In 2012 my grandfather died, and my weekends got much more boring. After his death, we were left clueless as to what to do, but I had always wanted to play with as many dogs as I could, so I suggested we go to the shelter. After calling numerous shelters to volunteer, every single one denied me for being too young. Eventually, we found one I could help out at, as long as my mom was present. Seven-year-old me was ecstatic, and we immediately started volunteering at Suncoast Animal League. Every Saturday, my mom and I went to PetSmart with adoptable dogs. I sat in puppy pens every Saturday for 8 hours, cleaning, watching over dogs, and talking to potential adopters. We spent about two years volunteering there, and it was fantastic, but they did not do background checks on the adopters. Anyone could adopt, which led to some unfortunate circumstances. I was quick to offer the idea of starting a rescue. It seemed unrealistic, but after a myriad of talks and meetings, my mom and I, along with another mother and daughter, started our rescue in 2014. It is called Rescue A Dog, also known as RAD. It started with just getting dogs surrendered to us, but soon it grew. We bought a house that someone could rent for a discounted price while fostering a few dogs. Our time was consumed by the rescue. Every weekend we were either there adopting dogs out, showcasing meet and greets, or going to kill shelters to find more dogs. Recently, the other mother who helped start the rescue with us left. We are still adjusting to the rescue mainly being run by us, but we are not going to put the rescue on pause. There are still an innumerable amount of dogs that are in danger of being killed, and they need as many people helping them as possible. I have taken on a more prominent role of going to the shelters myself and picking up dogs, bringing them to foster homes, helping post them on social media, reviewing adoption applications, and educating adopters. About once a week I pick up a dog in need from the shelter, and bring it to their foster, or to my own house to foster. I take a lot of the pictures of the dogs posted onto websites, and show the dogs to prospective families. I started interning at Hays Towne Animal Hospital this summer. There I help run rooms, clean, soothe animals, and shadow surgeries. I love being there and learning new things. Every time I go in, I learn new procedures or information about animals. For example, I learned how to identify parasites and foreign bodies on ear swabs, how to perform an ear cytology, about animal body parts, the proper way to hold animals, and how to take TPRs. Being a part of a dog rescue since I was seven has taught me patience, persistence, and responsibility. Dogs take time to open up after being abused, and it is our responsibility to teach them that humans can be good. I have positively impacted hundreds of dogs' lives. I have helped them, and they have definitely helped me. My own dogs are a source of happiness, companionship, and they are considered family. I do anything I can to help animals, from feeding stray cats everyday, to helping run a dog rescue, and I want to become a veterinarian surgeon to help save animals’ lives to the best of my abilities. I plan on dedicating my life to saving those who cannot save themselves.

In 2012 my grandfather died, and my weekends got much more boring. After his death, we were left clueless as to what to do, but I had always wanted to play with as many dogs as I could, so I suggested we go to the shelter. After calling numerous shelters to volunteer, every single one denied me for being too young. Eventually, we found one I could help out at, as long as my mom was present. Seven-year-old me was ecstatic, and we immediately started volunteering at Suncoast Animal League. Every Saturday, my mom and I went to PetSmart with adoptable dogs. I sat in puppy pens every Saturday for 8 hours, cleaning, watching over dogs, and talking to potential adopters. The director of the organization taught me how to test for parvo and give vaccinations. We spent about two years volunteering there, and it was fantastic, but they did not do background checks on the adopters. Anyone could adopt, which led to some unfortunate circumstances. I was quick to offer the idea of starting a rescue. It seemed unrealistic, but after a myriad of talks and meetings, my mom and I, along with another mother and daughter, started our rescue in 2014. It is called Rescue A Dog, also known as RAD. Our time was consumed by the rescue. Every weekend we were either there adopting dogs out, showcasing meet and greets, or going to kill shelters to find more dogs. Many of the dogs I foster come from neglectful homes, and it takes them about two weeks to show any personality. Once they learn that you can be trusted, they start to open up. Recently, the other mother who helped start the rescue with us left. We are still adjusting to the rescue mainly being run by us, but we are not going to put the rescue on pause. I have taken on a more prominent role of going to the shelters myself and picking up dogs, bringing them to foster homes, helping post them on social media, reviewing adoption applications, and educating adopters. About once a week I pick up a dog in need from the shelter and bring it to their foster, or to my own house to foster. I take a lot of pictures of the dogs posted on websites and show the dogs to prospective families. I started interning at Hays Towne Animal Hospital this past summer. There I help run rooms, clean, soothe animals, and shadow surgeries. I love being there and learning new things. Every time I go in, I learn new procedures or information about animals. For example, I learned how to identify parasites and foreign bodies on ear swabs, how to perform ear cytology, about animal body parts, the proper way to hold animals, and how to take TPRs. Being a part of a dog rescue since I was seven has taught me patience, persistence, and responsibility. Dogs take time to open up after being abused, and it is our responsibility to teach them that humans can be good. I have positively impacted hundreds of dogs' lives. I have helped them, and they have helped me. My dogs are a source of happiness and companionship, and they are considered family. I do anything I can to help animals, from feeding stray cats every day, to help run a dog rescue, and I want to become a veterinarian surgeon to help save animals’ lives to the best of my abilities. I plan on dedicating my life to saving those who cannot save themselves.