I have been irresistibly drawn to dogs for as long as I can remember. When I majored in English in college, I was always more excited to pick up the next foster dog than I was to write the next paper, even though the paper was likely to be about dogs. Fostering dozens of special needs dogs in my home taught me not only how to administer medication, recognize and address pain and discomfort, and keep calm heart-worm positive dogs-- I also learned how to regain the trust of abused or neglected dogs. Working with the integrative medicine and neurology departments at UF Small Animal Hospital gave me the opportunity to work with dogs with physical disabilities and injuries, including assisting dogs with slings, help-em-up harnesses and e-collars, as well as getting to know and work with many wonderful dogs suffering from neurological and physical conditions including: seizures, canine dementia, deafness, blindness, varying degrees of paralysis, or who had been born with debilitating birth defects. I came face to face with some of the hardest situations encountered by dog parents, and some of the hardest decisions, from learning to live with a dog with urinary or fecal incontinence or limited mobility, to when to end an aging dog's battle with arthritis, to the terrible experience of dogs with IVDD. Managing a free play dog daycare taught me about handling and exercising powerful and energetic dogs in groups, as well as how best to utilize training tools. I learned that to be a pack leader is more than to be the one with two legs and the power. I learned to earn a dog's trust and affection by being trustworthy and affectionate, and that exposing dogs to fun new experiences and games, while managing their politics such that no one is bullied or a bully, is the only way to earn respect. Loving my own dogs, including my paralyzed spaniel, has taught me that dogs are family. Just like us, they struggle with physical and emotional problems, and just like us, they deserve to be known, understood, and truly cared for. I believe in the potential of every dog to live life to the fullest, and helping them do that makes my life full.