Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Shannon Benson, RN
It was about twenty years ago. My daughter was seven, and we were driving home from her summer soccer practice when I caught a flash of sunlight on something in an empty field.
“It was about twenty years ago. My daughter was seven, and we were driving home from her summer soccer practice when I caught a flash of sunlight on something in an empty field.
” ‘Brooklyn, hang on, I’m turning around,’ I said. She looked at me like I was crazy. ‘Mom, what are you doing?’
” ‘I don’t know,’ I told her. ‘Something’s over there.’
“In the field was a big metal crate. Inside were four tiny puppies, maybe four weeks old. No food. No water. It was the middle of summer and scorching hot. My heart just stopped.
“A man walked out of a nearby house and asked, ‘Can I help you?’
” ‘Can I help YOU?’ I shot back. ‘Are these your dogs?’
“He said they were his son’s and he was trying to sell them. In a field. In the heat. I told him it was illegal, bluffed a little, and said, ‘I won’t call animal control if you just give them to me.’ After a moment, he agreed.
“We already had three dogs at home, so I went straight to Facebook asking if anyone knew about dog rescue. That’s how I met Tonya, who introduced me to a local rescue group. And that was it. I was hooked.
“Since then, I’ve spent years in shelters, taking photos, checking homes, and making sure every dog finds safety and love. I’ve learned a lot about humans from dogs. Some humans really do suck. But the good ones? They’ll restore your faith in the world. 
—Shannon Benson, RN, a UNAC/UHCP Contract Specialist for the Kaiser Fontana affiliate. She is an avid dog rescuer and worked for several years with Leashes of Love Rescue Inc. (https://lolr.org). She shares her story to help us celebrate National Dog Day.