Our Mission

To build general awareness of special needs animals and create an informative and supportive online community for their families and advocates.

The Sonar Project is a 501c3 non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. Our board includes:

Danica Kelley was born and raised in Arizona and spent 4 years in Cleveland, Ohio before settling in Seattle, Washington. Cleveland is where her love for helping animals really began. She first started volunteering at a local animal shelter and quickly became very involved in the rescue world. Eventually, her passion became her profession. Danica began her career in the veterinary world as a receptionist and has since worked her way up to veterinary technician, which surprisingly became her dream job.

Witnessing the number of animals with physical challenges ignited Danica’s passion for special needs animals and eventually led to her adoption of Sonar. Through her work with The Sonar Project, Danica strives to share her passion and expertise with the world in hopes that The Sonar Project will bring these animals to light and give them the visibility they so much deserve.

Reed Chandler is an Arizona-based filmmaker and projectionist. In addition to her passion for film, she has a deep love for all animals. Her hope for The Sonar Project is for it to normalize and support special needs pets.

Dr. Waller is a veterinarian working in the Seattle, WA area. She became involved with The Sonar Project because of her love for animals and especially those with special needs.

Dr. Waller knows that these special creatures often need more medical care than other pets and that financial burden can be significant. The Sonar Project aims to alleviate some of this burden for people sharing their lives with these wonderful pets. Dr. Waller is very excited and proud to be involved with such a worthy cause.

yonas&gus-16.jpeg — Josh Yonas

Board Member

Dr. Yonas is originally from Pittsburgh, PA and has a background in marine mammal science. Dr. Yonas earned his veterinary degree from Western University of Health Sciences.

Dr. Yonas first met Danica and Sonar while living and working in Seattle and fell in love with Sonar and his amazing ability to overcome his adversity and find joy. After spending 4 years in the Pacific Northwest, he now practices at Sunset Cliffs Animal Hospital in San Diego. While not helping furry friends, he lives with his Chocolate Lab Gus and husband Matt.