As I write this, my two rescue dogs lazily glance at me from their respective pillows on my living room couch. “Stanley” is a mix of at least four different breeds (mostly Schnauzer is our best guess) and “Henry” is a Chihuahua/Maltese hybrid of some sort and to list his shortcomings would take a whole separate article – let’s just say he’s bitten everyone from a FedEx worker to our wedding photographer and no matter how many times we brush his teeth, his breath is so bad I often have to banish him to the end of our king-sized bed. But here’s the thing: my two mutts are the most loveable and quirky animals I’ve ever met and you can see the gratitude in their eyes. My husband and I are well aware that if we hadn’t adopted them, they wouldn’t be here today. And now that my daughter is two, I am so happy that our furry family members (and their adoption stories) will help to teach her about charity, compassion and all those other wonderful character qualities.