His name was Winchester—a sweet, senior chocolate lab with sad, lost eyes who stole Elaine Johnson-Craig’s heart and changed the course of her life forever.

Johnson-Craig and her husband, Dan, adopted Winchester from Roice-Hurst Humane Society in December 2008, but it was a month before their schedules allowed them to bring him home.

Regular visits to the shelter during that month opened her eyes to the fact that the heroes taking care of the animals in the shelter were doing a lot with very little.

“Although I’d had a previous Roice-Hurst adoptee and donated sporadically, I’d never realized the amount of money and other resources it took to operate a nonprofit animal shelter,” said Johnson-Craig, 65. “I decided then and there to get involved as a volunteer and donate my time and skills to make a difference in the lives of homeless pets, and in the health and sustainability of the organization itself.”

Within months, Johnson-Craig was serving on Roice-Hurst’s board of directors. She served as board president, vice president and secretary during her six-year term, in addition to her involvement in fundraising, communications, grant writing, donations and animal welfare.

“I was in the right place at the right time, and they asked me to help,” she said.

But it wasn’t just Roice-Hurst that asked her for her help—the animals needed her as well.

“How can you say no to those faces?” she asked. “You can’t.”

Fulfilling her purpose

Johnson-Craig had cats growing up, but they weren’t what she considers her soul mates.

“It wasn’t until my late husband, Ron, introduced me to the world of dogs 30 years ago that I found pets filled a hole in my heart I never even knew I had,” she said.

Throughout her career, Johnson-Craig has served in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, and currently owns Merry Maids in Grand Junction. With the support of her staff, she was able to devote more of her time to Roice-Hurst.

“I had been looking for my purpose my whole life, and I found it at 56 years old,” she said.

Johnson-Craig jumped in with both feet and has no regrets about the time and energy she has poured into the organization for almost a decade.

“I’ve kind of had two three-quarter time jobs over the years,” she said.

But that hasn’t mattered much because the passion she puts into her work with Roice-Hurst has always been about the animals.

“Animals are innocent—they have souls and they’re God’s creatures, just like we are,” she said. “We have dominion and it’s our responsibility to take care of these creatures who can’t take care of themselves. They give you their heart and you have to give them yours.”

For the love of pets

It takes a lot more than the love of animals to keep the shelter doors open.

Aside from facing the challenges of running a nonprofit, Roice-Hurst also operates a shelter with precious inventory that requires round-the-clock care all year long. Johnson-Craig said it has all the expenses of a for-profit without all the resources.

In the summer of 2008, Roice-Hurst almost had to close its doors.

“But the community really stepped up, so we survived,” Johnson-Craig said. “When I joined the board in 2009, we needed to figure out how to lay a foundation so the organization is healthy, sustainable, makes the best impact, uses donations wisely, offers the best animal care and has successful adoption matches.”

She led the vision by attending workshops and seminars that were hosted by Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, one of the country’s most notable nonprofit animal welfare organizations. She was part of a responsible, committed team of staff and volunteers who knew failure was not an option.

“The animals teach you love, responsibility, perspective, joy and reality,” she said. “They teach you to enjoy the good times, and they teach you a lot about life and death. When I hear people say they could never adopt again after the pain of losing a pet, I believe the heart can expand—mine certainly has. There’s always room for one more. Maybe not today, but someday.”

Full speed ahead

Along with many other dedicated board members, staff and volunteers, Johnson-Craig has helped steer Roice-Hurst on the progressive, impactful and sustainable path it’s on today.

“The foundation they laid was what allowed us to bring the shelter to where it is today,” said Anna Stout, Roice-Hurst’s executive director since 2015.

“The commitment Elaine and the rest of the board had in its dark hours and the countless unpaid hours they devoted to the organization to turn it around are legacies you can still see at Roice-Hurst.”

Johnson-Craig said while she isn’t the kind of person who can go to the shelter every day and walk the dogs and pet the cats, she does whatever she can to support those who do.

“Those are the heroes,” she said. “I do my best to support those heroes…doing what I can within the limits of my personality and emotions.”

Roice-Hurst’s staff and volunteers have learned many valuable lessons over the years, including the fact that they can accomplish so much more when they collaborate with other animal welfare groups in Colorado and across the country.

“It really helps to be part of the bigger picture,” said Johnson-Craig. “We’re really proud of our progression in joining the larger movement of keeping pets with their people, if we can.”

What’s new

In support of this mission, Roice-Hurst started the Animal Resource Center in 2016. This program is aimed at strengthening the relationship between owners and pets, with a goal of preventing the need to surrender pets to the shelter for correctable behavior issues. It also provides resources for more successful adoptions. Educational classes and individual behavior counseling for dogs and cats are available for free or low cost.

“We’ve come so far, and it’s been on the shoulders of so many wonderful, dedicated people from all walks of life,” said Johnson-Craig. “Everyone can find their niche volunteering at Roice-Hurst if you’re passionate about animals.”