Hartselle native finds new home at Dogtown

By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Sharon Riggs, a Hartselle native who has a soft heart for animals, is going to work at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the nation’s largest refuge for injured, mistreated and unwanted pets.
In her new job, Riggs will work at Dogtown, a Best Friends’ sanctuary for dogs. Many pet lovers are familiar with it because of the exposure it has received as a regular weekly feature on the National Geographics television channel. A new season for the show will premiere March 20 at 9 p.m. CDT.
Riggs said she was familiar with the humanitarian work being done at Best Friends and was a fan of “Dogtown,” but never dreamed that she‘d be a part of it.
“I love everything about it, especially the kindness, compassion and respect the staff and volunteers have for animals of all kinds. I also loved the fact that it’s a no-kill sanctuary. Every-one of the 2,000 animals there are either adopted or allowed to live there for the rest of their natural lives.
The sanctuary was started in 1982 when 10 animal lovers pooled their resources and purchased 3,000 acres of land in a place now called “Angel Valley.”
Riggs left North Alabama for Utah, a 2,500-mile trip, earlier this week. She carried with her as a passenger a deformed puppy, which she picked up in Birmingham. Riggs has a twin sister, Karen Hopkins, who lives in Hartselle, and two brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, both of whom live in Decatur.