Kim Gaffney has what some might call a gift and sometimes a curse. She can look into a dog’s eyes and see their soul. She cannot explain this to people and does not try to any more. “I have always had a way with animals and animals know when you truly love them. As a child my mom would allow me to stop and pick up dead animals on the side of the road to take them home and bury them because I thought everything deserved a proper burial. My mom would also take me to the local dog shelter to visit the dogs. I had no fear of any dog, not even the mean ones. I would walk right into their cages and my mom and the dog warden would freak out!” Kim now helps dog rescues and the local dog shelter in Fairfield County. She helps the community of Fairfield County when they need help in rehoming, spay and neutering, training, and helping to find rescues when possible. To help the cause, Kim created Furever Friends of Fairfield County Dog Shelter on Facebook in 2012. The page helps the dog shelter and people in the county if they have lost a dog, found a dog, or even finding a home for a dog.
Kim has also taken on the county to get them to stop killing pit bulls and all bully breeds. She found friends and neighbors to help her fight the county to shut down the gas chamber that was being used to euthanize the dogs as well. “I have spent a lot of money and time taking care of animals and helping people with their animals. I have trained many people as well along the way, helping them to better understand the animal. I have made it my goal to help as many people and animals as I possibly can. I never ask for anything in return except pay it forward if and when they can if at all possible.”
Kim’s full-time job is a home Health Aide. She takes care of her adult son, Beau, who is multi-handicapped and is a kidney transplant patient. “The day my son was born best defines my life. They told me he would never live 24 hours let alone 48 hours and he is now 25. He was in Children’s Hospital for over 2 months before he ever came home. He was 3 weeks old before I had ever got to hold him and I made a promise then that I would love him and protect him. I learned to fight for his needs and I learned to never give up and to never back down. For this he has made me the strong individual I am today and what drives me to want to help the voiceless.”
Kim would love to make a difference in the way people look at companion animals. To have people realize they are family and no animal is disposable. “No more homeless animals. We live with the ‘pay it forward’ attitude.”
For more information about Furever Friends, please visit www.facebook.com/FureverFriendsOfFCDS.