Whitney Riggs

Whitney Riggs is the Public Information Officer at the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Office in Indianapolis. She started out her career as a print journalist working in newspapers and eventually switched to public relations and marketing. She has a Bachelor of Arts in in Journalism and Master of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University.

She joined Paws and Think so she could connect with like-minded individuals in the community who share the same love and passion for dogs. She explains that there are those people who loves dogs, but there are those who live each day trying to be a voice for dogs in the community to make sure they are safe, healthy and happy.

At home, Whitney has a 4-year-old rescue dog named Layla Taters who she adopted 2023, and a community cat who only uses her for meals called Puss ‘n Boots. She sadly lost her “stinky and wild” 12-year-old pup named Myla in 2023. She adopted her when she was in graduate school from the Bloomington Animal Shelter. She credits Myla for teaching her all about dog behaviors – from separation anxiety to being dog selective – and the reason she’s so involved at animal shelters.

Whitney volunteered at Indy Humane for 7 years as an Advanced Canine Companion and is now a dedicated volunteer at Indianapolis Animal Care Services. She’s also part of the advocacy committee who is working to push for more backyard breeding laws and more resources for IACS in Indianapolis. When she isn’t volunteering with animals, she’s an early riser who can be found chugging coffee, walking Layla Taters and doing yoga. She loves to travel with her husband and explore Indy’s food scene.

An interesting fact about Whitney is that in graduate school, she traveled to Kenya with a group of students to write about the HIV/aids epidemic there. They spent weeks visiting the slums, hospitals and hardest hit areas for stories and to educate the public. She calls it a life-changing trip.

Whitney joined Paws and Think as a board member in 2021, serves as the vice president and also served on the organization’s marketing committee.