Stephen McGarva - President CEO/Founder

Stephen McGarva can be best described as a man who likes to experience almost anything.  He is physically and socially active.  He’s an artist, athlete, and activist.  As a child growing up in mountains of British Columbia, Canada, he enjoyed hiking, camping, climbing, playing hockey, skiing, kayaking and windsurfing.  He also had a love for animals.  He would find injured, wild animals and bring them home to bring them back to health before releasing them back to the wild or he would find them a good, new home.  In school he was the guy that fit in with everyone and who would protect and befriend the kids who were picked on.  After graduating high school he moved to Southeast Asia to make his mark on the world.  He worked with orphaned children and at refugee camps, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick.   Around that time he was introduced to his new addiction for the free-flight sport called paragliding.  He became an adrenaline junky, pushing himself to soar high and perform stunts in the sky that only a few in the world dared to try.  But, Steve never abandoned his interest in helping others.  While in Southern California, he taught troubled teenagers how to rock climb.  He showed them how to respect nature by bringing them hiking and camping.   In 2005 his wife’s job in the pharmaceutical industry brought him to Puerto Rico.   He brought sculpture equipment with him as well as paragliding and kitesurfing gear to pass the time while his wife worked.  While searching for a site to kitesurf, he found a beach with starving, abused, malnourished, and abandoned dogs.  His new vocation for the next two years was thrown at him; he was the caretaker and guardian of 50 to 100 dogs at a given time.  He worked in the trenches; he fed them, medicated, trained and provided love and affection to them.  He prepared them for a potential new life with a family who may eventually adopt them in the U.S.  In his time there, he buried over 1000 dogs, but also helped save several hundred. 

Pam McGarva - Board Member

Pam started her animal rescue work in 2000 at a California animal shelter, volunteering time exercising and giving affection to dogs.  Her role at the shelter also involved getting to know the personalities of dogs to share information with prospective adoptive families.  Pam was transferred to Puerto Rico for work in 2005.  She spent weekends and holidays at a beach called "Dead Dog Beach" with her husband Steve.  At the beach she fed and gave water to dogs, but a majority of her time at the beach was spent getting to know the dogs and giving them love.

Sue Mattheson - Board Member

Sue made many business trips to Puerto Rico and was saddened by the incredible number of homeless and neglected dogs.  She is excited about finally being able to make a difference in the lives of such animals by working through the Foundation.   Sue's current focus is on fundraising and awareness.