Greenland, of Bellefonte, is the president of Pets Come First, a nonprofit organization committed to assisting adoptable homeless animals in Centre County.

Pets Come First was formed in August 2005 as a watchdog group for the Centre Hall branch of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Greenland said. At that time, she said, the shelter was notorious for its high euthanasia rate.

After Pets Come First was started, Greenland said, the group's primary goal was to find homes for lost and abandoned pets through a network of volunteers, foster homes, and local and national rescue groups. The former

manager of the SPCA was not always cooperative, she said, and the Pets Come First volunteers were often faced with finding a home for an animal in a matter of hours.

Last year, the SPCA's former manager resigned and Troy Klinefelder, who had been working at the SPCA for 16 years, was installed as team leader. A new CEO of the PSPCA in Philadelphia, Howard Nelson, is also "rescue-friendly,' Klinefelder said.

"At that point, most of the people in Pets Come First felt like our mission had been accomplished," Greenland said.

Since then, Greenland said, euthanasia at the SPCA has been nearly non-existent, and is only administered to animals that are extremely sick or otherwise not adoptable.

The organization shifted its goals, Greenland said, and she and her husband, Scott Klettke, assumed management of its finances.

"Our main focus is to help the animals (at the SPCA) with additional vet care so they can be adopted instead of euthanized," she said.

The veterinary costs are paid through private donations and from Greenland's own pocket, she said.

Greenland, 36, started volunteering at the SPCA several years ago, but was disturbed by the number of animals being killed. After adopting a Dalmation from the shelter, she decided to step back from volunteering. Her attitude changed after seeing the pets left behind during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she said.

"It kind of re-lit that fire within me to do something to help," she said.

"Janel never says no to an animal," said Deb Warner, cofounder and vice president of Pets Come First. "Her attitude is always, ‘We'll come up with the money' or ‘We'll take care of this.' "

In addition to Pets Come First, Greenland is also involved with a number of animal rescue groups, including the Centre County Animal Rescue Team, which assists animals during disasters; and the United Animal Nations Emergency Animal Rescue Services.

Greenland, who works in sales at Minitab Inc. in State College, said she constantly gets e-mails and calls from animal rescue groups across the country.

"It's like working two full-time jobs, really," she said.

All of her efforts pay off, she said, when she sees the animals that Pets Come First has saved.

"These animals are all alive because of what we've done, and that's enough," she said.

Source: centredaily.com