Paw & Order: Special Sniffers Unit

Here at The HSUS, we’re fortunate to have the generous support of so many celebrities and public figures who are passionate about speaking up for animal protection. One of those voices, Judge David Young, is just wrapping up a series of pet-centric episodes on his Daytime Emmy-nominated show of the same name. Since Oct. 31, cases about pet owners' rights and responsibilities have aired each Friday on “Judge David Young.” The fourth and final "Thank Dog It's Friday!" episode airs this week, and you can check show times here.

I’ve been enjoying your stories of why you’re passionate about animal welfare (keep them coming; I’ll post them soon), and today I wanted to share Judge Young’s inspiration:

Animals have always had a special place in my heart. While growing up in Miami I was fortunate enough to have a family that taught me early on to love and respect animals. My aunt and uncle had two poodles that helped begin my lifelong love for animals. The pups, Scamp and Buster, were the most loving and gorgeous dogs.

I adopted my first cat Portia from the humane society. She was a beautiful grey animal who was always very protective of me. It was that positive experience that started my deep passion to encourage others to adopt as well.

At an Adopt-a-Pet event put on by the Miami-Dade Humane Society I saw Maggie, the cutest little Cairn-poodle puppy, who upon seeing me jumped into my arms. It was love at first sight and my partner Scott and I adopted her right then and there and never let go of her. That was the moment my hands-on involvement started and I became extremely active in the Miami-Dade Humane Society, eventually becoming a board member. I wanted to make sure that others share the positive experience that I had when adopting Maggie, and I want to make sure that all pets find good homes.

When we started airing pet-related shows on my daytime court show "Judge David Young," I began to get letters from all over the country from people whose lives have been opened up because of an adopted animal. People who have rescued animals tell me stories about helping nurse a wounded or abused animal and it just warms my heart. It's the best reward for my involvement with The Humane Society of the United States that I could ever receive.

With the upcoming holiday season, people are contemplating bringing a pet into their family. I would highly recommend that they visit their local humane society shelter. Some of the best animals I have encountered are all rescue dogs and cats—they are all friendly, cute and adorable. I wish I could take them all home!