Why this animal rescuer and reality TV star Amanda Giese wants to enable hopeless, special-needs canine cases

Written by Susanah Cheok

I have not met an animal rescuer I did not like and respect. As far as this pawsome breed of humans go, they don’t come any more inspiring than Amanda Giese, one of the most beloved voices for animal advocacy in America, not least because of her unique commitment to special- needs rescues that most in the world would reject, those hard-luck furries that move her the most.

Washington-based Amanda is best known for founding and leading Panda Paws Rescue, a non-profit, home-based shelter that saves, cares for, and rehomes some of the city’s most difficult canine cases. Where others see broken, unfixable animals with no hope of saving, Amanda sees creatures that deserve love and second chances. Together with her teenage children Jade and Beast, and her partner Gary, Amanda helps these animals get a new lease on life through treatment and rehabilitation. Her ultimate aim with Panda Paws Rescue is to end homelessness, abuse and neglect.

Most recently, the compassionate and fast-talking Amanda also became a reality TV star. She was in Singapore for a short spell to tell Animal Planet’s viewers about her reality show, Amanda to the Rescue, which is currently airing on Animal Planet every Tuesday.

Amanda’s work with animals was certainly shaped by her childhood circumstances.

“When I was in Elementary school, some of my closest and best friends were people with special needs. While coping with a rough childhood, animals became my therapy. I found that I really connected with animals. In fact, I did my first rescue way back then – she was a sickly flea-ridden kitten the size of a lemon that I (at first) named Jane Doe, and later Jane, when I knew she was going to make it,” Amanda relates.

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She remembers ferrying tiny Jane in her backpack from school to the vet for whatever treatment the little one needed, “and bottle feeding her 2 to 3 times a day. Jane ended up being with me for over 20 years! She wasn’t my first fur baby though. My first pet was a 12-inch chocolate African millipede that smelled terrible.”

The family that rescues together stays together. And that ethos extends to her reality show. Members of her family, both human and canine, each have a part to play in Amanda to the Rescue, albeit roles they already play in real life.

Throughout the seasons, Amanda will launch large-scale rescue missions across the country to save dozens of animals with major medical or special needs, from being euthanized. Some episodes will see her journeying to over-crowded California shelters that are overrun with displaced and injured animals from deadly wildfires. Amanda will also fly to Puerto Rico to help a dog rescue operation that needs assistance in their recovery efforts after hurricane Maria, and to Hawaii after the eruption of Kilauea to lend a helping hand by relieving the shelters of their overcrowding and help bring dogs in need to safety.

“In the first 30 days of shooting the show, we were all trying to get used to things and working out the kinks of shooting it at home. Because I want the show to have authenticity, to be real, and show situations in my life, what I truly do, there are scenes where I would be brushing my teeth, my daughter Jade would have just woken up from bed, messy hair and all. My dogs adapted really well too. They are a one-of-a-kind pack. The kids did wonderfully and are involved in the featured rescues, with Jade as my right-hand woman.

“We didn’t want to portray ourselves as people we are not, so we let things develop naturally and organically. We also want the show to be educational for people who do rescue work, or want to, and for it to be family-centric, so that other parents have a platform to use to teach their children about kindness to animals, to go beyond the self,” says the over-achieving multi-hyphenate, who is also a qualified phlebotomist (someone who specializes in drawing blood) and vet tech.

When asked how she manages to do so much and if she compromises, she says, “It’s all about priorities. I only have 24 hours, so my children, family and the rescues come first. My son is the designated driver, and that helps me be more productive with time. If I don’t have time to mow the lawn, I’ll work around it. At Panda Paws Rescue, every day is different and the same – feeding, dispensing medication, giving physical therapy, bathing, computer work, rescue work, social media management, and now the TV show. All this takes team work.”

At any time, Panda Paws Rescue cares for between 3 and 8 needy dogs. “We want to achieve quality versus quantity of rescues. This is time-intensive and to offer quality care, you can’t over-extend yourself. If we do a puppy mill rescue, there could be 30 to 40 dogs at our home,” explains Amanda.

Amanda recalls 2 of her most memorable and iconic rescues: London, a severely abused pit bull that suffered extreme fractures in his front legs. “Eight years ago, it was considered a leap of faith to amputate both of a dog’s front legs, but we took it to save London, and his case has inspired other animal rescuers. His former owners were also charged and imprisoned. It was a leap of faith in many ways, but many were inspired by the courage it took for us to be a voice for him.”

She cannot relate rescue anecdotes without talking about Duncan Lou Who, the rock star of a boxer that is part of the Panda Paws Rescue pack. Born with his back legs fused into an X that was also threatening to twist his spine, Duncan’s deformed limbs were amputated and he now walks and runs on his front legs. “He is resilient, has managed to navigate everything despite the odds; he ‘died’ twice, is an inspiration to military vets who have lost limbs, and children with physical disabilities. Duncan is also idiosyncratic, he loves peanut butter and sticks and has a special blanket called Chewie, worn down by now, that he doesn’t go anywhere without.”

Animal rescue work can be thankless and discouraging, but Amanda’s greatest reward is “seeing a rescued animal go home with a family, to be the Pup Date Liaison that connects it to its happily ever after. But get into it for the right reasons. You won’t get rich, but you’ll be rich in your heart when you are an advocate for the voiceless. Always rescue within your means, be realistic, as it’s counter-productive when you can’t care for them because you are in over your head.”

To Amanda, “everyone can do something, even if it’s just for 1 hour a day, to go to a shelter and help groom and socialize the animals. They thrive on TLC, and it helps them to become more adoptable. I see it as an eco-system, where there’s a place for everyone, versus an ego system, where it’s about selfish living. Animal welfare is absolutely everyone’s responsibility. Everyone needs to be a responsible team player and consumer – don’t support puppy mills, be pro-spaying and neutering, vaccinations.”

What does the future hold for the consummate animal welfare advocate?

“People expect the TV show to grow, but my rescues will always come first. I want to maintain balance and moderation and I don’t want to cut corners. I want to continue focusing on enabling animals with special needs. I hope to make our ‘educational’ voice louder – this can only benefit all animal humanitarians. Amanda to the Rescue will continue to be feel-good and family-centric, after all, there’s already enough negativity on TV. I hope to become more involved in legislation, to be in a position to implement laws and more severe punishments for animal abuse. To use my voice and platform.”

Amanda to the Rescue airs on Tuesdays at 9.55pm on Animal Planet (Singtel TV Channel 208)