Elissa Jones, Guardian Angel Program Manager
Elissa Jones is the manager of the Guardian Angel program at Best Friends. Her first hands-on experience with the sanctuary was in 2001, when she volunteered with the dogs. Although she had always been a cat person, she fell in love with Dulcie, a shy little dog who she couldn't go home without.
She got married a couple of years later and brought her husband, Dr. Mike Dix (now the medical director at Best Friends clinic), to volunteer at the sanctuary in November 2004. Their volunteer experience inspired them to leave the city life in Oregon to join the team at Best Friends.
Elissa graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor's degree in communications and broadcast media. Her nine years in the field of special events and public relations made her the perfect candidate for promoting the sanctuary.
She's excited to be fulfilling her dream of working at Best Friends and getting the word out to the world about the very special animals living at the sanctuary.
At home, Elissa and Dr. Mike have a number of dogs and cats, all of whom have been rescued or adopted from shelters. Elissa says that she learns life lessons from each of her animals at home and from the animals she works with at Best Friends. She believes that every one of them can be somebody's special someone.
