Humans of Cleveland
Photo courtesy of Peri McIntosh
It's not uncommon for a person to identify themselves as an animal lover, but few people are passionate enough to make a life out of caring for lost and abandoned pets. Michelle Forgey, a volunteer at Cleveland City Animal Control and Shelter, is one of those few.
Michelle Forgey, Cleveland Animal Control & Shelter
"I've been volunteering here about two years and I just love it."
"What's something most people don't know about animal shelters?"
"You can get purebreds. A lot of people think that [the animals that come in] are all damaged animals, but a lot of the ones that we get are not damaged at all, and are actually purebreds."
"What's the most rewarding part of working here?"
"Just getting to love them is rewarding ' knowing that you've saved a life. The animals are really thankful, you know ' they are aware of the situations that they're coming from."
"Have you adopted any yourself?"
"I've taken several home, I've got four dogs and three cats - yeah, I'm a big animal person. I'm more of a dog person but I love all animals."
"I'm also a medical assistant and I've been in the medical field [for a while]. So I work a full time job, plus I do this. I work at Internal Medical Associates in Ooltewah, but I live here in Cleveland. So I stay pretty busy. But my passion is animals ' I've loved animals ever since I was little. My grandparents worked up at the saw mill and I was always getting cats to raise and everything like that."
"Do you remember your first pet?"
"Yeah, it was a calico momma cat."
"What was her name?"
"I don't remember. There were so many of them running in an out and some would always run off because I wasn't allowed to keep any inside the house ' which is exactly why I have so many now."
