Rachel Mairose, executive director of Eden Prairie-based Secondhand Hounds, has turned her passion for animal rescue into a nonprofit organization that has rescued more than 15,000 animals.
After growing up in a family that fostered dogs, Mairose discovered her affinity for animal rescue and the need for it while volunteering at programs in St. Louis, where she was studying at Washington University.
"I never thought of it as something that I would do for a career," said Mairose, who earned a degree in environmental science with a minor in law and animal behavior.
Instead of going to law school, Mairose returned to Minnesota, where her husband was in medical school.
She had no experience running an organization and was pregnant when she launched Secondhand Hounds in 2009.
"I look back on it and think how crazy was I that it seemed like a good idea when I was seven months' pregnant," Mairose said. "But it just seemed to be the right thing to do."
Secondhand Hounds last year saw more than 3,300 pets adopted and spent more than $1 million on veterinary care for rescued animals, Mairose said.
The organization accomplishes its mission through the efforts of more than 3,000 volunteers, Mairose said. Volunteers hold 17 of 30 staff positions while the others are paid.
Some 400 to 500 of the group's more than 1,500 foster homes care for animals at any given time, Mairose said.
