Melody Whitworth was not an animal-obsessed child; one may assume that about the founder of a dog rescue. She found her love for animals later in life after caring for her own pets and working in a high-kill animal shelter in Naples, Florida. Whitworth’s time at the shelter opened her eyes to pet owners that can easily abandon their animals — or even starve a pet to death.

“I had a really hard time wrapping my head around it and accepting it. And an even harder time with the general public thinking it’s okay,” said Whitworth. “I think it (the attitude) is slowly changing, but there’s just still so much of it. Animals are as innocent as children. They just can’t help themselves. They’re at our mercy. They give us so much. We should give it back to them.”