Biography: Randy Skaggs, Founder, The Trixie Foundation & Animals Yes!

In the Spring of 1989, Randy Skaggs moved to Elliott County in eastern, Appalachian Kentucky with his seven rescued dogs. Having lost everything he owned in a business deal gone bad, he had shut the doors on the home he was buying high on a hill, next door to the mayor in Newport, Kentucky - directly across the river from downtown Cincinnati, and loaded everything he had into a U-Haul and headed to the place he would call home for the next five months: a run-down tool trailer located in the middle of a green forest, surrounded by tall hills. With $35 cash left to his name and a couple credit cards, for the next several months Randy would take whatever job he could get to feed his animals and himself.

Having earlier been involved in the advertising and publishing business (and, having graduated college years before with a Bachelor of Arts degree along with a couple Associate degrees and, with an overall ‘A’ average), Randy believed that perseverance was the key to his survival. With the help of caring relatives, soon Randy found his soon-to-be little ‘cabin in the woods’. In late September, 1989, Randy loaded up his growing family (which now numbered nine) and moved there. In a matter of a few short months, Randy had arranged to purchase the simple home on a land contract. Sadly, not long after, on the overcast, gray Monday afternoon of January 15th - his beloved, rescued Norwegian Elkhound Trixie died in his arms after having been attacked the previous day by a pack of dogs. Knowing how much Trixie and the other rescued dogs meant to him, Randy was determined to do more to help those defenseless animals that nobody else seemed to care about.

According to the census records, in 1990, the population of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was 3,677,306 people; hardly anyone was upset about the way companion dogs and cats were being treated. Animal welfare in Kentucky was non-existent. County governments - especially rural county governments, were doing virtually nothing about stray, starving animals. Moreover, euthanasia by gunshot was the legal, acceptable means to rid themselves of the unwanted, abandoned dogs and cats. To Randy, it was not right nor acceptable. While in college, Randy had majored in both government and history. Furthermore, having once attended military school and growing up the son of an orthopedic surgeon and a mother with a master’s degree in education (in addition, to having himself been married three different times to intelligent, aggressive women who went on to become a medical doctor, a nurse and a teacher), Randy believed that he too could also achieve worthy objectives if only he put all of his experience and knowledge to work and do what he might and could, to make a positive difference for the unwanted animals in Appalachia. So, one week to the very minute, hour and day of the passing of his little sweet girl Trixie seven days earlier, Randy knelt on the same spot where he had held Trixie as she drew her last breath and made a commitment to her memory and God, that we would do whatever it took to bring about positive, change impacting compassionate care for all animals. Thus, on Monday afternoon, January 22nd, The Trixie Foundation was began.

Almost 37 years later, The Trixie Foundation and Animals Yes! have evolved and grown significantly - from less than two acres to almost 400 acres today. Moreover, insofar as to addressing animal welfare - The Trixie Foundation has now made the most Open Records Requests (to obtain county and state financial records, euthanasia and animal intake documents amongst other records) in Kentucky’s 234 year history - over 500. In addition, it has filed the most appeals ever in a single day to the Office of the Kentucky Attorney General - over 40. Plus, it has filed the largest ‘class-action’ lawsuit ever in Kentucky's history, pertaining to county and state government’s failure to address animal welfare - 397 county judge executives, magistrates, county commissioners and even the Commissioner of Agriculture himself were sued.

And although ‘Trixie’ founder Randy Skaggs has been trashed, arrested and jailed - never once did he back down nor give up on his dream to take away some of the suffering imposed upon the helpless animals that had nobody else to turn to, except The Trixie Foundation. Nor, did Randy Skaggs break the promise he made to little Trixie and God on that cold, winter afternoon of January 22nd, 1990 to bring about compassionate change - and, he never will...