“They called me Ellie May when I was little because they would find me in the chicken coop playing with a litter of kittens. I have had iguanas, snakes, raccoons, and squirrels. I raised a raccoon from a baby until he was five years old. He was a good pet, but raccoons aren’t good for your house because they can get into the walls and mess up the electrical. The hardest part of my job is the people who don’t care and say they don’t need the dog any more, especially if it is an old dog. I can’t count how many dogs I have rescued and I have a special place for old dogs. Right now I have 11 dogs. I have five old poodles. I live on 25 acres of what used to be my grandfather’s farm. If I catch things, I can turn them out on the farm. I like animals more than people because people are fake. Many rescues haven’t been treated well, but give them space and make them feel secure and then you get to see the real personality. Then I can place them. What is the alternative? Death? I don’t think so. I don’t have a house, I live in a big barn with a studio. When I go home after dealing with people who don’t care, I sit on the back porch and play with dogs and let it go. You can’t fix people.”