When asked why non-animal lovers should care about these things, Beckley says, “I can’t even register why anyone can’t care. If people can do such intentional harm to an animal, they can’t protect their own interests or call for help, why are we surprised when they do such harm to human beings?”

You’d never know by watching Lauren Beckley cuddling the playful puppy she temporarily names Benny that just a few days before she was in an all-out panic to save him from an uncertain future in a shelter.

“Everyone loves a puppy. That’s how America is…until they poop where they shouldn’t, chew things up. Then they want to surrender them,” Beckley says. And surrender is not a word Beckley enjoys hearing about because she knows the journey of these unwanted animals.

Of the six to eight million pets in American shelters each year, most have less than seventy-two hours from the moment they are dropped off before being “euthanized”, a term Beckley takes exception to. She says it’s not the same experience as pets that are put down due to age and illness. Beckley calls this phase of an unwanted canine’s journey doggie death row and says it’s terrifying when a healthy, adoptable pet is led to “The Room” believing they are going for a walk outside. When they get to the door, they put the brakes on and scramble to retreat, as if they can smell the death of the one who went before them.

The primary catalyst driving this vet tech and unofficial dog rescuer from Maryland is her own dog, Capone, her very first rescue. After witnessing her former roommate abusing Capone, Beckley begged to take him, but was refused. A year after moving away to attend the Vet Tech Institute in Pittsburgh, Beckley received a call from a shelter that Capone had been surrendered and was due to be put down. She rushed to adopt him. “Now I feel like I owe it to all dogs to give them the chance Capone got,” she says.

The vast network of Facebook and her job at Kindness Animal Hospital are mostly where she finds desperate owners looking to surrender their pets. Feeling an overwhelming responsibility for the dogs she rescues, her goal is to find what she terms a “forever home” for them. She hugs Benny and says, “I feel responsible for him. It’s bittersweet. I’m going to miss him.”

Over the next two days, Benny will be immunized on Beckley’s dime and neutered at Best Friends Veterinary Hospital pro bono by a former employer, Dr. Hollifield, who aids with discounted services because she wants to be a part of Beckley’s dream. Paying for medical costs is tight but Beckley walks dogs and pet sits in her free time for additional income.

In the future, she envisions developing a program in schools to teach children about responsible animal ownership. “Everything we do is reflected in our children,” she says.

Though typically upbeat, Beckley confesses that last minute saves leave her stressed and anxious, affecting all aspects of her life. “Sometimes it feels like I’m never going to make a dent. It’s very emotional.” She wants puppy mills that focus on profits above animal welfare out of business, believes we can solve overpopulation with altering animals, and by educating people about these issues, she will see the true change she seeks.

When asked why non-animal lovers should care about these things, Beckley says, “I can’t even register why anyone can’t care. If people can do such intentional harm to an animal, they can’t protect their own interests or call for help, why are we surprised when they do such harm to human beings?”

Beckley’s needs are simple. She needs people to care enough. She feels this article will be a success if it changes one person’s mind about the significant problems our pets face.

Daily, she thinks about Capone and about all the dogs out there in need of people just like her to improve and, most times, save their lives. She is thrilled with successes like Benny and looks forward to finding other unwanted animals their forever home.

She wants puppy mills that focus on profits above animal welfare out of business, believes we can solve overpopulation with altering animals, and by educating people about these issues, she will see the true change she seeks.