About

Verona joined Dogs Without Borders as a foster, then a volunteer, now as the Volunteer Coordinator and Vice President of the Board. She has Tiny Dogs at home, and when it comes to companions her motto is “the smaller the better”.

On a weekly basis Verona is actively involved with the rescue of new dogs, updating the website, emailing & recruiting new volunteers, offering a pleasant customer service experience via social media messaging and running Saturday adoption fairs.

Verona has adopted 3 DWB dogs and works as an actor and web developer, when she’s not totally distracted by rescue.

Born and raised in Montana, Dr. Fox grew up on a large sheep and cattle ranch. He received his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Montana State University, and was trained in veterinary medicine at Colorado State University, where he received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. Dr. Fox has been practicing companion animal medicine in Los Angeles ever since. He has become known for his home visits, where he offers particularly compassionate care for pets and their loved ones.

In 2013, he became certified in veterinary acupuncture, incorporating the natural principles of healing into his practice of integrative medicine.

Dr Fox is our medical advisor and offers regular, low cost clinics at our adoption fairs for adopters, and the general public. He is on the board of several non profits and is experienced in fundraising.

Betsy started volunteering for Dogs Without Borders in 2010 as a transporter. As she stepped into the shelters she couldn’t help but start taking dogs home, which led her to become a rescuer for the organization. Betsy worked for 6 years and pulled thousands of pups from all the Los Angeles shelters.

When Betsy gave birth to twins in 2015 she had to stop rescuing for the time being just to be mom for a couple years but is back as the head of our Rescue Committee, working with other board members and volunteers to get as many pups as possible out of shelters and into our rescue!

Andrea originally connected with Dogs Without Borders when she adopted her dog Patty from us. Shortly after that, she began volunteering with us—writing social media posts, transporting, and even updating dog profiles on the website. Over the past couple of years Andrea has become a key member of our fundraising efforts as well as working to build beneficial partnerships with various brands. In addition, she often gives her time and heart to serve as a bit of a “dogcierge” for some of our more complicated medical dogs and their respective fosters/adopters. Ever since losing her first dogs (Harley & Bobo) to complex medical issues, she always strives to pay it forward in their honor and puts her experiences and compassion to use for those in need. Whether through her own experiences, her studies in Zoology and Animal Behavior, or her 20+ years as a senior executive in the advertising business, Andrea is always willing to go the extra mile for the DWB team and our dogs.
Although Andrea will occasionally foster a medical dog in need of some TLC, she typically has her hands full with her own three dogs (and a cat!).

Nicole Lapidus is thrilled to be joining the Dogs Without Borders board after serving as a volunteer for over a decade.  She is an LA transplant who hails from Portland, Oregon where she earned a BS in Business from Portland State University.  When she arrived in Los Angeles, she was shocked and appalled at the pet overpopulation crisis and overcrowding in the local shelters.  After adopting her Vanilla Prince from Dogs Without Borders, she was compelled to stay involved.  Nicole has been a volunteer on the front line of the rescue helping with everything from data entry and social media to shelter visits and pulling dogs to adoption fairs and home checks.  She is currently an active member of the organization’s rescue committee working daily with local shelters and Dogs Without Borders staff to coordinate as many freedom rides as possible.  Nicole is also a Mom to 2 human children and recently added a 2nd dog to her pack…naturally adopted through Dogs Without Borders!

Matt is a foster fail father, having found his two dogs, Matcha and Nitro, through Dogs Without Borders. Since then, Matt has helped Dogs Without Borders with legal and business matters. Matt practices general business law, internet law, and intellectual property law in West Hollywood.