Among the wagging tails of puppies and shelves of books, owners accompanied by their dogs sit, greeting passersby. Paws tap on the ground as dogs leap into open arms and lick smiling faces. 

Bookstore Wonderland Books hosted an event with author Katherine Carver and Forever Changed Animal Rescue employee Dorothy Yen, Feb. 22. In a Q&A led by Wonderland Books, Carver discussed the process of writing her book, and Yen talked about the animal shelter. After the conversation, Carver and Yen introduced some of the dogs from the book and the shelter to the audience.

Carver’s book “Abandoned: Chronicling the Journeys of Once Forsaken Dogs,” published in 2024, highlights dogs’ paths from deserted to adopted. Featuring photos of the dogs before and after they were adopted, Carver shows the dogs’ second chances at life. 

Carver’s main inspiration for her book was her first dog, Biscuit, who was found malnourished on the streets in North Carolina. Biscuit’s journey inspired Carver to tell other dogs’ stories and raise awareness of their mistreatment. For ten years, Carver worked to tell the story of the abandoned animals. She first reached out to shelters, asking if they would want to participate in the book before photographing the featured dogs while they were at the shelter. Post-adoption, she also checked in with the pets’ new owners and continued photographing them. 

“These dogs had suffered such enormous heartbreak and heartache, but yet they’re so resilient and I just think it’s quite amazing,” Carver said. “And the humans’ lives were also changed.”

Through the book’s creation, Carver gained an appreciation for the importance of dog adoption, something she said she seeks to expose to readers. Carver believes it is important to help abandoned animals and support rescue centers, she said.

“These animals share the planet with us, and we have a responsibility to take care of them and help the shelters and help the rescues who are on the front lines doing the most important work,” Carver said.

At the Wonderland Books event, Carver talked with Dorothy Yen from Forever Changed Animal Rescue –– a local nonprofit that rescues dogs and some cats. Founded in 2018 by three veterinarians, Forever Changed prioritizes taking in animals requiring medical attention, especially cases that are harder for other rescue centers to support. Forever Changed receives most of its animals when shelters reach out with injured or needy dogs they can’t help.

Dorothy Yen has been a part of Forever Changed Animal Rescue since its opening. She started by fostering animals for several years before beginning to help with transportation and other needs. After years of service, she joined the organization’s board and worked to coordinate fosters and adoptions.

“I’ve always been a dog person, but through fostering and adopting my own dogs, I learned so much about animal behavior and training and also the medicine aspect of things,” Yen said. “And for our doctors and fosters, I feel like they found a community through adopting or fostering for Forever Changed.”

One of the challenges in organizing an animal rescue center is the lack of availability of foster homes. As a foster-based rescue center, the organization’s capacity depends on whether fosters can take the dogs. The extra space allows the shelter to take in and help as many dogs as possible. One of the most important things to do to fix this problem is exposure, Yen said.

“We have been reaching out to places like Wonderland Bookstore or local pet stores to try to see if we can have more engagement with the local community,” Yen said. “We’ve been working with some news networks as well. We’re trying to get as many eyes and attention to these dogs as we can.”

Meredith Hooley has been fostering dogs from Forever Changed Animal Rescue and other shelters for roughly five years. Hooley said she believes that although it’s easy to form attachments with the dogs and it can be hard to let them go to their new owners, fostering them is an important way to give back to the community. She enjoys helping the dogs find loving homes and being a part of their story as they go from hardships in the beginning to a much happier ending.

Senior Grace Lee has always loved animals and for the past three years has been fostering cats from Alexandria Virginia Animal Shelter. For Lee, it is particularly gratifying to see the cats regain their personalities. 

“When you’re fostering, you’re normally fostering cats that are either sick or are having a tough time in the shelter, and since they’re all strays in rescues, they definitely have a hard time trusting humans,” Lee said. “When you show them there are good humans out there, it’s rewarding, and then they get adopted and you know that they’re going to a good home.”

Students, like Lee, can volunteer at animal shelters. By visiting local shelters’ websites, students can fill out volunteer forms and offer to care for animals, foster animals, or adopt animals that need homes. Lee believes volunteering is important because animals deserve to be loved and treated well. 

“Animals have their own lives,” Lee said. “They’re like the most innocent, pure form of life, and they deserve a home just like anyone else.”

This story was originally published on The Black & White on March 11, 2025.