When Suzi Goldsmith first walked into the old Boca Raton Animal Shelter in 1986, she knew something had to change. The dogs were outdoors in the heat, there was no roof over the kennels, and euthanasia was routine. With fellow volunteer Jeannette Christos, she made a decision that would alter the trajectory of animal welfare in South Florida.
They left the city shelter, bought a small, rundown property in Lake Worth Beach, and began rescuing animals on their own terms. For years, they worked informally, sheltering nearly 100 dogs at a time and adopting animals out through places like PetSmart. In 1996, Tri-County Animal Rescue became an official nonprofit.
When the City of Boca Raton put its municipal animal shelter out to bid, Goldsmith and her team stepped forward. They secured a 75-year lease and took on full responsibility for the land, the buildings and animal control pickups. “The first thing we did was put a roof on,” she says. “And the day we took it over, we stopped euthanasia. That was our shining hour.”
The rescue also operates the Lois Pope Pet Clinic, opened five years ago to provide pro bono and accessible veterinary care that helps families keep their pets. There’s also a food pantry, assistance for residents who cannot afford pet care, and a thrift shop that supports people in need. “We’re community-minded,” Goldsmith says. “We help the animals, but we help the people too.”
This year, Tri-County celebrates 30 years as a nonprofit, and currently operates on 14 acres, rescues animals from high-kill shelters, hoarding cases, natural disasters and puppy mills, and has placed nearly 100,000 dogs and cats into loving homes.
NEVER SAYING NO: “You never know what condition an animal is coming from—Puerto Rico, Oklahoma, a hoarding case—so isolation and medical areas are crucial,” she explains. “But I don’t ever say no. If we have to put dogs in administrative offices for the night, we do it.”
Tri-County invests in intensive medical treatment, blood transfusions, extended rehabilitation, and outside veterinary specialists when needed. Euthanasia is reserved only for the rare cases where suffering cannot be alleviated. “We try everything,” she says. “Money is never the deciding factor—the animal’s comfort is.”
UNFORGETTABLE RESCUES: In 2017, Goldsmith removed 21 Great Pyrenees from a hoarding situation in Florida where the dogs had survived by eating cement and drywall. “It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen,” she says. “They had barely ever seen a human. They were starving, terrified, pregnant—but we saved them all.”
Another defining moment came after Hurricane Katrina, when Tri-County drove straight into the devastation. “[Philanthropist] Lois Pope paid for the gas, the food—everything,” Goldsmith recalls. “We rescued probably 100 dogs, maybe more.” One of them, a Great Pyrenees, was later adopted by Pam Bondi, then Florida’s attorney general.
LIFELONG CALLING: Goldsmith’s love for animals began in childhood in Michigan, where she volunteered at the Michigan Humane Society. “It’s made me a more caring, more passionate person,” she says. “Animals give you a kind of love no person can. … People can be selfish. Animals never are. They give you love 24 hours a day.”
ADVOCACY: If Goldsmith could change one thing about Florida law, it would be the eradication of puppy mills. “It’s all about money,” she says. “Most backyard breeders don’t care about the animals.” She and fellow advocates have helped shut down petstore puppy sales in Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach and surrounding areas—though Boca Raton, she notes, has proven more difficult due to strong lobbying pressures. “We’re still fighting,” she says. “And we’ll keep fighting.”
LOOKING AHEAD: A new building on the rescue’s property has already been approved by the county, and a ground-breaking is planned for early spring. The project will expand the hospital and add adoption space. “Without supporters like Diana and Mike Retzer—and so many others—we wouldn’t be here today,” she says. “I could only do so much on my own. Together, we’ve saved nearly 100,000 dogs and cats. I have to salute them.”
This Hometown Hero is featured in the March 2026 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
