ANDERSON — Holly Miller uses the word “dogged” to describe Person of the Year nominee Maleah Stringer, a fitting description of Stringer’s animal-rescue efforts.

Stringer has been passionate about animal rescue since she founded the Animal Protection League, a nonprofit that sponsors low-cost spay/neuter clinics, in 2003. She agrees that, when it comes to animal rescue, her persistence is endless.

“Persistence is the key on anything,” Stringer said. “I’m so tenacious; I never shut up. When people finally step up and see how they are personally making a difference, it makes them feel good.”

Stringer voices her animal control concerns through a weekly column in The Herald Bulletin and recently was named interim director of the city’s Animal Care and Control.

Miller, who nominated Stringer for the Person of the Year award, said Stringer not only has taken it upon herself to help animals, but also has gotten many others to follow in her footsteps.

“Maleah can be very, very persuasive, and she’s a good communicator,” Miller said. “I’ve got four cats because of her.”

Stringer worked with state Sen. Tim Lanane to pass statewide legislation mandating counseling for convicted animal abusers and launched a program to place shelter dogs with inmates of Pendleton’s Correctional Industrial Facility.

Stringer’s passion comes from giving a voice to the voiceless.

“We are their voices,” she said of the animals she saves. “How we treat our animals shows what kind of society we are. There’s definitely a link between how we treat people and how we treat animals.”

When she’s not working with animals, Stringer, a Madison Heights High School graduate and lifelong Madison County resident, is a personal trainer. She has been Miller’s trainer for about 10 years, and Miller said Stringer was deserving of the award.

“She’s not a high-profile person,” Miller said. “She’s taken this on as her cause, and she’s affected so many people with it.

“She’s not in it at all for any kind of glory. She’s just a genuinely good person. I think she’s one of those unsung heroes.”