by Team WellJoy
Ask any Pet Loyalist: “What’s the best thing about having a pet?”, and you’ll get a thousand different answers. But we bet a lot of people would talk about how pets have helped them find new friends and new communities. There’s just something about having a cat or dog that gives you an excuse to connect.
Ebony Richardson, founder of social club and non-profit, Atlanta Dog Mom, has been a Pet Loyalist from the get-go, dressing up as cartoon character Eliza Thornberry for Halloween and perpetually dreaming of a job working with animals.
After getting her Masters in Animal Science, she helped pets in any way she could – as a dog trainer, through her own professional pet-sitting business, as a vet tech, and by working in pet insurance. “I just knew I wanted to work with animals,” she says.
Ebony has a Cat and Dog Loyalist household, looking after two 12-year old cats and 9-year old German Shepherd Tibi, who she rescued eight years ago. On one memorable occasion, she had to carry the 80-pound dog up two flights to her apartment, when Tibi suddenly decided she was scared of the stairs.
From 50 people to a fully fledged community
Ebony’s been running Atlanta Dog Mom for the last two years, setting it up as a casual meetup of 50 people and gradually growing it into a fully-fledged community and support service that provides much-needed help to pet owners throughout the city.
At the heart of the club lies a simple philosophy: let’s get together a diverse group of people united by one simple, joyful thing: they love their dogs. “I was like, ‘if you’re friendly and inclusive and you love dogs, come meet me at the dog park’,” says Ebony. “And it just took off from there.”
Being part of Atlanta Dog Mom means regular meetups, events and access to the all-important group chat – which has taken on a life of its very own, according to Ebony. "I used to plan a lot of icebreaker games,” she says, “ and I don’t have to do that anymore, because new people join the group chat and before I can welcome them, there’s six other people doing it already. I think when you start something with good intentions, people want to spread that.”
Ultimately, everything about Atlanta Dog Mom comes back down to togetherness and connection. Pet Loyalists love nothing more than talking about their pets, says Ebony, but often the only place they can do that is in the vet’s office.
“We really needed a space to have conversations with people who understand,” she explains. “You don’t have to pay to talk to them. You can just talk to somebody about their dog. I think sometimes, in day-to-day life, people might start talking about their dog and feel embarrassed. But that’s exactly what we’re here for - tell me about your dog for 30 minutes. We want to hear it.”
Helping Pet Loyalists in need
Perhaps the most important part of Atlanta Dog Mom, for Ebony, isn’t just seeing Pet Loyalists from across Atlanta connecting with each other - it’s the opportunity it’s given her to support Pet Loyalists in need. Originally she’d just planned to do a one-off donation of pet food, but she was overwhelmed by people’s generosity. “We got a six-foot table of donations,” she says.
That one table turned into Atlanta Dog Mom’s pet pantry, which now runs as an online store where people can place orders and get deliveries. Ebony has also set up a free pet food vending machine, located on Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue – the same street that Martin Luther King was born on.
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of unhoused people and people with disabilities in that area,” she says. “So the non-profit is focused on keeping pets and families together.”
Over time, Ebony found herself broadening the non-profit scope even further to help people with basic petcare such as spaying and neutering. She started inviting vet med friends to do pop-up vaccine clinics and basic health checks at local parks on the weekends, and although none of this had been in her original plan, it’s now her favorite part.
Pets are connections to the real world
Ebony’s biggest ambition is to expand that non-profit arm even further. She says that while there’s a lot of resources to support shelters and rescues, there’s often less to stop people having to give up their pets in the first place.
“I want to go round my community and educate people in a way that doesn’t feel intimidating for them,” she says, “because I grew up here. I think that representation can help bridge the gap for people that feel the usual pet conversations are going over their heads.”
Instead of people coming to see a veterinarian feeling guilty for not bringing their dog in sooner, or struggling to afford essential care, Ebony wants Atlanta Dog Mom to help as many people be healthy, loving, educated pet parents as possible. And the upside of that has a ripple effect.
“We’re all in our heads, and we’re all on our phones, and our dogs are present,” she adds. “They’re one of the last connections we have to the real world that can keep us grounded.”
Calling all ATL Dog Loyalists, Atlanta Dog Mom is hosting their Picnic Brunch, sponsored by WellJoy and Chewy Vet, on May 9. Find out the details at www.atlantadogmom.com and learn more about Ebony’s work.