ABOUT
HOPP’IN HELP & ITS CREATOR
Hello, my name is Madison Brass! I was born and raised in a small town in Northeastern Ohio. My love for herptiles stemmed from a singular American Toad I found while butterfly catching at age 3. Ever since I have loved and owned amphibians! Starting with that one toad, I now own 5 different species of frogs, 14 frogs in total, 5 Geckos, 1 Chuckwalla, 1 Uromastyx, 1 Veiled Chameleon, 1 Tiger Salamander, 14 enclosures, and a room dedicated to it all. Alongside my own personal pets, I worked with, volunteered for, and studied hundreds of other species. Through years of research, personal experience, and experts’ advice, I have accumulated my knowledge to share with new and experienced amphibian owners through Hopp’in Help.
Hopp’in Help began as an Instagram page full of pictures of my animals and a blog talking about my experiences in 2014 when I was 11 years old. I knew I wanted to do something revolving around helping animals but I was unsure where to begin, since I was after all in 6th grade. In November of that year the website was launched. Entering 2015, the Instagram had only 200 followers, and the website contained just 4 frog species care sheets.
In February of 2016, Hopp’in Help’s instagram hit 1,000 followers. The first YouTube video was posted on August 10th, 2016. By October of 2017, the YouTube channel hit 1,000 subscribers and continued to grow. YouTube became an amazing platform to reach fellow frog owners, and educate others who may have never viewed frogs in this light!
While 2020 was certainly full of surprises for us all, Hopp’in Help experienced some amazing milestones. It became an official LLC in the state of Ohio and saved my first 5 rescues. In January a new platform was brought to my attention, Tik Tok. My reptiles and amphibians exploded into internet sensations. By July, 2020, our Tik Tok page has over 100,000 followers. This platform allowed me to reach so many frog lovers and expand my bubble into the herptile creator community!
Hopp’in Help continues to grow and I am proud to say that every care sheet on this site is a species I have directly worked with. Thanks to support from social media, I have been able to meet so many amazing people in the animal community and find my calling in life.
In 2021 I graduated at the top of my high school class and began attending the University of Central Florida in August of that year. I am currently a senior Biology student involved in undergraduate research and was the elected 2023 president of the UCF Pre-Veterinary Society. I have applied to the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in the fall of 2024. I hope to attend to receive my DVM and then continue my education to become a board certified exotic veterinarian focusing on reptiles and amphibians.
I always knew I wanted to work with herptiles and after starting Hopp’in Help in 2014, I found I also had a passion for helping people. I knew I did not want to wait to start helping owners until after I began a career with animals and Hopp’in Help became a platform where I could help fellow hobbyist, and share the most up to date care standards. At the age of 16, I got my divers license and began taking rescues to the vet myself. I found that many of the doctors had no idea even what the species was that I brought to them. I found finding medical care to be very difficult and I was not alone. Many other exotic animal owners shared the same problem of having limited access to veterinary care for their animals. This is when I knew my calling was in Veterinary medicine.
I volunteered as a wildlife educator and rehabilitator at a local Ohio nature center throughout high school. I worked with numerous native species to North America and educated the public on the importance of our scaly and slimy friends. I then worked at a pet store chain for three years in high school and freshman year of college. From ferrets to fish, I worked with every classic small animal in the pet trade. I was promoted to Animal Care Advisor at both locations and re-wrote care standards and handouts, some of which were approved revisions on a corporate level. I then enter vet med my sophomore year of college. I worked as kennel staff, reception, and now technician. I am so happy to have the opportunity to work in all three major aspects of the field and cannot wait to hit the 4th as a doctor one day!
I am also the “Head of Frogs” and involved in bringing education to an event called The Valley City Frog Jump in Valley City, OH. This event is a classic for locals and way to get people excited about bullfrogs! Through the years I have helped make this event ethical for frogs and enjoyable for families. The Frog Jump is a large reason I love amphibians so much and it is an honor to be such a large part of this event. With the help of my professors, I will be bringing research to the event and am so happy to help support local populations of bullfrogs through a fun summertime social!
I am forever grateful for all those who have inspired me, supported me, and educated me. Hopp’in Help is truly my life-times work, and I hope to support herptiles and their owners for the rest of my life!
