About us
Meet the team
Shannon Jones
I am a wife, mom of 4 beautiful children and mom to a lot of fur babies. I was born and raised in South Carolina. I have always loved animals. As a child, I had rabbits, goats, peacocks, pigs, dogs and cats and many others.
My favorite rescue to care for are the ones with special needs,injures or mange covered and skin and bones. I love nursing animals back to health, earning their trust and then finding the perfect family for them. I also love to bottle raise orphaned puppies.
I hope I can see a change in animal welfare in my lifetime.
Robin Nichols
I was born in 1973 in Los Angeles, California, and have loved animals for as long as I can remember. My childhood pets—a St. Bernard named Tinkerbell and a cat named Fritz—sparked a lifelong passion for rescuing animals in need. I was always the kid bringing home stray dogs, cats, rabbits, and even horses, much to my mom’s dismay.
At 17, I moved to New York, where my rescue journey truly began. I started saving Cocker Spaniels from a backyard breeder who discarded puppies with minor defects. I got them medical care, had them altered, and found them loving homes.
Years later, after moving to South Carolina, I began volunteering at Dorchester Paws (formerly F.R. Willis Shelter). My commitment to helping neglected and at-risk dogs eventually led to a staff position—turns out, rescuing the “unadoptable” became my specialty. I later joined county animal control, expanding my rescue network and helping countless animals get a second chance at life.
How Lakeside Animal Rescue was founded
On a December day in 2017, Shannon was searching for a shelter where her daughter, Emerson, could job shadow for the day. She reached out to the local shelter, where the rescue coordinator, Robin, happily welcomed them. What started as a simple job-shadowing opportunity quickly grew into something life-changing.
That day sparked not only a beautiful friendship between Shannon and Robin but also the beginning of a powerful rescue partnership. Realizing how well they worked together—and how deeply they shared a passion for saving animals—they decided to start a rescue of their own.
In 2018, Lakeside Animal Rescue was born. Since then, this small but mighty team has rescued and placed thousands of animals in loving homes and with reputable rescues across the eastern seaboard. What began as one special day has become a lifelong mission to give every animal the second chance they deserve.