“Howard is so great in that aspect and he truly is my partner. We have six resident cats – Walter, Apple, Leon Bear, Charlie Boy, Bella, and Yoda-and we have fostered over fifty kittens in the last year. He even lets the kittens play in his hair! They love it!”

I like to call myself an “equal opportunist,” as I love both dogs and cats, but over the last couple years, both Howard and I have become champions for cats. They are so independent and loving and playful and bring such happiness to our lives.

Older animals are the best because, number one, a majority of the time, they are already house-trained; number two.

Animals are a huge part of my life, so yes, if you are going to be a part of my life, you would need to have the same love for animals.

Annually, two to four million animals are euthanized, and we can bring that number down significantly by going to our local shelter and adopting and also by spaying and neutering your pets.

There are so many great animals in our local shelters that people don’t really know about.

Special-needs rescues and older rescues have always had a close place in my heart, because those are the ones that tend to get looked over. That is why I love how North Shore Animal League America has their shelter set up.

North Shore Animal League America is so dear to my heart not only for the amazing people that work there.

Ugh, puppy mills. These commercial breeding facilities are horrendous. The animals are kept in tiny wire cages, with little to no human interaction throughout their lives.

The carefully fostered theory that schoolwork can be made easy and enjoyable breaks down as soon as anything, however trivial, has to be learned.