ramsey

The logo was created by Nyssa Ramsey-Clarke