Folks at the DeKalb County animal shelter thought they were merely having a staff luncheon when Victoria Stilwell, known for the CBS show “Greatest American Dog” and Animal Planet’s “It's Me or the Dog,” showed up with a far better Valentine surprise:  a $1 million grant from the Petco Foundation.

“This is just to say thank you for all of your work,” Stilwell said, presenting a giant card with messages of support to all of the staff members and volunteers. Then came the giant check reveal.

“We’re really proud to be saving lives,” said LifeLine Animal Project CEO Rebecca Guinn, who unwrapped the enormous Valentine along with board chair David Midler. “We’ve had the honor of being able to transform Atlanta into a lifesaving community. We could not do that without the support of the Petco Foundation.”

The LifeLine is the managing organization for DeKalb County Animal Services and Fulton County Animal Services and operates two low-cost spay/neuter clinics and the "Catlanta" trap-neuter-return program for stray and feral cats. See lifelineanimal.org for details about the organization and information on how to adopt.

About the Author

Featured

In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com