Annie Trinkle of Hopewell Township received the award from the Animal Welfare Federation of New Jersey.
By: Mae Rhine
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP Annie Trinkle’s lifelong interest in animals "really got going" when she got her first cat at age 6 "after years of begging."
But it wasn’t until years later, after she nearly died, that she decided to dedicate her life to rescuing and finding homes for her furry friends.
Because of her work in founding Animal Alliance, based in Belle Mead, Ms. Trinkle, 41, its president, has received the Hero to Animals Award given annually by the Animal Welfare Federation of New Jersey.
Each year, her organization finds loving homes for more than 500 animals about 10 to 15 a week, she said. Consisting of all volunteers, Animal Alliance, a nonprofit organization, rescues animals in immediate danger of euthanasia from several animal shelters.
Before she dedicated her life to animal rescue, Ms. Trinkle had a lucrative career in technical support and marketing for Abbott Laboratories, a national pharmaceutical company.
Ms. Trinkle graduated from Fairfield University with a degree in marketing and later got a master’s degree in business administration from Fordham University.
A native of New York, she and her husband, David, a partner and management consultant for Deloitte Consulting in New Brunswick, moved to 11 acres on Mount Airy-Harbourton Road, near the Lambertville border.
They adopted one dog, Dollie, a Maltese.
"She ripped the door open in my heart," Ms. Trinkle recalled. "I never realized how much I could love another being."
When they looked for a second dog, she went to an animal shelter, and that is one reason, she said, she "got bitten" by animal rescue.
"I know how much dogs love people, and I thought, ‘This is horrible,’" she said after her visit to the shelter.
That was when she started volunteering part time for Animal Allies, based in Trenton.
In the fall of 2000, she decided to take a one-year leave from Abbott. But two months later, in December of that year, she nearly died when an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy ruptured.
"It did almost take my life," she said.
She needed massive blood transfusions and drifted in and out of consciousness, she recalled.
"As I was fading away in the emergency room, I thought to myself, ‘Thank God, I took that leave,’" she said. "At that moment, I redefined my life. Actually, it was the last two months (of her life) that really mattered."
When she woke up in the ICU, she vowed, "If I survive, if I get my life back, I will devote it to helping animals. That will be my legacy. This is how I will fit in in this world."
Shortly after she recovered, she kept her promise to herself. She founded Animal Alliance with a group of women she had met along the way in shelters.
"They insist on calling me the founder," Ms. Trinkle said with a smile. "But it was more of a collaboration with me and five others."
The other women are Heather Edwards of Lambertville, Janis Lepelis of Hamilton, Diane Hutton of Titusville, Nancy Remler of Delaware Township and Vanessa Oates of Hopewell, all of whom remain dedicated volunteers to Animal Alliance.
Unlike other shelters, Animal Alliance has no kennel for people to visit to adopt animals. It has a foster home network of about a dozen homes that keep the animals until homes are found.
Animal Alliance pays for all medical care, including spaying and neutering, and the food. The homes, Ms. Trinkle said, provide "socialization and love."
Those who keep the animals until they’re adopted must have excellent references from a veterinarian and "active pet ownership."
For example, someone who had a cat 15 years ago is not a good candidate for a foster home, she explained.
She prefers homes that have other animals, but is very careful where animals are placed.
For example, a small dog would be placed in a home with other small dogs, she said.
And the screening for those adopting the animals is as rigid as that for the foster homes, she said.
The animals Animal Alliance has for adoption come from specific shelters, one in Philadelphia, for example, and from a multiyear animal control contract with Montgomery Township.
Animal Alliance charges $100 for adopting a cat, $125 for a kitten, $250 for a dog and $300 for a puppy.
That includes free spaying and neutering, all the animal’s shots as well as professional dental cleaning and grooming and flea, tick and heartworm medicine as needed.
To those who may be taken aback by the fees, she said, they could find a "free" dog or cat in the newspaper, but by the time they get their medical care taken care of, that "free" animal costs about the same.
And all the animals she has for adoption have received a "high level" of medical care, whether it’s broken bones or other problems stemming from neglect. One dog, she said, had to have seven bladder stones removed because the previous owner did not take care of its bladder infection.
Veterinary care is provided by Kingston Animal Hospital and Nassau Animal Hospital in Princeton.
Her personal vehicle, a Mercury Mountaineer, serves as her rescue vehicle in which she picks up and drops off the animals she saves. Her love for her work is reflected in two bumper stickers, one of which says, "Kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us," and the other, which proclaims, "Cats Nap. Only humans put them to sleep. Sterilize. Don’t euthanize."
Her work has paid off for her in many ways, Ms. Trinkle said.
"I’ve met a lot of wonderful people," she said. "I get to link them to very wonderful and deserving animals. At the end of a very long day, I know I’ve helped create a family. Animals are a very unifying force. They help heal people."
To learn more about the Animal Alliance, visit www.animalalliancenj.org.

