PHOTO: Veterinarian Colleen Shockling gives new transfer Jersey a checkup.
GIGI’S SHELTER FOR DOGS Gigi’s Shelter for Dogs offers dog adoption system resources that benefit both rural and urban areas in Ohio STORY BY CARLY MCFADDEN // PHOTOS BY ALIE SKOWRONSKI
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s Gigi’s doors swing open, visitors are greeted by dog barks that echo and bounce off the spotless gray walls, which are adorned only with various portraits of man’s best friend. Since it opened in Canal Winchester in October 2018, Gigi’s Shelter for Dogs has benefited the communities of Southeast Ohio and has introduced a resourceful solution to the pet adoption system. Husband and wife duo George and Tina Skestos founded Gigi’s out of a passion for dogs in the region. Fifteen Ohio State students have received veterinary scholarships, funded by the Skestos. Their love of animals is perhaps exemplified most through the work done at Gigi’s. According to the shelter’s website, the “intention is to efficiently address dog homelessness by creating a model that can be replicated all over the country.” Gigi’s confronts a nationwide problem at the local level. Many animal shelters in rural areas of Southeast Ohio are government-funded and overpopu42 | WINTER/SPRING 2020
lated with more dogs than they can care for. Some adoption centers in Columbus and Cleveland, which are generally nonprofit organizations and therefore not necessarily receiving government funds, have a greater demand than supply of adoptable dogs. Gigi’s CEO Justin McKinniss is well aware of the problem. “The challenge [that shelters] face is that there aren’t enough resources,” McKinniss says. Gigi’s, a nonprofit, addresses that by acting as an intermediary between those overcrowded shelters and underpopulated adoption centers. The mission of Gigi’s consists of three parts: working to partner with shelters in southern Ohio, transporting shelter dogs to its 15,000-square-foot facility and improving their health. After the dogs are given the proper medical attention and are in good condition, Gigi’s then transports the dogs to adoption centers in urban areas, where there is a shortage of adoptable dogs. The nonprofit corporation utilizes its own fleet of
