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Several years ago, I, Mariah Mountanos, walked into a building where I was surrounded by sad, yet endearing faces. In every direction, there was a dog with his or her head held low looking straight at me. It was heartbreaking. I thought about the fate of each dog and whether he or she would see another day. Even at eleven years old, I understood their futures were grim, but I also knew that I could give them the second chance they deserved. With that one short visit to my local animal shelter, it became my mission and my passion to find homes for homeless dogs. That passion has evolved into something I never could have imagined that day.      I am now twenty and have been volunteering ever since to train and calm the dogs, as well as find them homes. I understand how scary the shelter can be and how nervous they must feel. One day these dogs have a family and the next day, they are being surrendered because they are lost or their owners have become bored with them. For some dogs, I spend hours just sitting in their kennels until they trust me to go on a walk. I have a special place in my heart for the hard to place and special needs dogs. Unfortunately, these were the dogs that were first to be euthanized. There have been plenty of sad days where a dog I had been working with was put to sleep, however this only fueled my determination to end the shelter’s high euthanasia rates. I work very hard to help these dogs become more adoptable, thus I knew I had to find a way to “buy” them more time. If I could find a wider audience to promote all the dogs, especially the very adoptable ones, then I could spend more time working with those with special needs.      A year later, this lead to the creation of this website... I researched and taught myself website design to make Paws to Adopt creative, welcoming and easy to navigate. I post descriptions, photos and videos of each dog in hopes someone will fall in love and come into the shelter to adopt. The website has increased adoptions by 40% and the local shelter now keeps all adoptable pets until they find a home. With increased adoptions rates from my website, I was honored by the American Humane Association with a national award for my work. I am proud of the work I do and the acknowledgments I have received in newspapers and magazines, however nothing makes me prouder than watching one of the dogs I have worked with leave the shelter with his or her new family.      As my website grew, so did my love for the special needs dogs. Just when I thought I had worked with the most challenging dogs, then came Mr. Youwho, a blind and deaf heeler/pitbull mix who also had skin issues, came along. No matter how far the shelter has come, he would not make it without my help. So, I adopted him. I quickly discovered that there was no information on how to train a blind and deaf dog, so I created a resource guide on my website, developed from my own experience. As one of the few sources of this information, I have received hundreds of e-mails from veterinarians and pet owners, from across the United States and as far as Brazil and London.       Anyone can make a difference, whether it is spaying or neutering your pet, becoming a volunteer, or adopting a rescue animal; every little thing ultimately helps save lives. Pets have no voices, but we can become their voices. Don’t “paws” for another second… Adopt!   Click image to enlarge...   Sponsored By M.P. Mountanos, Inc.