Meet Annie Brierre | Rescue Co-founder & Adoptions Coordinator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annie Brierre and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started Southern California Guinea Pig Rescue with two other co-founders after we met volunteering with another rescue. I think a lot of rescues are created because once you start volunteering, you can see there is such a need, and inevitably there are things you would like to do differently. The previous rescue took in mostly owner surrenders, from individuals who purchased them and no longer wanted them. We really wanted to focus on the guinea pigs in our city and county shelters, we felt they were the most at-risk and needed the most help. When we began working to create our rescue three years ago, it was an achievable goal. There were never more than a couple guinea pigs at each location. Unfortunately, the overpopulation problem has reached unprecedented crisis levels. Currently, there are hundreds of guinea pigs in our shelters and it’s too much for all of the rescues combined to keep up with. My co-founders and I felt like we had a wide range of experience, collectively over 30 years worth, and we knew it would be really hard work but we felt like we could make a difference and so that’s why we started SCGPR.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Animal rescue work is largely unpaid and I’ve always felt many of the most important jobs are volunteer jobs. I have a day job to pay the bills but I’ve always been the most passionate about animals. It would be amazing to someday turn animal rescue work into a full-time career, I feel like I’ve learned so much running this rescue. I also get to pull in other pieces from my work life history like design, writing, social media, photography, many, many hours on excel, event planning and more.

I want people to know that whatever pet you’re thinking about adding to your family, there is a rescue for them and they always need help. There is no need to buy from a pet store when we have so many animals right here that need a home and you will get better support, life-long support when you adopt. We often hear from people they didn’t realize guinea pig rescues were a thing. I want everyone to know we are a thing, there are many of us, we are everywhere. If you don’t have the best experience with a particular rescue, you can try another until you find a good fit.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been taking Horticulture classes at UCLA Extension so the places I visit for fun are largely plant and animal related. I love taking walks around the Hahamonga Watershed Park with my binoculars, checking out birds and native plants. I love to roller skate so a cruise along the LA River Glendale Narrows bike path is the best we have here, also lot’s of wildlife and birds there. My favorite restaurant in LA is Mess Hall, that is always a good time. I love small theater shows too! After the pandemic the first thing my husband and I did was go see a show called ‘Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist’ in the small basement theater at Casita Del Campo, met the cast afterwards, had dinner, laughed until we cried, it was a perfect night.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to one of our other co-founders in particular, Valerie Warren. Valerie has been doing this life-saving work for over 20 years. We rely on her expertise and experience every single day. When we first started, her contacts helped us strike up meaningful partnerships right away. They say it takes a village and this is absolutely true. We couldn’t do any of this without her.

Website: https://www.socalguineapigrescue.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socalguineapigrescue/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoCalGuineaPigRescue

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/southern-california-guinea-pig-rescue-los-angeles

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoCalGuineaPigRescue