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Foundation’s Team

 
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Roo Yori

Founder/President

Roo is most well known for being a human to the late great Wallace the pitbull and Hector the Pitbull, but he’s not solely a pitbull guy. He just likes dogs and likes helping people. Roo graduated from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota as the Outstanding Male Senior with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. While he continues to work in a Next-Generation Sequencing lab at the Mayo Clinic, his passion is with rescue dogs. Roo has worked directly with shelter staff on the front lines, and he has sat down with leaders of major organizations. Roo is a National and World Champion disc dog handler, and his efforts were instrumental in changing the conversation around pitbulls to be more positive one. His training has featured him as a special guest on Victoria Stilwell’s It’s Me or the Dog, and has been highlighted in media all around the world. Roo’s been around the block a time or two when it comes to dogs, and strives to use the knowledge and connections that he’s gathered over the years to help as many dogs as possible. He shares his home with his lovely wife Clara, and a crew of awesome rescue dogs.

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Clara Yori

Founder/Vice President

Clara Yori has been involved in the dog rescue world since 2002 when she and Roo adopted their first two dogs from their local humane society. Almost immediately after adopting, Clara began working at the dog shelter. She gained valuable experience there during her three years as a dog kennel attendant, learning about dog behavior and health care, adoption procedures, and all of the joys and heartbreaks that come with caring for homeless animals. Clara and Roo adopted four more dogs, totalling six. Staying active with the dogs has always been important and brought her to canine disc, agility , rally, flyball, and especially nature walks. The rewarding years spent with her two pit bulls, Wallace and Hector, brought her to all areas of the country for disc dog competitions and various pit bull events. Calar and Roo have also fostered numerous dogs throughout the years and currently foster through Wallace the Pit Bull Foundation and Camp Companion. Clara currently works as an artist painting pet portraits and loves CrossFit, yoga and cooking.

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Jon Epsy

Secretary

Jon is the owner of Infinity Real Estate & Management Group in Rochester. As a graduate of Minnesota State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and a minor in Business Administration, he strives every day to provide a high quality service to hundreds of tenants and property owners throughout SE Minnesota. From day 1. Jon & Infinity Real Estate & Management Group have offered pet-friendly rentals in a market where that is uncommon. Additionally, he is a proud sponsor of Rochester’s Paws & Claws Humane Society annual Pet Walk and other pet-related non-profit organizations. He lives in Rochester with his wife, two sons and two dogs.

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Scott Retzlaff

Treasurer

Scott Retzlaff resides in Rochester, MN with his wife Keli and 2 teenage kids, Amilia and Eddy. Roo Yori approached Scott in early 2018 and asked him if he would like to put his financial skills to use by volunteering to be Treasurer of the Wallace the Pit Bull Foundation, which he enthusiastically accepted. A lifelong resident of Rochester Scott and his family are very active with outside activities, sports (Swimming, Hockey, Crossfit), and travel.

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Joshua Grenell

Board Member

Joshua J. Grenell is an entrepreneur based in Rochester, MN.

He is the founder of:

Joshua and his wife have 3 dogs, Badger, Nova and Zipper.