Tracy Johnson In both Richland County and Lexington County over the past year there were roughly 19,000 dogs and cats euthanized, and that was probably a bit less than the national average on a population basis. The 19,000 euthanized was a major part of the 23,000 dogs and cats taken in over the year. Among the 4,000 survivors, a lot of thanks goes to Project Pet, where Tracy Johnson is the director of operations for the animal rescue operation.

Johnson was born in Rochester, N.Y. Her father was a high school gym teacher, and her mother was an office manager for an architectural firm. Five years ago, her parents moved to live on Lake Murray.

She has an older brother who is a regional supervisor for United Parcel Service in Charleston, S.C.

Besides editing the yearbook and acting in leading roles at Holley High School in Rochester, Johnson was an all- star player for both the soccer and softball teams. She took her soccer skills to Valparaiso University to play on the varsity while the team was in transition from a club sport to big- time college competition.

Between academics and soccer, the best time for Johnson to work part- time was early morning. She showed up for work every morning by 4 am at the McDonald's across the street from her dorm.

Her soccer team membership was good for financial aid in school, but she left Valparaiso after a couple years for the working world.

She took a job with Thill & Co. in Oshkosh, Wis., where the company put together point- of- purchase displays. From Oshkosh, she moved to downtown Chicago to live at North Pier and to work for Bank One, at the time the sixth largest bank in the U.S.

Johnson and her husband Randy, whom she met at Valparaiso, moved together to Columbia. He works at WIS- TV as the assignments manager, a job he's held for more than 12 years.

Johnson's Columbia work experience began with Intermark, a Columbia- based regional multi-family housing development firm. She worked from an entry- level position to become their vice president for marketing and business development.

After more than 10 years with Intermark, Johnson went to work full- time for Project Pet, where she had been a volunteer. She helped with fund raising and lobbying as a volunteer while the organization moved from the homes of two employees into a temporary office in the 6800 block of St. Andrews Road, a little north of Irmo High School.

The temporary home for Project Pet is a former vet's office replete with animal cages and an exersize yard.

In January 2007, Johnson became Project Pet's director of operations.

As she directs the operations, Johnson also is in the middle of a $1 million fund raising campaign to relocate Project Pet into a permanent home.

Project Pet rescues stray cats and dogs at Columbia's animal shelter near Owens Field. The more healthy and people- friendly animals get chosen by Project Pet for adoption, but first there's complete medical screening and spaying/ neutering. An information microchip is inserted behind every neck.

Project Pet manages to see to it every one of its charges is adopted. The pets are always on display at the headquarters on St. Andrews Road. Cats can be seen seven days a week at the three Columbia- area PetSmart stores, where there's a dog adoption event every Saturday.

To help homeless cats and dogs, PetSmart also encourages charitable donations from its customers at its checkout counters.

After the prospective pet owner is interviewed and screened and approved, Project Pet collects a fee of $100 for cats and $150 for dogs, and the adoption is complete.