10/24/2026
The animal welfare world lost one of its biggest advocates today. Marie Jones.💔 Marie is known across so many states, as a woman who protected and help save 1000s and 1000s of animals throughout her lifetime. Whether she was scooping them out of ditches, off of mountains, out of abandoned homes, or terrible situations, Marie was a hero to so many abused and unwanted animals. Marie favored the scared dogs. If a terrified dog came into the shelter, trying to bite its way out,🫣 it almost always ended up at Marie's house, until it could learn to trust.❤️ Sometimes, they never left. To find Marie with a few "teeth marks" on her arms, was pretty common. She'd brush it off with, "that little thing tried to eat me alive." 🤣 Once, a large, terrified dog slipped the leash on arrival to the shelter and headed straight to the exterior, very tall fence. It started trying to climb it's way to freedom. When many were worried about their own safety, Marie ran, grabbed it by its legs and pulled it back into the secured area. Marie's response? "Not on my watch." 🤣❤️ That became the running theme regarding Marie's determination to always save the dogs. Not on her watch.😔 Marie was the "shelter mother" to all the workers, not just those actually related to her, in some capacity. She spent years and years driving dogs to safety for Safe Hands Rescue, a group she spoke about with the greatest fondness, and she considered her family.❤️ She was a resource for so many in the community who needed help with their animals. Marie loved her family and did anything to help them. She was a tough ole gal, definitely one of a kind, and her heart hurt for animals in need. There will be a void that simply won't be filled in Marie's absence. A champion of the animals is gone.😔💔 Please keep her family and friends in your thoughts as they try to maneuver through this tragic loss. If all the rainbow doggies were waiting for Marie, she is absolutely covered in slobbery dog kisses. On behalf of so many people, and an incredible amount of dogs, thank you for everything you have done Marie. You will be missed and remembered. ❤️
