Elizabeth “Betsy” Farrar

Board Member

Elizabeth is a third generation Colorado native.  She grew up on ranches in South Park, CO, and then in the Black Forest (NE of Colorado Springs).  Her family has a history of rescuing dogs in need. In fact her first two dogs were found as puppies abandoned on roadsides. While living in the Black Forest, anyone who found a stray dog would call the Farrars, resulting in growing up in a house with up to 10 dogs at a time.  Anytime the vet came to the ranch, she was there to help and observe, leading to a desire to become a veterinarian.

While the goal of becoming a veterinarian was at first discouraged “because they don’t admit women”, by the age of 34 times had changed, and she graduated from CSU school of Vet Med.  Her interest led her to pursue additional training with an internship at the Animal Medical Center in NYC and a residency at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania culminating in board certification by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She worked as an internist at several specialty hospitals in Los Angeles and Santa Rosa, CA and finished her veterinary career as a consultant at Antech Veterinary Laboratory, an online job which allowed her to achieve her other life goal of living in Telluride.

 Her involvement with Second Chance began soon after her arrival in Telluride, when she and her husband Craig Echols were able to help Second Chance complete the purchase of Angel Ridge Ranch.  She also served a term on the board at that time.  She also has adopted two Second Chance alumnae Ellie and Lena.

 Betsy is  involved with the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program as a volunteer instructor, an achievement of which she is very proud as she only learned to ski when she moved to Telluride in 2007.