Author Samuel Lopez and his wife Cheri live on a hundred-year-old farm in Westley, California, a small town 85 miles southeast of San Francisco. They share a lifelong love for all animals, and so the farm life suits them well. What happened shortly after they moved to the farm, however, surprised them both.

At night, people began dropping off unwanted animals and then driving off into the darkness. Some, perhaps bolder and more caring, would arrive during daylight hours and knock on the door to the old farmhouse. "We have a dog we can no longer keep," they would say. "And we heard you take in unwanted animals." And so it began.

It wasn't long before there were too many animals for Samuel and Cheri to care for and feed, and so they began searching for permanent and loving homes for these once unwanted animals. So much of their time was being consumed by their efforts on behalf of dogs, cats, and other creatures, that they established Compassionate Pet Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Over the years, the programs of Compassionate Pet Sanctuary have expanded to include low-cost spay-neuter services and a trap-neuter-return program to help reduce the number of feral cats in the area.

Samuel has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from California State University.