COVER STORY { by judy pearson } | 14 | FURRY FRIENDS 2022

1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, the Cold War was in full bloom, Arizonans could buy a gallon of gas or a pound of hamburger for 30 cents, and the Arizona Humane Society opened its brand-new facility at Hatcher Road and 13 th Avenue in Sunnyslope. Its function was to take in unwanted animals and — with luck — adopt them out to new families. Although it’s been expanded several times, that 64-year-old facility is still chugging along, bursting at the seams. The good news is that during that time, AHS has launched many initiatives to care for the most vulnerable in the community, including a bottle baby ICU and kitten nursery, the Parvo Puppy ICU and isolation kennels, traveling Emergency Animal Medical Technicians, and a pet resource center. The bad news is, with a human population now 10 times greater than in 1957 and an animal population many times larger than that, the need has exploded. Daryl and Chip Weil felt that explosion reverberate in their hearts. Daryl grew up in an animal-loving family. “My father was an animal whisperer,” she laughed. “Whether it was a robin with a broken wing or a lost baby chipmunk, he was on the case.” Daryl followed the family passion, supporting AHS and joining the board in 1995. Chip has always been an animal lover, too. Dogs were his thing, and his favorite, Binky, still conjures up smiles. “Apparently, I wasn’t good at naming them,” he said. A Forever . a Forever Building Home Community members like Chip & Daryl Weil rally around Arizona Humane Society’s groundbreaking plans FURRY FRIENDS 2022 | 15 |