Imagine a place where unwanted dogs don’t end their lives in high kill shelters.
Cameron Brooks wants to do more than just imagine. The Knoxville Realtor/politico takes in strays, belongs to rescue organizations and supports local shelters. He’s all-in for dogs.
He has a special place in his heart for golden retrievers, which doesn’t mean he can’t love other dogs, including those who are dying in rural East Tennessee shelters.
“There are a lot of good rescues, and I support them too, and there’s a rescue for every special breed – but most rural shelters are full of mixed breeds, and because of our weak spay/neuter laws, some beautiful dogs end up on the kill list down here. I started supporting them in 2016.”
Brooks, who grew up in Bristol, always wanted a dog, but his parents said no.
“So I had to wait,” he said. “In 2004 I adopted my first rescue dog, Berkeley, from Tennessee Valley Golden Retriever Rescue. Since then I have adopted Betty in 2006, Michael in 2010, Prince the German Shepherd in 2012 and Samuel in 2015.”
Once he got into real estate, he wanted part of his business to be about giving back, so he looked around for cause to support. His friend Cyn Mobley told him about GoNorth Animal Transport Cooperative, which has rescued 13,000 dogs from East Tennessee rural shelters since it was founded by animal lover Carmen Trammell, also the founder of Critter Magazine and Peaceable Kingdom. She introduced Brooks to mortgage broker Gary Sturm, whose family owns Agri Feed Pet Supply.
The three of them are sponsoring a Thursday, Oct. 18, fundraiser, 6 p.m. at Holly’s, Gourmet Market & Café, 5107 Kingston Pike. Tickets are $50 per person or $75 per couple.
For more information about the fundraiser, click here.
To learn more about GoNorth Transport, click here.