Shining Star | November 2009 | Gigi Ray

News & Events

Shining Star: Gigi Ray

Gigi Ray, A Profile of Compassion

Gigi - Galapagos Gigi Ray is a true unsung hero for the animals, shunning the spotlight and working quietly behind the scenes, dedicating her time, talent and energy as she has for the past 15 years to helping THLN become the effective animal advocacy organization that it is today.

Currently serving as an advisory board member after 14 years as a board director, Gigi continues to carry a sizable workload. She fields all of the questions and comments that come to THLN's website, making sure each one gets addressed in a timely manner. And, she oversees the resource materials posted to the THLN site, making sure that the most accurate and up-to-date information is available to our membership and other website visitors at all times. In fact, Gigi was the board member to initiate the creation of THLN's first website almost 12 years ago.

Gigi - Swing Gigi's workload increases dramatically when the Legislature is in session. This year was her eighth session to serve as the legislative tracking manager, identifying and tracking all animal welfare-related bills, providing daily updates to the legislative committee and lobbyists concerning the status of each bill for which THLN might need to take swift action. She does all of this each day after coming home from a demanding and arduous job as Senior Death Investigator for Dallas County.

Gigi's desire to help animals has been a lifelong passion, beginning with rescuing animals from the streets as a preschooler and volunteering at local animal shelters during her grade school years.

Gigi had a special connection with her beloved dog Samantha, a Schnauzer-Dachshund mix that she rescued from the pound in 1988. "I remember seeing her for the first time, huddled at the back of her cage, looking so frightened and alone," said Gigi. "From the day I brought her home, she was my constant companion. I loved and cared for her until she died of Cushing's disease 14 years later. Samantha made me a better person. She was my motivation to get back into animal welfare work," Gigi added.

In honor of Samantha, Gigi had a bench with an attached plaque in her memory placed in Fielder Park, in Gigi's hometown of Arlington.

Angel, a long-haired purebred Dachshund who lived to be 16 years old, is Gigi's most recent loss. Angel spent the first 9 years of her life in a puppy mill, confined in a cage, producing puppies until she was too old to breed. Gigi adopted Angel from a rescue group that takes in dogs discarded from puppy mills. Even after she became blind and deaf, Angel enjoyed the thrill of running through the house every morning when she awoke, a joy she never realized until Gigi gave her a new life. Gigi misses her very much, but feels very blessed to have had her for more than 7 years.

Rosie, a terrier mix (age 7) and Wicker, a tortoise shell cat (age 2) are Gigi's current animal companions.

Gigi found Rosie, "The Rose," on the streets as a seven-month-old puppy, malnourished and anemic from the fleas and ticks that covered her tiny body. Although diagnosed with severe arthritis at age 3, Rosie still has a great sense of humor and loves her collection of stuffed animals.

Wicker the cat, Gigi's first-ever cat, was a homeless kitty that Gigi found while on vacation in Pennsylvania. Finding no humane society that would take her, Gigi flew Wicker back home with her on the plane in a carry-on crate. Wicker finds the doggie door quite handy to provide access to the back yard and can often be found napping under a large rosemary bush when the weather is nice.

Gigi contributes to numerous animal and environmental protection organizations and has participated in an Earthwatch Expedition, working with Orcas in the San Juan Islands.

Below is one of Gigi's favorite quotes by Anna Sewell, 1877:

"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words."