Ken Smith has spent a lifetime exploring the natural world. Activities like boating, fishing, hiking, camping, skiing, and photography have filled him with a deep reverence and respect for the natural world.

It’s no wonder, then, that his beloved dog Cookie and he were a perfect fit for outdoor adventures.

Ken enjoyed a rewarding thirty-eight-year career as a public servant. The last six years of his career were spent as Director of Animal Control at a small shelter in northern California.

There he inherited a high-kill, borderline humane shelter operation. Nearly half of the dogs who entered the shelter were euthanized.

Working closely with the local Humane Society and with the support of the county Board of Supervisors, he transformed his shelter into an ultra-low-kill pro-life animal control facility.

During his last five years as Director of Animal Control, Ken maintained a kill rate of just 1 percent. He was instrumental in moving the Board of Supervisors to adopt a policy that stopped the destruction of any adoptable or treatable dog.

His time as Director of Animal Control became the most rewarding of his entire career.

Now retired, Ken lives with Laurie, his wife and Cookie’s mom, in southern Oregon.

Together, they often recall the amazing life of adventure they shared with their beloved dog Cookie and those challenging but rewarding days spent saving the lives of Man’s Best Friend.