My name is Samantha, and my reasons for volunteering and fostering is a strong love and desire for animals. It is something I got from my parents. I grew up in a cat lover’s house. I have one true brother. His name was Bear, a Maine coon cat, and the biggest fluffy ball, and the greatest brother a girl could have. He still beat up on me, picked on me like brothers do. The only difference was he was a cat. My parents tell a story of him knowing just when I was about to crawl to him and grab him, and he would just casually get up and walk away. I would crawl to him and he would move away. He is in most of my baby photos, sleeping right next to me. I begged my mom at 7 years old for a dog, and she gave in. My dad and I went to pick Maggie in the worst rainstorm I have ever seen. She was covered in ticks and fleas, and was the only one of the litter that survived. She was a great dog, but her heart was with my dad. One look into his eyes and she was in love. Bear died when I was 13 and he was 14. His kidneys just gave out. I will never forget the day he passed away. My mom woke me up early for school and said if you want to spend time with Bear you should get up now. All though we had a love hate relationship most of our life, he was always there for me when I needed him. He got me though a sickness at the beginning of my teenage years. I got up that day and gave him water through a syringe. When I got home that day from school, they had put Bear to sleep. Mom said he waited for her to get off work, and then she took him to be put down. That experience with Bear and growing up with Maggie instilled in me the deep love for animals. My mom and I have volunteered together for a big cat sanctuary, and when we could no longer do the physical work together, I got into rescuing dogs. I met the love of my life, John, in 2000, and in 2003 two months before we got married we met the love of our life, Molly, our shih tzu. A friend describes her best as calling her “perpetual motion.” She loves her ball and her daddy. We have had 7 dogs come through our house as fosters now, and we have loved each of them. I have loved them so much that in a month I will answer what I believe to be my life’s purpose and begin school to becoming an animal control officer. Animals need a voice and I want to give them that voice. Too many of them are abused, neglected, and mistreated. It must stop, and I want to be a part of the solution. Fostering has changed my life forever, and DFW Tzus has given me some of the best friends I have ever had in my adult life. We all love dogs so much, and care so much about what we do, it is amazing to be a part of it.