Working here, you fall in love with the animals and are always tempted to bring them home. But at our house, we've reached our limit.

The dogs love getting out for walks (within the fenced shelter), so this gives them more quality time outdoors. Since I have extra time today, I'll give each one of the cats more lap time.

All cages and runs are cleaned daily with an antiseptic. The cat litter boxes are changed and cats are given fresh food and water.

I'm retired, so working on holidays really doesn't bother me. My family and I celebrated Christmas early this year, on Friday. It might be difficult for some people, but my family is accommodating, so it works for us.

It is heartbreaking to see so many animals in distress through the Gulf Coast region. Many of them are frightened, confused, hungry, dehydrated and lost.

Their intriguing love story is straight out of a movie, played out across three continents at last count.