Belinda and Max

 As a child, Belinda Quan didn’t just love dogs, she celebrated them. Every year, she threw birthday parties for her labrador, Max, complete with homemade dog-friendly cake and tiny party hats for her stuffed animals as "guests." Her parents laughed, but they also admired the way her eyes lit up when she cared for animals. To Belinda, dogs weren’t just pets, they were family, friends, and teachers of unconditional love.

As she grew older, her passion only deepened. While other teenagers spent weekends at the mall, Belinda volunteered at shelters, comforting abandoned dogs and finding them homes. She studied animal behavior in college, determined to turn her childhood devotion into a lifelong mission.

Years later, Belinda became the director of Paws Without Borders, an international animal shelter that rescues and rehabilitates dogs from crisis zones. Under her leadership, thousands of animals found safety, medical care, and loving families. She even kept the tradition of celebrating birthdays, ensuring every rescued dog had a moment of joy with treats and toys.

At her core, Belinda never stopped seeing what she had known as a child: that generosity toward animals wasn’t just kindness, it was a way of living fully. And in return, life rewarded her with purpose, connection, and the wagging tails of countless dogs who, because of her, knew what it meant to be loved.