So. In my 20s, I learned that dogs aren’t just fun, cool companions.

They’re magic.

Or a young head trauma patient who wouldn’t interact with anyone, no matter what they tried. After months of trying, they brought in a therapy dog. The young patient - for the first time since their head injury - reached out voluntarily to touch the dog. Things got better from there.

For example, a young woman in a wheelchair who always felt unaccepted and awkward. After being paired with her companion dog, she realized she was loved, 24x7, by the most beautiful creature in the world. Didn’t matter how she looked. Or what she could accomplish that day. Her partner loved her.

I grew up with a family dog and always loved any dog I came across. But in my 20s, my dad and I started volunteering for a nonprofit organization that raised and trained support and therapy dogs.

The things I saw and heard struck me in the heart and taught me the most important lesson of my life.