After more than 12 years as a veterinary technician in a high-demand animal clinic, I experienced something common in animal welfare work: compassion fatigue and burnout. Regretfully, I stepped away for a time. Then I found Robin's Nest Rescue. It felt like a natural extension of both my lifelong love of animals and the healing role they have played in my own life. Robin's Nest's mission deeply reflects my beliefs — that animals deserve safety, compassion, and the chance to heal, while also helping people heal in return. What inspires me most is witnessing the quiet, unspoken connections that form between the animals and visitors, and watching the healing begin.
Karin often wears a t-shirt that reads "Easily distracted by goats!" When Karin is not busy with her many vet tech skills at Robin's Nest Rescue, she is reading and talking about goats or building something for her future goats at the Ramona property she and husband Tom call home. In the meantime, their two rescue pups Sully and Fred keep them busy and entertained.
Karin has always had a passion for animals. After earning her BA in Cultural Anthropology she took a brief detour into the legal field in Santa Rosa, California, her hometown. But in 2006, Karin ventured down to San Diego to be closer to family and to pursue her dream of working with animals. She began work at the Pet Encounter Therapy Department at Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC); it was there her passion for an animal-centered career was confirmed. The next stop was Glenwood Springs, Colorado, where she earned her AAS degree in Veterinary Technology and also worked at the school farm and a local equine veterinary hospital. Karin passed the California and National boards and became a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) in 2010.
Karin has accrued an outstanding line of experience with numerous types of animals. During her Colorado stay, Karin worked with farm animals including goats, cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, and llamas, as well as wildlife such as bald eagles, golden eagles, mountain lions, and bear cubs. Later, in Karin's work at a Rancho Bernardo clinic, she gained further experience with a host of exotic animals, including Fennec fox, opossums, and hedgehogs. After almost 12 years, Karin left the clinic world and ventured on to a new chapter.
It is hard to describe the fortune that brought Karin's skills and the need at Robin's Nest together; a word that emerges often is "magic." From a simple social media post, Karin came to Kimber and Sue in October 2022 and has hardly left since. She wears many "hats" on the ranch, but the most important is her knowledge, skill, and deep devotion to the animals in her care. It is, indeed, another component to the enchantment of Robin's Nest Rescue.
Credentials
- Animal Care Specialist and Program Director, Robin's Nest Rescue (2022–present)
- California Registered Veterinary Technician (2010–present)
- AAS Veterinary Technology, Colorado Mountain College (2010)
- Externship, mixed animal practice, Glenwood Springs Veterinary Clinic (2010)
- Volunteer, World Vets Spay & Neuter Clinic, San Juan, Nicaragua (2010)
- Pet Encounter Therapy Assistant, Helen Woodward Animal Center (2006–2008)
- Manager/RVT, Companion Care Veterinary Hospital (2010–2022)
- Bachelor of Arts, Cultural Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles (1995)