Practicing a lifelong passion for animals

Growing up, all Erika Salmeron wanted to do was rescue animals. She would try to find abandoned animals and take care of them.

At one point, she took a friend’s baby chick that needed a home and hid it in the bathroom.

“My dad didn’t know it was there until one day, he heard it,” Salmeron said. “He let me keep it and it eventually got old and passed.”

Born and raised in Othello, she is now a single mother of a 6-year-old daughter. Three years ago, she felt it was time to do something with her life and went to work at Adams County Pet Rescue.

One thing was that she didn’t used to be a cat person. She said her grandmother took in stray cats and most were mean. Since she’s been at Pet Rescue, however, she has a different perspective.

As for dogs, she has learned about different breeds and how to treat some of the sicknesses they get. She also has learned how to help socialize them.

“It’s exciting to see the changes in the time they are here,” Salmeron said.

Her passion for animals comes from her grandfather, who was very loving to them. These days, she has 10 goats, a variety of chickens, two ducks, a cat, a bird and three dogs. Her dad also has three huskies. She said her daughter likes to help with the animals and hopes to instill her love of animals into her, as well.

It’s also the reason why she also has a passion for raising awareness about human trafficking.

“I started seeing it on Facebook and then I had a cousin in Mexico that was taken for two days,” Salmeron said. “My uncle paid a lot of money to get her back.”

Along with her friends Ryza Montejano and Angelina McGrath, she has helped at marches in the Tri-Cities. She and McGrath are currently putting together a march in Othello.

Slated for Saturday, Sept. 12, her goal is to raise awareness that there are predators around the area.

“Parents need to talk to their kids and encourage them to talk, too,” Salmeron said. “We all need to be more aware.”

The day will begin at 11 a.m. on Main Street near Walmart where everyone will get together to make signs. The march starts at 2 p.m. and goes from Kix Stand to McDonald’s.

“One is four children will be taken or sexually assaulted so it’s not safe to let kids out by themselves,” Salmeron said. “I am blown away by how they (predators) can go out and about so much and I don’t want this to happen to my daughter.”

Salmeron recently started taking classes to earn an associate’s degree. Her ultimate goal is to be a veterinarian technician.

She encourages parents to bring their children to the shelter to learn about animals. It’s also a great volunteer experience.

“Come and chat with us,” Salmeron said. “We like visitors.”

Adams County Pet Rescue is located at 1961 Bench Road east of the fairgrounds. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The facility is closed Mondays and Thursdays for cleaning.