My wonderful grandmother is a big-time animal lover. Feed the forest animals, feed all the stray cats in the neighborhood kind of animal lover. Her house is full of complimentary stationary, stickers, and tote bags from all of the animal-related nonprofits she supports. She was also a cat volunteer at the Humane Society of Huron Valley in Ann Arbor, MI for well over ten years. Her dedication to animals, coupled with my lifelong love for cats (and all animals, but we can agree that cats are the best), is what made me want to volunteer with animals.

My childhood cat was a sweet girl named Kage (Japanese word for “shadow”), who lived to be 21 years old. I had to have a black cat, because Kiki’s Delivery Service was one of my favorite movies. I still have a soft spot for black cats today. When I moved out on my own, I got my feisty queen-of-the-universe, Esther, who is now eight years old and rules over all in her domain. Both Kage and Esther came from the Humane Society of Huron Valley.

In 2021, I adopted my dog Boomer, and got a crash course in what adopting a rescue is all about. Boomer’s first year in life was very difficult, as with too many rescue dogs—he was scared, heartworm positive, and had already been returned to the shelter three times. When I first met him, he gave me a big, hopeful dog hug and was just too sweet and eager to say no to. And he has certainly taught me a lot about patience, persistence, and determination. To see him go from a very anxious, nervous, and under-confident dog to an only somewhat nervous, anxious, and semi-confident dog (lol!) is truly amazing. I am so proud of him, and continue to work on building his confidence every day. Boomer’s only regret in his new home is that the queen-of-the-universe still doesn’t like him, even though he wants very much to be friends with her…

After adopting Boomer, I knew it was time to do what I had always wanted but hadn’t yet done: volunteer with rescue animals. A quick internet search led me to Lucky Dog, and I have been volunteering since September 2023, first as a foster screener, and now as a cat adoption coordinator as well. After starting with Lucky Dog, I was happily surprised to learn how many people in my life are Lucky Dog adopters! The number of animals Lucky Dog is able to find homes for is truly astonishing, and I am so glad to be a part of that work.

Thank you to Lucky Dog, my grandmother, and to Boomer, Esther, and Kage, who all put me where I am today!