LAY PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD PRESENTED

The Alabama VMA presented its annual Lay Person of the Year Award to Mr. Dennis McDonough of Birmingham, during the association’s annual convention in Orange Beach, Alabama June 28- July 1, 2007.

The Lay Person of the Year is given to a non-veterinarian who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the profession and the Association.  Mr. McDonough started the Alabama Pet Registry (APR) in 1993. Through his previous work with Maggie Dix, the founder of the Friends of Dogs and Cats Foundation, Mr. McDonough recognized the need for a mechanism to help reunite people with their lost pets. The beginning of this project was financed entirely from Mr. McDonough’s household budget, and to date no salaries have been paid and only weekend of vacation has been taken. Though he was unable to attend the awards banquet, Dennis sent word through Dr. Libby Todd that he has the full support and cooperation of his wife Evelyn Barbee, and shares the full credit for the APR’s success with her.

Through Mr. McDonough’s devotion and determination, the APR has developed into a non-profit service that not only strives to reunited people with their lost pets, but also serves as a support system for organizations devoted to animal welfare and the human-animal bond.

Congratulations to Mr. Dennis McDonough on this well deserved recognition.