Anything is Paw-sible with Donors Like Daniels!
Boyd County Animal Shelter
Receives Generous Donation
Gwen Akers
The Ashland Beacon
One chilly December day, fifteen pallets of donations showed up at the Boyd County Animal Shelter. Teeming with supplies such as hand sanitizer, masks, and cleaners, this donation is sure to make a great impact on the Boyd County Animal Shelter and allow them to continue their work with the animals of our area.
This donation was orchestrated by John Daniels, a Westwood native with over 24 years of law enforcement experience. Daniels has always kept himself busy working hard for his family and community and was more than excited to be able to provide such a donation to the animal shelter. “I’ll do anything I can to help out,” expressed Daniels.
Daniels and his family recently lost their German shepherd, and by donating to the shelter, they can feel a bit closer to her. His family also used to run a farm out in Westwood, raising cows, hogs, and chickens. Now, Daniels is able to show his love for animals through donations—even if he doesn’t have the time to volunteer.
Debbie Diamond, director of the Boyd County shelter, expressed that recently the shelter has seen an influx of volunteers and donations, but nothing on this scale. “He contacted me before the shipment and explained that he had gotten all these pallets of sanitizer and all kinds of things,” commented Diamond. “I was just overwhelmed by how much it was that I just couldn't believe it.” Diamond continued to note that these supplies will allow the shelter to continue to help the animals in other ways, such as being able to pay for veterinary treatments for pets that need it.
Alongside working midnight shifts as a Boyd County Sheriff, Daniels also runs a construction business and a food truck known as “Pig Out,” all while finishing up his degree in Criminal Justice. Commonly found serving the students of ACTC, Pig Out is a barbecue restaurant that Daniels and his family use as a way to give back to the community and the people who need it the most. “We’ve had it [the food truck] for two years. We started with a kettle corn trailer, and we felt like we could take our business further,” detailed Daniels.
This soon turned into an outlet for Daniels’ smoked pork barbecue and his wife’s kettle corn. In the past, with their food truck, the Daniels family has provided a percentage of their proceeds as well as a personal matching donation to the Catlettsburg Elementary Safety Patrol, the children of Summit Elementary, sports teams, and more. Daniels hopes to instill this quality of giving back to their community in his children and hopes to continue to serve the community in any way he can.
The Boyd County Animal Shelter itself is always looking to care for their animals in the best way they can, and they are able to do this through the support of donors like Daniels and volunteers. Currently, the shelter is seeking volunteers, donations, and foster families for pets. For more information about how to help at the animal shelter, please find them on Facebook or check out their new location at 1617 Fraley Lane, Ashland, Ky.
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