Wolf Trap Animal Rescue Virginia, Rescue Puppies Md, and Washington Dc
Wolf Trap Animal Rescue Virginia, Rescue Puppies Md, and Washington Dc
Our WTAR team is a collective of passionate, young, & ambitious individuals who combine their unique skills, education, & love for animals to represent and lead Wolf Trap Animal Rescue as one of the most progressive and best rescue organizations in the country.
An Oklahoma native, Dr. Burton grew up on a 100-acre, horse racing farm just south of Tulsa. In 2005, she graduated high school as Valedictorian & attended Oklahoma State University for undergrad, playing for OSU’s collegiate horse Polo Team. At the age of 18, she was historically accepted into OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine as one of the youngest people to ever be admitted in to Veterinary College. Throughout vet school, she was an active member of the graduate fraternity of Omega Tau Sigma, and participated in community service activities centered on volunteering and remodeling local animal shelters and humane societies.
After receiving her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2010, she pursued a Shelter Medicine & Surgery Internship at OSU. During this internship, she worked as a Shelter Veterinarian at the City of Tulsa Animal Welfare, becoming an expert in animal husbandry, infectious disease control, population medicine, and animal cruelty & forensic investigations. She also was involved with teaching Junior Surgery Programs at both Oklahoma State University and the University of Florida.
It was during this internship that Dr. Burton recognized the severe national pet overpopulation and euthanasia crisis, and the desperate need for action. To help reduce unnecessary euthanasia and control animal overpopulation, Dr. Burton became a Shelter Medicine & Surgery Resident for Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. There, she traveled with her team of veterinary students throughout the state of Mississippi teaching and performing high volume sterilization procedures for local animal shelters from 2011-2014.
Dr. Burton also has a passion for business, marketing, and economics. During the course of her 3-year Residency at Mississippi State University, she was accepted into the College of Business and simultaneously achieved her MBA.
After completion of her Residency, Dr. Burton relocated to the DC-Maryland-Virginia area to pursue opportunities in animal rescue. Now, she has partnered once again with animal shelters in Mississippi to help end the euthanasia crisis of adoptable puppies and kittens by founding the Northern Virginia based rescue transport organization: Wolf Trap Animal Rescue.
To facilitate transport, fostering, and other rescue efforts, Dr. Burton co-founded the Wolf Trap Animal Rescue with the help of coworker and friend, Jesse Marsh. The Wolf Trap Animal Rescue works to connect a collective, passionate team of animal rescue activists and volunteers with the mission to rescue, transport, and find homes for puppies and kittens at risk of disease and unnecessary euthanasia.
As of 2023, Dr. Burton has advanced Wolf Trap Animal Rescue to become one of the top teaching hospitals for performing safe & efficient high volume spay and neuter. Local veterinarians rotate and spend 4 weeks directly under Dr. Burton, perfecting their tissue handling skills and increasing their efficiency to make spay & neuter surgeries safer for their patients.
A southern Maryland local, Jesse has over two decades of professional experience, a good portion of which he has dedicated to the animal rescue industry. In 2015, Jesse co-founded Wolf Trap Animal Rescue where he acts as the Director of Finance, allowing him to marry his passion for helping animals together with his interest and qualifications in finance and accounting. Here, Jesse has overall responsibility for accounting and finance, including hiring and payroll, inventory such as ordering and receiving, and also establishing and maintaining a non-profit status. In addition to this, Jesse assists in completing animal health checks and providing treatment, while also playing an integral role in coordinating events, such as animal transports, adoption events, and special events. Dedicated to the organization he co-founded, Jesse is excited to play an instrumental role in the successful future of the non-profit, in turn providing more help to animals who need it.
Graduating magna cum laude in accounting, minoring in computer security, Jesse grasped a solid education before beginning his career. His professional experience started in Baltimore, where he worked as a kitchen manager and was responsible for employee scheduling, managing upwards of 40 employees, inventory, and product orders, among other duties. He went onto secure the role of warehouse manager/ bookkeeper for a local family-owned distribution company, a position he held for six years. Duties here included all accounting functions, weekly and end-of-month inventory, in addition to maintaining the inventory system. When his father was diagnosed with heart failure and placed on the heart transplant list, Jesse left his life in Baltimore to move to Southern Maryland to assist his family. It was here that Jesse was first exposed to the animal rescue industry through volunteering, and it was here he discovered his passion. It was also here where he was later introduced to Dr. Amber Burton, who was temporarily assisting the local, small rescue group with Veterinary services. Always having been a caring person, Jesse loved animals and relished the opportunity to work as a veterinary assistant and bookkeeper. Here, with the tutelage of Dr. Burton, he was directly involved in diagnosing and treating animals, administering vaccinations, and ensuring accurate health records. He also assisted Dr. Burton in surgical operations, conducting post-surgery vitals, observations, and assessments. He was also responsible for performing all accounting functions including payroll, AR/AP, bi-weekly P&L’s, reconciliations, and journal entries for the rescue operations as well as the two wellness clinics. Engaging in this role for over three years, Jesse decided to team up with Dr. Burton to take the next step and establish their own, non-profit organization, leading to the birth of Wolf Trap Animal Rescue.
So strong is his desire to care for abandoned, injured, and poorly shelter animals that Jesse initially took on the role of primary rescue driver to collect rescued animals from Mississippi. This involves an all-night drive to Knoxville, TN to meet shelter transport teams from Mississippi, then delivering the animals to Tysons Corner, VA. He is dedicated and passionate; moreover, he strives to succeed and has a proven track record of success to demonstrate his ability to excel. With his drive, Jesse is eager to enhance this non-profit organization in both size and capabilities, providing more care and rescue to a higher volume of animals.
Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Adoption Coordinator Jenny Lynne Campanilla is a “hometown” member of the Wolf Trap Animal Rescue Team.
Jenny has always been interested in dogs, even calling it her “obsession.” As a kid, she bought an encyclopedia of dog breeds, and it took her less than a month not only to memorize all the breeds, but also to be able to identify those breeds in the dogs she would see in real life! This quickly evolved into an ongoing game of “Name that Dog Breed” with Jenny’s family and friends.
Jenny got her first dog when she was 13, and at 16 she naturally started working at a veterinary clinic. Since then, she has always worked with animals. While studying Biology at George Mason University, she saw WTAR’s early need for fosters, so she applied. The rest, as they say, is history! She began working as Dr. Burton’s Veterinary Assistant and Adoption Coordinator, so chances are if you’ve worked with our organization at all – from volunteering, to fostering, to adopting – you've talked to Jenny!
In addition to Bentley and Leo (the two dogs that were a part of Jenny’s life before she came to WTAR), she has FOUR other pups! This includes the very first dog she adopted as a rescue. And we can’t forget about the geriatric pregnant shih-tzu that she adopted from Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. Jenny wanted to give this dog the very best life possible during her golden years, and after one of her puppies passed away, Jenny decided to keep the other two as well. She has started with two tattoos on her way to a sleeve of all of her dogs’ paw prints. It’s safe to say that her childhood love of dogs is still going strong!
Her human family is just as impressive. She and her younger sister have aunts, uncles, and cousins all over the world: in the Philippines, Hawaii, Alaska, Texas, California, Arizona, Europe, and Guam - just to name a few places.
If you can believe that Jenny has “spare time” outside of the amazing work she does for WTAR, you might find her teaching piano. She has played since she was three and has taught since she was sixteen. Certainly, if you’ve talked to her at all, then you probably know that she absolutely loves the Washington Capitals. You can spot her at Caps practices and games whenever she gets the chance.
And, of course, it’s just as likely that you’ll hear Jenny before you see her. In Jenny’s own words, “I have no inside voice.”
Fun Fact: She is also known as the “Neonatal Expert” at WTAR, and is the personal handler of the famous WTAR Arthur the Intern.
Paola Gutierrez is a Veterinary Technician with Wolf Trap Animal Rescue, meaning she helps care for pretty much every single puppy, kitten, adult dog, and adult cat that comes through our organization.
Born in Bolivia, Paola moved with her family to Northern Virginia when she was 12. She grew up with dogs, so being a part of one of the region’s most impactful rescue groups makes sense! Paola not only volunteered with Wolf Trap Animal Rescue, but she also has adopted two WTAR dogs Charlie (WTAR - Radley, adopted August, 2015) and Sprocket (WTAR - Rightway, adopted November, 2017).
The ball kept rolling, and Paola decided to pursue both a degree in Veterinary Technology and an employed position with the rescue. She assists with surgery, vaccinations, intake exams, and so much more. She also helps organize those intake-to-foster and foster-to-adopter logistics, ensuring that each pet has the leash, carrier, food bowl, and other supplies that they need during these transitions.
Paola is the “outdoorsy” type, and she spends time camping and hiking when she can. She’s also working to expand her skill set beyond veterinary technology; she enjoys drawing, and in her own words, “I’m not good at it, but I try” to improve all the time.
Fun fact about Paola: when she counts cash, she can only count in Spanish. She may consider this a quirk, but we consider her bilingualism a true talent!
Simon is from Birmingham England and came across the Atlantic back in May 2018 to join his wife Steph. He spent his first two years in California just outside Oakland and worked in recruitment for a transit company. March 2020 saw them move to the East Coast and Arlington due to a promotion for Steph.
They adopted Scout (WTAR Goulash) in January 2021 and joined the foster Facebook page which is where Simon saw a request for volunteers after leaving his corporate job of 20 years in March 2022. He was asked to join the team a few weeks later and hasn't looked back. He currently assists with surgery days, client appointments and outside events and puppy therapy.
As well as Scout, Simon and Steph also have their two feline siblings Lola and Jess. These 11 year old cats were flown over from England and then from California to DC, they have their own passports!
