Meet Monica Ailey-welborn

We were lucky to catch up with Monica Ailey-welborn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Monica, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

My purpose has always been very clear to me. I have always, since I was a child, remember having a special connection to animals….ALL animals. There have been pivotal moments in my life that have directed me to a more specialized path but I know from my core, I was put on this earth to help animals.
I always cared if an animal had water, I always cared if a dog was lost, I always cared if birds had food, I always cared if they were cold or hurt. I remember being a child and feeling concern for an animal in need. I even remember when I was about 5 years old, being on the playground and the teachers started ushering all the kids indoors because there was a snake in the culvert nearby. While everyone was running one way, I was running toward the area the snake was seen. I had two purposes for wanting to get closer; curiosity and to make sure no one hurt the snake. Well, that plan was quickly squashed when my older cousin turned me right around and made me go inside!

One of the pivotal moments that paved the path to where I am now was when my dad had bought me a Rottweiler puppy from a pet store in the mall for my 18th birthday. I walked in the house and there was the puppy I had been looking at through the glass at the pet store just days before. My excitement was short lived because I had recently read that puppies from pet stores generally come from puppy mills. I looked at my dad and told him why I couldn’t keep her. We were going to have to take her back. I could not support puppy mills. Well, she slept with me that night and needless to say, I didn’t have the heart to take her back. So, I vowed to be the voice to educated others about the horrors of puppy mills.

Another pivotal moment was when I was watching all the animals after Hurricane Katrina on TV. Everyone was focused on the people but no one seemed to be helping the animals. I ultimately ended up connecting with a national animal organization to do animal search and rescue in the city of New Orleans. We stayed in a FEMA tent and worked 20 hours in extreme heat to pull peoples pets to safety. This experience was life changing.

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?

After obtaining the training and certifications to become a national emergency animal Responder, where I traveled around the country with many of the national organizations, helping animals after natural disasters and rescuing them from large scale animal cruelty cases (puppy mills, hoarding etc). What I realized was that there was a lack of resources focused on these issues in Texas. Along the way I met a woman that would share the same ideas and dreams of starting an organization to help the animals in the direst of circumstances. This women, Paige Anderson, was small in stature but had a mighty strength about her. She was ready to create something like Texas had never seen.

In October 2015, Paige and I launched Animal Investigation & Response (AIR) into the world and became the only mobile Response team that specialized in large scale animal cruelty cases and natural disaster response in the state of Texas. Four days later, our excitement came to a screeching halt when Paige was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of ovarian cancer. I often think back to a conversation we had a few months before her passing. She said, “And here I thought AIR was going to be my future, but I know now that it will be my legacy”. That’s when I knew she was ready to go. She fought with all that she had but ultimately passed away a year later.

We started this organization with $100 in the bank, backed by a lot of passion and drive! We didn’t have a lot to offer at the time, but we still found ways to make the biggest impact for animals. Now we have about 250 Responders across the state, two 40ft Response Units, two trucks to haul the trailers and supplies in large quantities to be able to assist many types of large-scale situations. We now offer law enforcement and animal control agencies facing a large seizure of animals with; financial support, case/court support, manpower for daily care of animals, forensic vetting, medical treatment of animals, enrichment, as well as placement and transport. We do not have a facility, so we travel to where the need is and temporarily house animals in many types of buildings until the civil part of their case is done. We can turn any building (from a horse barn to an annex building to county fairgrounds) into a full functioning emergency temporary shelter. There is not an organization like us and to have this sort of resource for Texas animals is something all states wish they had.

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?

I had two major losses in my life, my husband and then my best friend Paige a couple of years later. After my husband unexpectedly passed in 2014, Paige felt stronger than ever that we needed to make AIR become reality. She wanted to be sure I felt I had a purpose to focus on. When I realized Paige was also going to be leaving me, I knew I had to seek out the help of a counselor. Learning to move forward with our dream, alone, was a hard road to travel but I believe Paige has been instrumental in sending people to help our dream grow into what it is today. She is in everything we do! I know she is ‘up there’ cheering us on!

Paige taught me a lot of things. She taught me about being fierce in everything you are passionate about! She taught me to never take no for an answer because there is always a way to make miracles happen (for the animals). And along the way, I learned that grief is a companion that never leaves your side. You can live with grief and also find happiness.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

We are always looking for people that are passionate about joining our team! Our volunteer Responders come from all walks of life. They all have at least one thing in common – a love for animals. They range in age from their 20’s to their 70’s and have different skill levels. We have Responders that are Law Enforcement and Animal Control Officers, Veterinarians and Vet Techs to students and retirees. We have work for any adult of any skill level and age. Anyone interested in signing up to be notified of our next AIR Responder Orientation can sign up at this link

Volunteer

We are also in search of people that are interested in helping us with our next phase of growth. We are in the discussion stages of this, but we have BIG plans! Our future goals are to have a property and facility of our very own one day. One of the biggest challenges that we face when an agency is requesting our help is a location to temporarily house the animals during their custody hold. We never want a group of animals to have to stay in harm’s way because we cannot find a place to hold them. Unfortunately, this is the reality we face at times. We would also utilize this facility to allow coastal shelters to have place to pre evacuate animals to when in the path of a hurricane or affected by any other natural disaster. There is no question that Texas animals need this resource more than ever. If someone is interested in helping us move towards this goal, they can reach us at air@animalinvestigationandresponse.org

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.animalinvestigationandresponse.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalinvestigationandresponse/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIRResponders
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/animal-investigation-and-response/
• Twitter: https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FAIRResponders
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_y6j2qBe50Do0QDEAcRmQ