Suzi Goldsmith’s one drive in life is to save as many animals as she can. Goldsmith, who lives in Manalapan,
is one of the founders of Tri-County Animal Rescue in Boca Raton and will be honored at the Doggie Ball.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Suzi Goldsmith is a dog’s best friend. And a cat’s, too. Since she founded the Tri-County Animal Rescue in Boca Raton, which marks its 20th anniversary this month, Goldsmith and her team have saved more than 53,000 canines and felines, not just locally, but all over the country.
When disasters strike, such as hurricanes and tornadoes, or when other shelters have animals that are going to be scheduled for euthanasia, Goldsmith and her rescue team will drive their two cargo vans to places such as Georgia and South Carolina to bring the animals back to her no-kill shelter in Boca Raton.
There they will be nursed back to health and readied for adoption, along with animals surrendered to the shelter by owners who no longer can or wish to care for them. More than 1,500 of these animals are adopted each year.
“My one drive in life is to save animals, as many as I can save every day,” says Goldsmith, a Manalapan resident. “Putting them into happy, loving homes gives them a second chance at life, and is my way of giving back to the community.
“We do not put any animals down here,” she said. “If an animal has some kind of injury or disease, we will spend any amount of money and effort to save it. That’s what I believe in, and that’s what makes the difference between Tri-County and other shelters.” She was 8 years old when she got her first dog, a black cocker spaniel named Rokie, from the Michigan Humane Society. “It was one of the loves of my life,” she said. “That dog me taught me compassion, understanding, dedication and respect for animals.”
This month, Goldsmith will be honored for her rescue work during Tri-County Animal Rescue’s 14th annual Doggie Ball at Boca West Country Club. The award she will receive was created by TCAR and is named after Jeannette Christos, the woman who co-founded TCAR with Goldsmith.
This February, Goldsmith hopes to break ground on a new veterinarian center that will be built on the shelter’s 12-acre property. It will provide low-cost spaying and neutering, as well as rabies shots, for dogs and cats whose owners could otherwise not afford it.
Goldsmith, 68, visits schools with animals from her shelter, because “we must teach children from kindergarten on up to respect animals,” she says. She also takes them to nursing homes and drug rehab centers “to show compassion.”
“Sometimes no other thing or being can replace the friendship of an animal,” says Goldsmith, who always has at least one or two rescue dogs in her home.
She says her husband, Rick, jokes with friends all the time that if she has to make a choice between doing something with him and doing something with her dogs, she’ll always choose the dogs first.
“What keeps me happy are my animals,” she says. “I love my family and I love my friends, but an animal will never disappoint you. Ever.”
— Marie Puleo
Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I grew up and went to school in Detroit.
I was influenced by the Midwestern down-to-earth set of values.
Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: I was in the travel industry for 30 years. I am most proud of the fact that I started the travel section of the Entertainment Coupon Book which is sold in every city in the United States.
Q: What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?
A: Try to get as much education as you possibly can in the field that you want to go into. Education is crucial to anything we do in life.
Q: How did you choose to make your home in Manalapan?
A: I moved to Manalapan 16 years ago because of its location, beauty and charm.
Q: What is your favorite part about living in Manalapan?
A: Logistically, it offers the best of all worlds. It is just as easy to drive to Palm Beach as it is to drive to Fort Lauderdale.
Q: What book are you reading now?
A: The only books I have the time to read have to do with dogs and cats. I never tire from reading them. Right now I’m reading The Life and Love of Dogs, by Lewis Blackwell.
Q: What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A: I listen to Legend 100.3 FM from the moment I get into the car going to the shelter and until I return home at 6:30 p.m. It is beautiful, calming music that always makes me happy and puts a smile on my face.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A: “The essential conditions of everything you do must be passion, choice and love,” by Nadia Boulanger.
Q: If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you and why?
A: Julia Roberts. She has played women who have had to fight for different things. I think she’d be perfect.
Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: The sight of an animal wagging their tail puts a smile on my face and laughter in my heart.
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