Our Team

Lisa Parker - Executive Director

Lisa Parker was born and raised in Durango, Colorado. Her passion for animals started at a very early age and has only grown over the years. Speaking for those who don't have a voice has been something that innately comes to her.

Living near the four corners area has impassioned her to act and create a place where the future of animal welfare can begin to change. Foster based rescue.

While Lisa has a "tenacity" (a word of endearment from her board of directors) for helping save animals, she also enjoys the beauty surrounding her in the out of doors with her 2 dogs. Trail running, skiing in the backcountry, river rafting and working around her home brings her great joy and balance in the life of a rescue worker!

Samantha Bustillos - Adoption Counseling & Daily Operations Management

Samantha's journey with rescue began with the adoption of her love, Rio. Having been found as a stray bleeding from a wound on his arm, he was surrendered by his previous owners and forced to undergo a surgery and one month in a kennel, while he recovered from the initial surgery, the abandonment of his people, and the subsequent restitching of his wounds after his stress and anxiety caused him to rip out his stitches.

Fast forward to the year 2021, when reports of owner surrenders, over-capacity shelters, and high daily euthanasia rates pushed her to begin fostering in the Durango community. There was so much need in the Four Corners region especially that she felt the urgency to contribute to a solution on behalf of the dogs who had been failed by humans.

She has been fostering back to back ever since, learning the value of a foster-based program where dogs like Rio could have benefitted from being able to recover in a loving home, rather than a stressful shelter. Thirteen fosters (and counting) and a PAR alumni, Odie, later, and she's now helping continue PARs mission within an administrative role and with a passion for helping our worthy dogs find their forever homes.

Wyllow Hildner - Marketing & Social Media Management

Wyllow was introduced to the animal rescue industry at 10 years old when she began dedicating her weekends and summers to interning at the local humane society. Over the years, she has volunteered with multiple animal welfare organizations, including those offering low-cost spay and neuter across the Navajo Nation, training and behavioral rehabilitation organizations, and, of course, foster-based rescue and rehoming organizations like Parker's Animal Rescue.

Aside from her passion for animal welfare, Wyllow is equally invested in the world of marketing, design, and campaign management. She acquired her B.S.B.A in Marketing from Northern Arizona University in 2023. Acknowledging the power that these strategies can have on the public, she finds it particularly rewarding to use these tools to better the lives of animals in need.

Having been involved with Parker's Animal Rescue in varying capacities since 2019, she is honored to continue to be an integral part of this incredible organization as we create change in our community and work to expand our mission across the nation.