Sherri Franklin, a long-time dog advocate, served six years as vice chair of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare for the city of San Francisco. She cares for abandoned and special needs dogs from a number of rescue organizations, including Animal Care and Control, providing them hospice care or finding them loving homes. In 2004 Sherri was honored by In Defense of Animals and received The Guardian Award.

Franklin began her vocation in animal rescue at the San Francisco SPCA in 1994 as a dog behavior volunteer. As an article about her in the SPCA newsletter reported in 1997, "She also loves the older dogs, and in fact she's got plans to make a retirement home for old, bereft dogs when she retires herself."

In 1995, she began caring for dogs for the SF/SPCA that were considered "unadoptable" because of medical problems, behavior issues, or other challenges. Her first foster was an Akita mix whose back legs had been crushed and was thought never to be able to walk again. She walked him every day at the shelter and finally took him home; Jack the Bear lives with her today.

Though foster parents almost always return dogs for the SPCA to find permanent homes, Franklin never once returned a dog. Instead, she always found new "forever" homes for her charges. (It was well known at the organization that any dog lucky enough to go home with Franklin had found a "fairy godmother.")

Franklin continued to foster dogs as she trained in animal behavior, traveling to seminars and conferences around the country. In 2002, she was persuaded to begin work at San Francisco's Animal Care & Control (ACC), a city shelter without the resources of the SF/SPCA. She continues to volunteer for the Give A Dog A Bone program, which provides quality of life for dogs being held in custody awaiting "vicious and dangerous dog" hearings, abuse and neglect cases, and dogs whose guardians have been incarcerated or are in the hospital.

Franklin was appointed to the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare in 2000. In 2003, she began work on an ordinance that both mandated minimum requirements for care for dogs and put some muscle into enforcement. The "backyard dog ordinance," as it was known, went into effect in January 2005 and made headlines around the country. In the first ten days it was in effect, the ACC received 15 calls about substandard care. Three dogs were confiscated, and the other guardians were educated as to how to care for their dogs properly. The ordinance continues to be an important tool for education and enforcement, and is being used as a model in other cities for similar legislation.

Franklin was elected Vice-chairman of the Commission in 2002 and continues to serve the community and address many animal-related issues, advising elected officials on animal-related legislation. She also continues to foster and hospice senior and special needs dogs for many organizations in the Bay Area. Visit www.muttville.org for more information.