About Us

Our Charity's Objectives and Leadership

Our Goal:

A good home for every dog or cat in Bastrop County!

Pets in Good Homes:

Litter Control!

Pet Owners can provide a happy home for the pets they can afford, keeping unwanted litters from going to a shelter.

What we’re doing:

SPSN subsidizes spay/neuter surgeries for pets whose owners cannot afford the cost.

Humane Sheltering &

Medical Care

Stray dogs and cats stay in comfort at the county shelter or a foster home, and receive the medical care they require.

What we’re doing:

SPSN acts quickly to fund emergency medical care for shelter animals, and also provides items the shelter cannot afford, including supplies for foster homes.

Good Forever Homes

for all adoptable animals

The best shelter is a forever home.

What we’re doing:

SPSN sponsors progams to help improve shelter pet adoptability and promotes shelter adoptions.

Our Story

Formerly known as Bastrop County Animal Shelter Helpers, Shelter Pet Safety Net is a 501 ©(3) public charity  founded in 2019, and devoted to improving the lives of homeless animals in Bastrop County. We began by providing emergency medical care funding for shelter animals. 

We changed our name to Shelter Pet Safety Net in 2021 to avoid confusion with the shelter itself, but our mission and objectives remain the same.

We have been able to expand our services and help more animals through our spay/neuter subsidy programs, purchasing medical equipment and other supplies for the county shelter, funding transportation for shelter animals, providing supplies for foster homes, obtaining grooming services for shelter animals, and more.  Your donations make it happen!

We have been able to expand our services and help more animals through our spay/neuter subsidy programs, purchasing medical equipment and other supplies for the county shelter, funding transportation for shelter animals, providing supplies for foster homes, obtaining grooming services for shelter animals, and more.  Your donations make it happen!

Our Board

Jenni Ritchie

Jenni Ritchie

President

Jenni has volunteered with animal welfare organizations for over 20 years, including fostering, adoption counseling, organizing capital projects and events, and feeding baby songbirds.   She is also a Crisis Counselor with Crisis Text Line. 

Jenni volunteers as a foster home for the Bastrop County shelter and for Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society.

After retiring from a 33-year career managing information technology across the globe, she now works as a Realtor with Realty ONE Group Prosper

Jenni graduated from the University of Houston with a BBA in Management Information Systems and an MBA with a concentration in Finance.

Terry Gummelt

Terry Gummelt

Vice President

Terry has worked and volunteered with a variety of animals over 30 years. She has held the following positions: Austin Golden Retriever Western Regional Dog Show Chairman, Lost Pines Riding Club Parade Chairman and Secretary of the Bastrop Equine Search and Rescue. In addition to volunteering at Bastrop County Animal Shelter where she walks dogs, instructs volunteer orientation classes, attends adoption events, and organizes dog training classes, she also fosters and trains dogs from the shelter.

Currently she is an Elgin I.S.D. substitute teacher, after retiring from a 30-year career in teaching.

Terry graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Education and holds certificates in Pre-k/Kindergarten, English as a Second Language and Special Education.

Erika McDonald

Erika McDonald

Treasurer

Erika, a lover of animals in all shapes and sizes has volunteered with the Bastrop County Animal Shelter for the past five years in a foster capacity. Erika also regularly volunteers for Bastrop Cats TNR Program trapping stray and free-roaming cats for spay and neuter services.

She also serves as the Treasurer on her neighborhood’s POA Board, Registrar for the local Youth Soccer Organization and as Secretary for the Capitol Area Youth Soccer Association.

Erika graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, TX with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and provides administration and finance services for a variety of businesses in a variety of industries in the area.

Kari Boakes

Kari Boakes

Director

Kari Boakes has worked in the dental field for over 20 years, and currently uses her skills as a dental hygienist in Austin.  She has a love for all animals and maintains a farm in Bastrop County with her husband, Dennis.  

Their family of equines, dogs, and cats is supplemented by fosters of all those species. Kari has volunteered with animals for over 15 years.  She rescues, fosters, reviews adopter applications and performs adoption counseling.  

In addition to her work with Shelter Pet Safety Net, she is the Adoption Counselor and Applications Manager for Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, where she’s volunteered since 2018.

Shelter Pet Safety Net is grateful to our retired Directors for their service!

Cordelia Holmes (2019-2023)

Destiny Siptak (2021-2023)

Pam Gerritsen (2023-2024)

Legal & Financial Information

Charity Designation

501 (c) (3)

EIN 84-3309068

Registered as Bastrop County Animal Shelter Helpers, and doing business as Shelter Pet Safety Net.

Address

P.O. Box 1415

Bastrop, TX 7860

512-943-7477

Tax Returns (Forms 990)

Our Sponsors

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