07/12/2026
Today I needed to get back to my roots.
Working at an open-intake shelter while also running a small, rural rescue is incredibly rewarding BUT it can also be exhausting. Every day I see the best of humanity and I also see the worst. I see neglect, abuse, overpopulation, impossible decisions, compassion fatigue and people carrying more than anyone realizes.
What breaks my heart just as much is the division within animal welfare.
Shelters blamed for euthanasia. Animal control blamed for doing their jobs. Rescues criticizing shelters. Rescues criticizing other rescues. Fosters frustrated with rescues. Adopters frustrated with rescues. Everyone convinced someone else is the problem.
The truth is, none of us got into this because we wanted to argue. We got into this because an animal changed our heart.
For me, that animal was Goose.
Goose was the first dog I officially fostered for Voices For Carolina Animals.
He wasn’t an easy dog. He had to survive parvo, struggled with severe separation anxiety, ripped the siding off my house, fought with my male dog, he was adopted and then returned a year later with nowhere else to go.
He ended up with my parents. They had once been terrified of the pitbull breed but Goose changed that forever. He became my mom’s shadow while she battled triple-positive breast cancer and today he’s still there alongside Sushi, their once-feral dog, exactly where he was always meant to be.
Goose reminds me every single day why I keep going.
So today, I want to hear YOUR story.
Forget the titles. Forget the opinions. Forget who’s a shelter worker, rescue volunteer, foster, adopter, transporter, advocate, veterinarian or donor.
Share the animal that started your journey! The one that made you care so deeply you couldn’t walk away.
Repost this, tag us and tell their story! Let’s remind ourselves and everyone else, that before we had titles, organizations or opinions, we simply had an animal that changed our lives.
At the end of the day, we’re all here because of them. ❤️