Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Ailey-Welborn.
Hi Monica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Monica Ailey-Welborn and I am the President and co-founder of Animal Investigation & Response (AIR). I can recall I have always felt I had a calling to help animals even as far back as when I was about 4 years old. My connection to animals has always been a strong one. So, it was no surprise that I dedicated my adult life to saving them. As a child I did small things like provided a dish of water for a thirsty frog, offering food to a squirrel, bringing home stray dogs, and trying to come to the protection of a snake that was too close for comfort to a schoolyard for the adults (I was 5 years old). I can remember the times I felt powerless and frustrated when adults would stand in the way of me and the animals I wanted to help or connect with. When I became a young adult, I started out rescuing street dogs and fostering them if their owner wasn’t found, until they were adopted. This taught me so much about working with dogs that had a rough life and gave me skills I would later use for even bigger challenges.
My passion for animal emergency response work came from watching the events following Hurricane Katrina. I remember sitting in front of the TV feeling helpless. The news reporters were on boats, videotaping people being rescued and animals left behind. It was gut-wrenching. I was an adult now… I had resources, the skills, ability, and capability to do something. So, I connected with a large organization that was doing rescue work in New Orleans. My sister and I made plans to head down to NOLA to do whatever was needed. We spent a week rescuing animals from New Orleans. It was a life-altering experience. We went back to New Orleans a second time (just before they opened the city back up to the residence). This experience was entirely different from the first and still can bring tears to my eyes talking about those events. Ultimately, it all started the a path to where I am now.
I then spent a decade obtaining training to become a certified animal emergency responder for large-scale animal-related emergencies as well as obtaining my certifications from the National Animal Cruelty Investigation School. Throughout this time, I started deploying with the national animal organizations to respond to large-scale animal cruelty cases (puppy mills, hoarding, dog, and cockfighting) as well as natural disaster response all over the country.
In 2013 my best friend and partner in crime-fighting, Paige Anderson, and I started to discuss the needs we were seeing in Texas. We felt that there was a huge gap that needed to be filled to connect agencies and communities with resources to help animals in large-scale cruelty situations as well as the need for resources for animals affected by natural disasters. We wanted to improve the outcomes for the animals by providing the people with the resources to handle these emergency situations so the animals that had survived the trauma of their lives, had a brighter future ahead. We began to paint the canvas on which Animal Investigation & Response (AIR) was created… well, initially it was more like a cocktail napkin.
In 2014, my husband, Jamie Ailey, was in an accident and passed away. He was a kind and an incredible man that supported my passion for animals. He was incredibly supportive of our dream to start such an organization to be impactful for Texas animals. At this point, I couldn’t find the strength to even do some of the simplest of day-to-day functions, much less dream a dream. when I was living in a nightmare. Paige helped me navigate this part of my life. She also continued taking steps forward for AIR and its progress. She felt that I now, more than ever, AIR needed to become what we envisioned and come to fruition. She felt that it would be what gave me purpose when I had lost my entire future.
In June 2015, Animal Investigation & Response became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. In October 2015, we were awarded the Justice Award for our investigative work in helping authorities crackdown on a long-time Rescue hoarder. This was the day we launched and AIR became a public entity to the animal welfare world. A few days later, Paige, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Paige fought for nearly a year and ultimately passed away. She was fierce! She was a warrior!
This was a huge blow and another major loss on a personal and now on a professional level. This could have been the end (again). Instead, I remembered something Paige said when she realized she was not going to survive her battle. She said “Here I thought that AIR was going to be my future, but instead… AIR will be my legacy.”
You’re damn skippy it will! As much as I wanted to throw in the towel, now had even more of a drive to make sure it became everything we envisioned. #AIRfierce
Animal Investigation & Response is an animal protection organization that assists the authorities with large-scale animal cruelty cases as well as disaster response. We are a mobile team that provides skilled and trained Responders to agencies in helping to aid in emergency efforts so that the animals have a positive outcome. Since our inception, our team has assisted in saving over 5K Texas animals and provided them opportunities where they will thrive and have the life they should have always had. Our team of 250 state-wide, skilled responders grows every year. They are passionate and have the drive of an army. They accomplish the impossible… all for the animals. We continue to paint on the original canvas – of the many ways we plan to grow this organization to better the lives of animals. We plan to one day have a facility like no other in the state of Texas that specializes in animals that come from a lifetime of large-scale cruelty situations. The animals of Texas need this! #AIRfierce
On a personal level, I have since recently remarried. Mike, who is also widowed, and I became friends 20 years ago through his late wife, Lacy. Over the years he became my male best friend (Paige was my female bf). He and my late husband Jamie also became good friends. Mike and I have been through a lot together over 20 years. One of the many special things about our relationship is that we both were close to each other’s spouses and still talk about them frequently and enjoy sharing moments we miss. We share our life with foreign exchange students through the nonprofit, Northwest Student Exchange. We have hosted boys from Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic. We are expecting our third exchange student in August for the 2022-23 school year. She is 15 years old and from Kazakhstan. We also share our crazy life with 4 dogs – 2 Pit Bulls, a Schnauzer, and a Chow/Shepherd mix – a former street dog from one of my many street dog efforts
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The path was a bumpy one filled with grief. Many times, I remember it would have been easier to give up, I had to find strength somewhere in my grief because it was all I was consumed with. Surviving my grief after losing Jamie – I realized I had a lot of work to still do on this earth. He lived life to the fullest and he would want me to do the same. I was born to make a difference. And he was the one to teach me what kind of love I deserved from a spouse. Grief after Paige passed was filled with a passion to fulfill her dream of leaving behind an incredible legacy. These things drove me to get out of bed every day and keep moving forward. I do believe they have both been by my side every step of the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
When I first meet an animal that has lived a life of years of neglect and cruelty, I first like to observe their reactions to normal interactions with people and their new environment. Finding creative and out-of-the-box ideas to help them to thrive and come out of their shell, I love to help them through their journey to healing from their emotional and mental trauma.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a bit shy most of my school years until about high school. My dad was in the Air Force so we moved around a lot. I actually enjoyed the different experiences. Even though I was a bit shy, I had no trouble adapting and making friends anywhere we lived. I enjoyed anything creative and artsy.
Contact Info:
- Email: air@animalinvestigationandresponse.org
- Website: www.animalinvestigationandresponse.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalinvestigationandresponse/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIRResponders
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/airresponders
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_y6j2qBe50Do0QDEAcRmQ
Image Credits
Kristina Bowman
Sylvia Elzafon
