I have always had furry friends in my life since I was a young girl. Everything from a minature poodle to a St. Bernard. When I retired & moved to FL I was delighted to be able to live with my daughter and husband who have 3 pugs and a coon hound. They have all wrapped themselves around my heart. The pugs are from a rescue group that my daughter is involved with and are all ages and conditions. The hound is maybe 3 & from animal rescue. She is finally beginning to trust our love. We suspect she was not very well treated by her previous owner(s). As a side benefit the exercise I receive from caring for dogs is good for me as well. One experience I've had several times in the last few years is working with a spay & neuter clinic on the Leach & Red Lake Indian reservations in northern MN. It is unbeleivable the condition some of the animals are in. They receive a complete exam & treated, spayed or neutered if needed & bathed & groomed. One of my daughters and I did all the bathing and grooming including flea treatment. Many of the dogs had to be shaved down because they were so matted. We would then report back to the doctors any additional things we would notice. We would have to put a muzzel on a few but mostly they just seemed so grateful that someone was doing something to make them feel better. One of the greatest rewards was seeing most of them better cared for when they came back the next visit. Some were just turned over for adoption which was the best thing for the animal.