From a young age, I fell in love with beagles. ❤️ My bedroom was adorned with beagle posters everywhere—okay, maybe one of Donny Osmond snuck in too, lol.

One Sunday afternoon, my father picked me up and brought me to his friend’s home, a farmer. I couldn’t believe my eyes: beagle puppies were everywhere. It was heaven on earth. I beamed with joy, picking each one up and kissing their faces. After a while, my father bent down on one knee and said that taking care of a puppy required dedication and responsibility, and he thought I was ready. My heart skipped a few beats, and I hugged him with tears of joy streaming down my face.

There was one puppy who wouldn’t leave my shoelaces alone. She was the only girl, and I knew she was the one. I named her Samantha, “Sam” for short—after my favorite TV show, Bewitched. Sam and I were inseparable, except for those times when she’d take off running at any chance she got, as beagles do.

Then one day, she disappeared from our fenced-in backyard. This time felt different; I knew she was truly gone. We spent days searching for her. I was an absolute wreck. We checked the animal shelter every single day, knocked on doors, and put ads in the paper. A few days later, an elderly neighbor knocked on our door, asking to speak with my parents in private. I left the room but couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

She told them about a blue van that had been combing the neighborhood. She’d seen it stop behind the alley by our house. The “blue van” was infamous; everyone knew it as the van from the animal laboratory that no one dared talk about. I didn’t fully understand, but I knew it meant something bad. I watched my father plead and beg with them on the phone and in person, but they denied any wrongdoing. I had lost Sam forever, and from that day on, a beagle advocate and activist was born.

I’ve had beagles ever since—sometimes as many as six at a time.

Fast forward to Envigo. Like the rest of the nation, I was shattered by the horrors exposed there, but I was determined to give as many beagles as I could a loving home, just as others were. I contacted the HSUS, wrote countless emails, sent donations, and was prepared to travel anywhere to give a beagle a loving home. I call it fate because, before long, our local rescue, Humane Fort Wayne, announced they were picking up beagles from Envigo. I applied to adopt and was approved.

In the days leading up to the adoption, I studied each dog’s face, not knowing if I’d even have a choice but ready for anything. I requested two, but they said only one per family.

Adoption Day, August 2022

I woke up before sunrise, packed everything I’d need, and arrived hours early, even bringing my other dog, a requirement for adoption. Despite my early arrival, two adopters were already camped out at the entrance, but it was fine—I was third in line. As we waited, the parking lot filled with adopters and even a news crew. Finally, the doors opened, and the shelter began taking the first three adopters back.

I had studied those faces so intently that, within seconds, I spotted Bowie and pointed to him, saying, “That’s him.” I couldn’t believe it. There was one last obstacle: a compatibility test to see how Bowie and my dog would get along. I was sweating bullets. Finally, the shelter said, “OK, you can take him home.” I was overwhelmed with emotion, and the tears flowed instantly.

His name is Bowie, after the fantastic musician David Bowie—but that was the easy part. Every day since, Bowie and I have been glued at the hip, from sunrise to sunset. I had to teach him how to walk on grass, how to use the stairs, what a treat was. His beagle instincts weren’t there; it was truly a labor of love, unlike anything I’d experienced with any other beagle before.

I am a better human because of Bowie, and I’m truly living my life’s purpose as an advocate against animal testing. From sunup to sundown, until my last breath, I will never stop. These beagles deserve the heart and soul of every human being.