04/04/2026
We offer our condolences to the family of Tyson Rivels. May his spirit live on in the lives of all he has touched.
The shelter and the community at large lost a good friend this past week. From 2016-2022, Tyson Rivels served proudly as an Animal Control Officer for our shelter. For many of us, he was far more than a coworker. He was a friend.
Tyson was a friend to all animals and was a master of deescalating a situation, simply by treating others with the same respect he showed the animals he cared for. He was known from Cleveland to Rosedale by so many for so many things but for us, he was the master at fixing anything that broke; keeping the pre-renovation building held together with optimism, duct tape, and prayers. He took pride in his job and serving this community and he helped me, Jamie, hold things together when everything felt like it was falling apart sometimes. He was a calming, constant presence in an often chaotic place.
He left the shelter in 2022 due to health reasons, and I've yet to meet someone since who could handle things the way he did. I knew if Tyson was there and I couldn't be, that everything would be okay. It's hard to find someone like him. He was truly a one-of-a-kind person.
Today I and the shelter team that knew him share our deepest condolences to his family and friends. The world is a little dimmer without his smile in it.
