As is the case for so many in this passion-driven field, my love for all things animal and rescue began at a very early age; from caterpillars found outside to a box of abandoned kittens, I wanted to save them all. Although we were a dog-loving family, my dad would often have to tell me “no more heartbeats” when I begged to keep a kitten, lizard, or fish (true story: I once found a goldfish swimming in the flooded gutter during a bad storm and “rescued” it).

My passion for animals manifested itself in so many ways throughout my childhood— I have such fond memories of days spent building obstacle courses in the back yard for our dog Maggie, attending horseback riding lessons, watching animal rescue TV shows, going to “vet camp” and playing make-believe with my stuffed animals. I always knew animals were my passion and dreamed of a life dedicated to helping them.

My true journey toward a career in animal rescue began when I went away to college. Amid the struggle to navigate my newfound independence, I signed up to volunteer at the local animal shelter and soon found myself there every single day for as many hours as I had to spare. While volunteering there, I truly experienced the joy of rescue and the warmth of community. The shelter was my haven and, as corny as it sounds, rescued me as I worked to rescue the animals. Although I only stayed at Baylor for a year, my experiences working at the shelter in Waco truly altered the course of my life and confirmed the calling I felt for animal rescue.

After a year and half at home spent self-reflecting (and working at a doggy daycare), I moved to Winston-Salem, NC to study Stage Management at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Shortly after moving, I began fostering for the local Humane Society and eventually foster failed an adorable, but terrified four-month-old puppy, who I named Murphy. Murphy, being as scared of the world as he was (and still is), found comfort in me and was yet another example in my life of what a little time, effort, and lots of love can do for an animal in need. After adopting, I continued to get more and more involved with the humane society… and then Covid hit.

Suddenly, shelters and rescues were flooded with willing fosters, and there simply weren’t enough animals to go around. Amid applying to foster with every local rescue I could find, I began to think about other ways I could help. I saw that two little kittens were being given away on Craigslist, and I couldn’t resist reaching out to see if the finder was still looking for someone to take them. A few emails and short drive later, I was home with two adorable five-week old kittens, and I set out to learn about how to do this whole “rescue” thing on my own. It was a steep (and expensive) learning curve, but I started rescuing on my own, and over the course of two years, rescued, vetted, and adopted out 113 cats and kittens (…and ended up keeping two pairs of sisters I bottle-fed myself). Each cat or kitten taught me something new about rescuing, and they were my educators on the daily reality of “rescue life”— it’s a difficult, but oh-so-rewarding undertaking, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life.

Now, as a full-time employee of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, I am truly living my childhood dream. I feel so grateful to be a part of this amazing community and am thankful to have the chance to help animals every single day.