“Really seeing someone else - human or animal - is a sacred act of love.”
Vibeke Alstad Jagne was born and raised in Bodø, Norway. In 2002 Vibeke moved to New York City where she attended and graduated Hunter College, majoring in Media studies and Political Science.
While living in NYC, Vibeke witnessed the plight of homeless cats and dogs and reached the decision to actively help animals in need. She knew this was to be her calling. She has been active in animal rescue and foster care for over a decade. In 2009 Vibeke started volunteering at For Animals Inc., a rescue and TNR organization based in Queens, New York. In addition to helping find homes for the cats at the shelter, she personally rescued, fostered and rehabilitated many cats and dogs. Besides rescuing the animals, one of her main responsibilities was interacting with adopters and making sure the transition from shelter to home was easy and seamless for both them and the animal. To this effect she also helped with behavioral issues, proper introductions and integration with other pets in their new home. In 2011 she volunteered with ‘Pets For Life’, a program operated by the Humane Society that offered help to people in danger of having to surrender their pets by assisting with low cost vet care, behavioral help and/or landlord issues.
Over the years she has also had fruitful collaborations with well-known shelters/animal rescue organizations i.e. Animal Haven, New York City and Zion’s Mission, Rockaway, New York.
Vibeke now resides in Brooklyn with her husband, Creig, two rescue cats Kai and George, and her ‘tripawd’ rescue dog Nora. It was Nora, a former street dog from Iran needing both physical and behavioral rehabilitation, who inspired her to learn more about dog training and dog behavior on a professional level. Nora had suffered great trauma, having had one of her front legs cut off right above the elbow by cruel humans. She was left by the side of the road to bleed to death. Unfortunately, adding onto such a traumatic experience, her past life as a street dog was far from that of a domesticated pet dog. Understandably, Nora’s life was ruled by anxiety and her way of dealing with that anxiety was a strong offense/fear aggression. Learning how to help Nora face and overcome her fears and anxiety triggers was challenging, yet a very rewarding experience for Vibeke.
In 2019 she became a graduate of The Pet Care Institute’s dog training program and has also had extensive training with solving cat behavioral problems.
Vibeke is fluent in English (written and spoken) and Norwegian (written and spoken). She is a US legal Permanent Resident.
Rescuing and helping animals has become the defining force of Vibeke’s life’s journey. This is her purpose in life.