Margaret Vance

Pet Companionship & Active Living

Age 71 · Retired veterinary technician, shelter volunteer, and senior dog advocate

I was raised on a small farm in rural Tennessee, one of four kids, where animals were never pets — they were family members with jobs. That upbringing never left me. I spent thirty years as a veterinary technician in Charlotte, North Carolina, watching the profound bond between people and their animals play out in examination rooms every single day. When I retired at 68, I started volunteering at our county shelter and discovered something I hadn't expected: the senior dogs no one wanted were waiting for people exactly like me. I've since fostered eleven animals, adopted two, and started a weekly walk group for older adults and their dogs that's become one of the best parts of my week. Outside of animals, I love tending my herb garden, reading Southern fiction, and teaching my grandchildren how to bake biscuits. I write because I believe wholeheartedly that the right animal companion doesn't just improve your life — it can reshape it entirely.