From raising white-tailed deer fawns in college to walking every breed of dog imaginable at the Humane Society in Hendersonville, NC; from pet sitting for family and friends to adopting and raising puppies and dogs of my own; animals, and especially dogs, have been an integral part of my life. My wife and I adopted one two-week old puppy that had been abandoned by its stray mother and bottle-fed it until it could eat solid food. Another puppy I found on the side of the road came complete with ringworm and needed daily lye baths. I've cared for many dogs from puppy-hood through their senior years. One hound mix we named Nakita lived past her 17th birthday! She was a certified pet therapy dog, and we used to visit nursing homes with her weekly.