I have been out of high school for close to 30 years. It is a period of my life I would never like to repeat. The only positive experience I had was skipping Civics class and finding my first dog.

I never really fit in anywhere. I had an accident when I was 14 that left scars on my face. They have since faded and are not noticeable but when it first happened, it was very noticeable. Kids were so cruel about it. They called me ugly names and left me with insecurity problems. I played in the band and found great joy in that but I never bonded with anyone in the group. I was never able to open up enough to trust that someone liked me for who I was instead of what I could give them.

Actually, at one point I thought about ending my life. That was right before I found my dog abandoned in the woods behind our school. I believe that finding that pup was my saving grace in high school. I finally had something to live for! I can look back now and realize finding that pup was God's way of reaching out to me. Nothing in this world gives me the joy that being involved with dogs does. Their unconditionally love is priceless!