For as long as anyone can remember, my mother has always had a strong love for all animals. Luckily, she passed the "animal-lover" gene on to me! Growing up, we were the family that would always have a new pet. When we would bump into someone we hadn't seen in a while, their first question would be something along the lines of "how many animals do you have now?"

There wasn't an animal my mother would turn away. She was a foster mom for our local shelter, so along with our pet dogs, we constantly had pups coming through our home. One time we even fostered a pregnant dog who came here from Puerto Rico in need of help. She had to deliver and raise her puppies before she could find her forever home, and needed a safe place to do so. She stayed with us for the better part of a year, and we loved having her and all seven of her puppies here, too! Each puppy stayed here until they were adopted, and one puppy was lucky enough to stay here and be adopted by us, our girl Trouble, who lived a long and happy life here until her death in 2018. We've also fostered an abandoned litter of nine puppies, took in stray cats and dogs, saved wild bunnies and birds, and found new places for chinchillas, gerbils, rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs who needed to be re-homed. On top of all that, we've rescued and rehabilitated many, many orphaned wildlife such as squirrels, possums, raccoons, and even a baby skunk!

 

Our favorite success story was our squirrel, Squeakers, who was just a pinky when our dog, Oreo, stood over and protected him from certain death by crows. We rehabilitated him in our laundry room until he was old enough to live outside, and then we made an outdoor enclosure for him. Once he outgrew that, we said our goodbyes, and we let him free. Unbeknownst to us at the time, Squeakers had no intention of leaving for good. He had found a home in us. We left his enclosure open, and he would always come back at night. Our sweet squirrel was never far. Each morning, I'd come downstairs to find my mother cooking banana pancakes. My favorite! But, when I would ask to eat one I'd get a swift response, "these are for Squeakers!" I would go over to the window and open the curtain, and there I'd find Squeakers, climbing all over the screen. I'd open up the window and in he'd come for his breakfast. The best part of having a pet squirrel was when he would come hopping down the top of the fence in the yard and jump on our shoulder. The reaction on our guests faces was absolutely priceless! These have been wonderful experiences for our family. It has reaffirmed our belief that doing what's best for animals is our ultimate goal.

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When I met my husband, Tyler (in true Bostonian fashion, might I add - we met on the T!), it was his genuinely good heart that swept me off my feet. He doesn't have quite the repertoire that I have with animals, but he surely loves them just the same. He never tires of helping with the endless blanket laundry, scooping litter boxes, administering medications and feedings, and of course, playing and cuddling with our little fur babies. I often joke that he married me for the cats, but I wouldn't doubt there's a little bit of truth in there! He's my right hand guy, and a great backboard to help make sense of my ideas and ramblings.