Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/198558
DENISE VALDEZ: ADVOCATING FOR ANIMALS A career in journalism has taken Denise Valdez all over the country— adopting a pet in every city: a cat in San Antonio, a Labrador retriever in Dallas, and golden retrievers in LA and Las Vegas. "I never thought I would be the person covered in dog hair whose pack charged the front door every time someone rings the door bell," she says with a laugh. Valdez moved to Las Vegas in 2006 to be a news anchor for 8 News Now and has since won two Emmy Awards for anchoring and reporting. And while she created the newscast's Pet Project to cover a wide range of pet issues, she joined the Animal Foundation in 2011 as a way to do more than report stories on TV. One of the largest open-admission shelters in the country, AF took in more than 42,000 animals last year alone. In true reporter style, Valdez tells the best stories—of the woman who rescued a dog that had been thrown from a moving car and the Henderson family that was so touched by her act, they donated a truck to the foundation to use for mobile adoptions. Or the family that found its missing dog at AF headquarters thanks to a microchip. Ultimately, she says, what she does is inspire the public to get involved in the never-ending cause of animal adoption: "I am that person in the elevator who will start chatting with you about rescuing a dog and how it changed my life." animalfoundation.com 100 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 096-105_V_F_VegasGives_Nov13.indd 100 10/23/13 10:58 AM