Shay Has A Heart For Animal Underdogs

Shay Baysore, volunteer social media coordinator for My Furry Valentine, will tell you, she has always been drawn to the underdog, those human and non-human animals who are often overlooked, stigmatized, and expected to fail. She has always believed in their capacity to give, receive, contribute and achieve.

“A soul is a soul,” she told me.

And every soul is deserving of love.

That has been Shay’s lifelong passion, ingrained in her as a young child from her father, her role model. A big man with an intimidating presence, he had soft spot when it came to animals. Some of Shay’s earliest memories are of their taking in strays including any injured animal walking by like a three-legged raccoon and abandoned bunny babies.

These days Shay and her husband share their home with five dogs and three cats – all of whom are either seniors or have some sort of difference/disability. Among them are Embry, adopted from My Furry Valentine, who has had to have surgery to narrow her eyelids and has chronic dry eye; Lyo, their Pug who has partial back leg paralysis; and Kylo (pictured with Shay), their puppy mill rescue who is missing a jaw.

With so many pets and so many different issues that require time, patience, and love; being a non-human mom could almost be Shay’s full time job…but it isn’t. She has a busy career as director of digital marketing for Lasik Plus; and donates over 10 hours of her time each week to attract people to My Furry Valentine through social media. She even finds extra time to give to the Clermont Animal Care Humane Society.

If you will be one of the hundreds of people who attend this year’s mega adoption event, you may see Shay and her husband with cameras and their phones, capturing moments for Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Before the doors open, Shay also spends a lot of time reading and getting to know animal tags. Then, as she is talking to attendees, she can help match them with their forever new companion.

“I am always tired when My Furry Valentine is over, but it is SO worth it,” Shay said.

About My Furry Valentine:

Where:  Sharonville Convention Center
When: 
Saturday, February 9th 2019
Early Bird* Hours: 10:00am-Noon
General Admission Hours: 12:00pm-6:00pm

Sunday, February 10th 2019
General Admission Hours: 12:00pm-6:00pm

Main Event Admission:
General Admission Tickets $5 (Children under 5 are free)
*Early Bird Tickets $25 (Children 5 and older only $5 with paying adult)

For more detailed information on My Furry Valentine, including participating dog and cat rescue organization and pets up for adoption, please visit their website.