“Early on, I understood the responsibility of caring for animals,” said Salgado Flores. “I learned to appreciate their unique features and needs.”

Choon Neo Siow and Dennice Wilson grew up in very different environments, yet both found deep connection with the animals around them. As a child in Southern California, Dennice sought out pets and animals everywhere she could. Choon Neo lived her early years in Singapore’s urban jungle and occasionally encountered monkeys and wild boars in the surrounding rainforest. Those early experiences, paired with their personal relationship with pets, shaped a shared lifelong compassion for animals, especially their dogs.