Board Members
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Amy Frye - President, Adoption & Transport Coordinator, Website Manager
I am a native Vermonter and has always had a pug in my family since I was a child.
My first pug was our family dog named Winston and he was the reason why my family fell in love with the pug breed. When I was in college, I adopted my first pug of my own from a fellow student who was moving back to Taiwan after graduation and couldn't take him with her. His name was Sky and even though he had some handicaps due to a car accident when he was a puppy, he was a happy pug. Sky and Winston loved going to the GMPR Pug Social's which is how I was introduced to the rescue.
I am a graduate from the University of Hartford, CT with a Bachelor of Art degree in Web Development and a graduate from Champlain College in Burlington, VT with a Master of Science degree in IT Management and a certificate in CyberSecurity. I work remotely for an IT consulting company.
I live in Underhill, VT with my fawn pug named Stewie, GMPR Alumni, Wally, GMPR Alumni, Bensun (pictured) and Rat Terrier, Chance. My sister, Kelli, adopted Munchkin from GMPR in January 2016 which lead to me joining GMPR as a board member. | |
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Phil Douglas - Treasurer & Judy Douglas - Vice President & Foster Coordinator
Phil & Judy Douglas have been involved with GMPR since the formative days of the rescue in 2002. Phil is a retired Civil Engineer and Judy is a Member Services Representative for a local credit union. They met and married in Los Angeles, CA and lived in Rancho Cucamonga for 25 years until they retired from their respective jobs to move to Vermont where Phil grew up. Phil is a VT Tech and UVM graduate. Judy attended college in California. They moved to Vermont just in time to join the fledgling GMPR.
Phil & Judy became pug lovers when they adopted “Rosie” from Little Angels Pug Rescue in Los Angeles and “Spike”, a Pug-Chihuahua from the Riverside, CA animal shelter. Then they adopted a pug named “Moose” from the Upland, CA shelter. When “Rosie” died “Lucy” joined the family as an 8-week old puppy. During the Vermont years “Moose” and “Spike” crossed the Rainbow Bridge and “Lucy” was joined by adoptions “Sonny Ray” and “Trigger”, both of which have since passed on. Currently “Lucy” is Trail Boss to “Misty” (Liver Shunt), “Peach” (blind and diabetic) and “Rocky” (ADHD).
Judy and Phil are retired. Judy is the Foster Coordinator for GMPR and Vice-President of the Board of Directors. Phil is the Treasurer for the rescue. They spend non-rescue time in their camper van traveling cross country and puttering around their Mendon, VT home when time and weather allows.
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Kristen Griswold - Secretary
I've lived in the greater capital district of New York state the majority of my life. I studied Latin and psychology at Union College and after receiving my masters at SUNY Albany, I began teaching Latin in Clifton Park. My husband and I live in Rexford, NY with my pugs and his cats; it is a mixed marriage but we make it work.
One of my first goals as an adult was to get a dog, so six months after getting a full time job, and after a lot of research about different dog breeds, I settled on the pug. I fell in love with their big personalities and their lazy dispositions. My first pug, Basia, led me to seek out other pug people. I joined the Albany-Capital Region Pug Lovers Meetup where I became aware of GMPR. After a few years I began fostering pugs and eventually I took over as organizer of the Meetup group. I've fostered many dogs, mostly pugs and pug mixes, much to the consternation of my current pugs, Maximus and Luciana.
When I'm not trying to wrap a belly band around a squirming pug, I'm probably doing something related to teaching or Latin. I'm the webmaster for the Classical Association for the Empire State and also on their board. I've taught mostly middle school students for 20 years. Pugs and middle schoolers listen about the same amount, but I do clean up much less poop at work.
After many years of fostering, I'm happy to help GMPR serve pugs in need in new ways as a board member.
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Patti Whittemore - Home Visit Coordinator
I was born and raised in central Vermont and have been an animal lover my entire life. It didn’t matter what. If I could help it in any way, I would. I moved to North Carolina in 1993 and was involved in Reptile Rescue. I’ve fostered iguanas, monitor lizards and large snakes for Triangle Iguana Rescue in Raleigh. After moving back home and losing my precious Bichon, Madison after 14 years, I applied to be a foster for GRMR to fill the hole in my heart. I filled that hole with my very first foster. A deaf, blind, bossy black Pug named Lucy. She was the queen of our house and we new in the first hour she would be a “foster fail”. We fostered and hospice fostered many Pugs for GMPR and I was on the board for a short time previously. Life happens and after having to step away when life got overwhelming, I’m so grateful to be back on this amazing team!
I now live in Rutland with 2 of my 3 grown sons, an English Bulldog named Delilah, and 10 chickens. I work for a local Financial Advisor. I have attended many out of state GMPR fundraising events, as well as our very own Pug Social. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Social. That’s my happy place. Surrounded by all the dogs.
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Karen Price - Social Media Manager
I grew up in Fonda, NY and currently reside In Schenectady, NY with my 3 fur babies Vera, Pearl, and Nemo. I’ve been an animal lover from the beginning so I attended SUNY Cobleskill earning a BT in Animal Science. Oddly, I landed in the Human Resources field of work but spend most of my free time with my pups. Pugs have always been my favorite breed and I fulfilled a life goal when I got my first pug in 2022. I began fostering dogs in 2022 for another local rescue and began fostering for GMPR in 2023. Rescue work has became my life passion and I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve on the GMPR board and continue volunteering in a greater capacity. I love to travel to pug events all over and meet new pug people so if you see me, say Hello!!
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Kelli Mazzella - Volunteer Coordinator
As an avid animal lover, I first fell in love with pugs after watching one of my favorite childhood movies, The Adventures of Milo and Otis. When I was in middle school, our family adopted Winston who was a part of our lives for over 16 years and got us introduced to the Green Mountain Pug Rescue (GMPR) in attending their many events, such as the Pug Social. In college, my future husband, Michael, and I encountered our first feline rescue, Chloe, who gave birth to a litter of kittens where one of her daughters, Marie, captured our hearts and both were with us for nearly 18 years. It wasn’t until the winter of 2016 that we adopted our first pug rescue, Munchkin, from GMPR. That spring, I joined the GMPR family as a board member transitioning to roles of secretary, volunteer coordinator and eventually as president. I did depart in October of 2022, but remained as an active volunteer, adopted our second pug rescue, Han Solo, in September 2025 and I’m so happy to be back on the board as of June 2025 with my fellow pug peeps!
I grew up in Essex, Vermont and after high school graduation, I moved to Albany, New York to attend pharmacy school at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. After completion of my doctorate in 2008, I moved back to Vermont to do a 1-year residency in hospital pharmacy practice and I stayed on at the University of Vermont Medical Center to provide patient care and teaching the next generation of pharmacists. As a goal, I hope to pursue future education in veterinary pharmacy and apply my expertise to GMPR and the pug community.
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Deb Wiggett
Hi, I am Deb Wiggett and am very excited to be a board member for the Green Mt. Pug Rescue. I look forward to working with a fantastic group of people for such an amazing cause. I am mom to Kelli Mazzella and Amy Frye who constantly make me proud with their life's accomplishments. I also have a son, Tim, who has volunteered with GMPR. My 10 year old grandson, Luke, loves attending the annual Pug Social.
My first experience with Pugs was back when I was a teenager. We spent our summers camping in Maine. There was an elderly couple who owned a sweet female Pug named Blossom. She was such a friendly girl and loved seeing her on walks. I grew up with a Pekingese named Muffin. She was very attached to me since I spoiled her so much. My next family pet was an amazing Pug named Winston. We adopted him in October, 1998 and he grew up with my kids. He was a very intelligent boy. The kids and I started attending GMPR events shortly afterwards. Pugtoberfest was a memorable event. Winston was the only Pug to stick his entire face into a bowl of water of cut-up hot dogs. He won me a picture frame which I still have to this day. Losing him in 2014 was the worst day of my life. I now have a crazy 8 year old Pekingese, Cali, who is so spoiled.
I have volunteered for GMPR for many years. I look forward to assisting the team and the puggies who need our help to make their lives so much better.
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